How does the English Springer Spaniel work in the field?
The springer is the all-round flushing spaniel. It hunts cover fast and methodically, flushes game for the guns, sits to flush and shot, and retrieves to hand.
The springer is the classic all-round spaniel. It hunts its ground in a fast, methodical pattern, flushes game for the guns, sits to flush and shot, and retrieves to hand. Bigger and stronger than a working cocker, it handles heavy cover and long days well, and it is a common sight in beating lines across Britain as well as on rough shoots and wildfowling trips where one dog has to do everything. Working-bred springers differ markedly from show-bred dogs in size, coat and drive, and they dominate spaniel field trials alongside working cockers. If you want a shooting dog, buy from parents who work and ask to see them hunt.
What is the English Springer Spaniel like to live and work with?
Energetic, outgoing and keen to please, and usually good with people and other dogs. It needs plenty of exercise and work to stay settled.
Working springers are energetic, outgoing and keen to please. They bond closely with their handler and usually get on well with people and other dogs. Their energy is considerable, and a springer that is under-exercised or bored will invent its own entertainment. In the field, what separates a good dog from a frustrating one is pace with control: hunting hard while staying within range, and stopping on the whistle when told. Those traits run in families, so ask how the parents handle on a shoot day.
Which health tests matter for the English Springer Spaniel?
The Royal Kennel Club's minimum list is hip and elbow scores under the BVA/KC schemes and a BVA/KC/ISDS eye test with gonioscopy. Its best-practice DNA tests are AMS, DAMS, fucosidosis, PFK and PRA (cord1).
The Royal Kennel Club's minimum recommendations (checked October 2026) are hip scores under the BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme, elbow grades under the BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme and eye testing with gonioscopy under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme, plus prioritising genetic diversity. The BVA scheme pages set no expiry date for eye certificates, so check when the dogs were last examined. Its best-practice DNA tests are for acral mutilation syndrome (AMS), dyserythropoietic anaemia and myopathy syndrome (DAMS), fucosidosis, phosphofructokinase (PFK) deficiency and progressive retinal atrophy (cord1). Fucosidosis and PFK deficiency are inherited recessively, so a puppy is not expected to be affected by the tested variant when at least one parent has a reliable clear result. If the parents are Kennel Club registered, you can check their recorded results on the Kennel Club's Health Test Results Finder. Ask to see the certificates rather than accepting 'health tested' on trust. See our checklist for buying a gundog for everything else to ask.
How much training and exercise does the English Springer Spaniel need?
Recall and the stop whistle first, then quartering, steadiness and retrieving, with more serious work often starting at roughly six to eight months, depending on the dog. An adult needs well over an hour of exercise a day.
Training follows the pattern for any spaniel: recall and the stop whistle first, then quartering, steadiness and retrieving. Many springers are bright and forward, and some are ready for more serious work at roughly six to eight months, but steadiness to running game and shot takes time and repetition. If you would rather skip that stage, part-trained spaniels have the groundwork done. Short sessions with plenty of variety keep them interested. An adult working springer needs well over an hour of exercise a day, much of it off the lead, and benefits from training built into its walks. Keep the feathering on the ears and feet trimmed in the season, and check for grass seeds after each outing.
How long does it take to train the English Springer Spaniel?
For the English Springer Spaniel, readiness for the intended role matters more than a birthday. Check demonstrated foundations, physical suitability and the support needed for the next stage.
Early learning includes responding to its name, recall, a sit, simple retrieves and manageable introductions to everyday sights and sounds. After comfortable everyday foundations, it is taught to quarter within gunshot, to hunt cover on command and to stop when the whistle goes. With reliable foundations, it is introduced to game, steadied to flush and shot, and taken to quiet shoot days, often in the beating line, where it learns to work alongside other dogs. For a dog that has already been through all of this, see the trained springer spaniels for sale. Use the training progression guide to discuss readiness with a reward-based trainer. Ask your vet about physical demands, and plan game, water and gunfire introductions with competent help.