Spaniel people...

[EternalVetBills]

This is my first time posting on this bit of the forum and I'll openly admit to being more than a little bit clueless about this type of dog, so please be gentle.

I've been dog sitting a 3 year old Springer Spaniel for a lady at the yard whilst she's at work for a couple of weeks now. Over the last couple of days her circumstances have changed and she has asked me if I would be happy for the dog to stay with me indefinitely, which I've said yes to.

Now, the problem is that I've never had this type of dog before. We've always had working/farm dogs and I feel I'm reasonably knowledgeable on how to train a dog to a decent standard, but they've always been sighthound and terrier types (I'll be honest and say I do look down my nose slightly at anything else). I've now taken on this Springer who is completely different to either of those breeds and would like to make sure I'm doing the best by him.

I would say he is fairly well trained already. His recall is decent, although not as reliable as I would like. He generally comes when called, but more into the area near you rather than to you, if that makes sense? He also has a nasty habit of running up to other dogs, something I absolutely cannot stand and am working hard on. Any tips on this? I'm currently just really drilling the recall with lots of treats when we're out, and putting him on if I see dogs.

He is a working dog with plenty of energy, I'm not planning on taking him shooting at all this season as it's not really something I'm into. I was thinking perhaps agility or flyball instead to keep his brain occupied; is this something Springers are generally interested in? He's ever such a bright thing so I'm sure he would learn quickly.

I currently do about 3 walks a day with the terriers I've already got, 30 minutes mostly off lead in the morning, 1-2 (sometimes longer) hours again mostly off lead around 3 o'clock, and then another 30 minutes again in the evening normally off lead but sometimes it's a road walk. Is this enough for him?

His lead manners are dreadful, very out of my depth here as mine have always been trained as puppies to walk nicely, so I am struggling a little with a very strong fully grown dog. He's currently just in a slip lead, but I was thinking a proper collar, one of those nose halti things, and a training lead to teach him to be light off of the collar. Does that sound sensible?

Any tips on food as well, he's very skinny, even for my tastes (and I do tend to run mine slightly lighter), but I really don't want him getting too much energy. I'm currently feeding him Lily's Kitchen wet food and biscuits as that's all my two will eat, but was thinking I might put him on raw as that's what my lurchers always did well on it's just the terriers that won't eat it.

No real point to this post really other than I think I'd like a bit of a hand holding please! He's a really lovely dog and nowhere near as neurotic as some spaniels I've met. I'd love him to be slightly easier to walk, but am well aware I may never make him into something he's not.

TIA for any pearls of wisdom anyone can share

 

[Roxylola]

You might never really change the lead walking - they're bred to be out in front of you zig wagging. Mine isnt awful, but I'd have to be on her constantly to have her walk nicely. Shes on a harness and generally at the end of her lead not dragging me so that's our compromise.
Your walks sound fine. Mine would love flyball - shes all about her ball.
Recall yes if I insist she comes right to me, but generally she comes back and just checks in
Mine is 100% pet though we just have fun and enjoy each other

 

[suebou]

Put him on a check chain for a short period. He’ll take about five minutes to walk decently

 

[Annette4]

I can't help with most of it since while I love to watch spaniels, I'm a whippet girl but we have springers at our agility and flyball clubs and they do well in their respective sports so no reason why he couldn't if he enjoys it.

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

our part cocker spaniel (cockapoo) is classic zig zag in front of us nose to the ground. She will run ahead and stop and look back at us until we get close enough and shoot off ahead. We use a whistle, balls, treats and her absolute favourite, sticks, to get her attention and back to us when needed.

In terms of on lead we use a slip collar and she gets a sharp tug when she pulls. When we were training I found that she was much better walking back home than walking away. So I tried to tire her out as much as poss off lead then do our lead training on the way home when she was amenable!

Spaniels are so lovely, a full cocker is next on my list (after my dream dog, a corgi).

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Change the sliplead into a figure of eight (put it on, then pull down under the throat, loop excess over nose, I can walk 3 on a finger each) They are meant to be out front as Roxy says, but my lot walk on loose leads only when tired! They’re far better without leads, but obviously we have them for safety. They will walk nicely if reminded.

Increase his food if he isn’t putting on weight, just get what you normally get, although raw will work out cheaper. Mine are on raw.

The amount of walks is fine, springers don’t need hours and hours, honest, as long as they’re stimulated. They get used to what they get. I make mine search for dummies/balls but I have a naughty one who needs occupying! They can be obsessive, be it hunting a stray deer, finding a ball etc. Mine are very fond of looking for frogs.


We of course need pictures if the owner agrees.

