The English Springer Spaniel

An English Springer was the first gundog my wife and I owned. With 'Markdown Muffin' in the pedigree people who knew spaniels thought that she may have been too hot for a novice trainer, and I must confess, despite keeping her busy with 'good citizen' training, agility, field tests, she could still sometimes decide she was the one who ruled the roost.

The Working English Springer Spaniel

The ideal rough shooters dog, where hedges and other cover needs to be worked, or a moderate amount of water work needs to be done, a close working springer can be delightful to work.

The first book I bought on Spaniels was the classic Training Spaniels (see the left hand panel to find copies of this book on Amazon) by the professional gundog trainer Joe Irving. Firs published in the early eighties, his gentler approach to what had perhaps been an often misunderstood subject was a fantastic introduction to what can be achieved with the positive re-inforcement of desired behaviours.

Other Spaniel Books

I am currently waiting for a copy of 'Spaniels, Their Breaking for Sport'. These older books (this was originally published in 1915) can be a delight to read, and you can often pick up very useful insights. Once I receive it I will put a review on the book pages of this site.