 

[meleeka]

I’m envious. I really wanted another Springer, but have now ended up with an unwanted German Shepherd so will have to wait.
My Springer didn’t need much. Her favourite thing in the world was me throwing her ball into the long grass so she could sniff it out. It was far better then just throwing a ball continually and her tail was constantly wagging. She also loved water so a trip to the river was also a favourite.

 

[Lurfy]

Zig wagging is such an appropriate term when it comes to my daughter's Cocker Spaniel. The only time he doesn't zig wag up in front is when my 2 year old grandaughter is leading him and then there is a loop in the lead and he sticks by her side. I had various dogs all my life and this little cocker who looks like a plush toy has the best temperament I have ever come across. Have fun with your spaniel.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Mine especially likes looking for dummies stuck up a height in a hedge.

 

[Roxylola]

Well, if we are sharing pictures...
Incidentally zig wagging was an auto correct which I changed once and missed it changing again - its appropriate though lol

 

[PapaverFollis]

Mine would have quite happily killed himself on a slip lead, honestly. He basically leans into any pressure and pain. Loves it. I've watch him run flat out through the thickest brush and brambles, come out bleeding and then throw himself in again. Absolutely bonkers.

He does walk nicely now. If I am calm and concentrate. We've tried lots of different methods but what really cracked it was teaching general self control and focus through playing games. As well as various lead techniques. Happy to talk through it but preferably via PM.

But his recall is bob on. He flushed a deer in the croft a couple of months ago and although he chased it 50 yards he came back before all hope of catching it was lost. That's just rewarding rewarding rewarding and MANAGING to avoid avoidable recall failure or avoiding testing the recall. Get enough successful reps in and it won't fail when you need it. I sometimes chuck a biscuit through my legs as he comes back so he runs through my legs to get it. Do that enough times and you get a recall that makes a bee line straight for you! It might also be worth teaching "middle" so you can call him into a controlled position.

Management for the other dogs. I just don't let mine interact with other dogs at all and they have become uninterested in them. Especially Spaniel.

They are fabulous dogs. Beyond bonkers though.

He loves a game of find it. Best thing ever. And tennis balls. I actually don't give him tennis balls very often as he loses his tiny mind but it's a handy ultimate reward for training.

Oh and he's ace at agility. Sometimes goes rogue and does a bit of freestyle. But has the best time! If we'd ever taken it seriously I think he would have been very good.

 

[Quoth]

This will be a bit piecemeal but off the top of my head at 3am

Working springers are the canine equivalent of a naughty two year old.

It’s a good idea to trim the fur from between their pads and toes as well as around the inside of the ear. Get into a routine of regularly checking feet, ears and eyes for thorns burrs and in particular grass seeds. They collect more crap than any breed I’ve encountered and once the foreign object gets between the pads it will slowly work it’s way into the paw and up the dogs leg. You’ll save yourself time and money at the vets in the long run.

You will likely have to clean out their ears from time to time if they get smelly, particularly if they have been near water.

When rummaging in the shrubbery they will pretty much ignore any damage so get used to checking them over for cuts and thorns. Don’t be fooled by their whimpy behaviour;the same dog which makes a fuss because he’s got a burr round his bum or ice crystals on his paws will happily ignore a gash which requires stitches.

Springers will go until they drop, so you have to be more careful about curbing them from over exertion and other kamikaze behaviour. On the plus side they don’t tend to slow down much when they reach maturity like many other breeds.

They’re very sensitive and handler soft and realistically if you have to use harsh measures on a spaniel something somewhere has gone horribly wrong. They don’t have much tolerance for mistreatment and will hold a grudge. They’re generally friendly but if something has a go at them they often make enemy of them for life.

They’ve got a very soft play style and in my experience often get on better with small energetic dogs or big gentle dogs that are happy to be bounced on. I’ve kept mine with harder working breeds such as dobes, giants, Belgians and so forth and they’ve got on with my aunts DDR Alsatians but this only happens when the harder breeds adapt themselves to the spaniels and not the other way around.

A working springer on a lead is like a kite on a bit of string. You can train them to walk nicely but this is a dog bred to quarter and flush quickly and efficiently, a feat at which they have few rivals, so you are working against instinct. Introducing your dog to a face halter is how a lot of people solve the problem. Body harnesses, choke chains and so forth are fairly useless with most working line dogs in my experience and often encourages them to pull harder or gain compliance only through the use of excessive force.

Springers love water and will often develop selective deafness if they see the chance to go and wallow in a nearby cattle trough. You probably want to keep him on the lead near any dangerous bodies of water. I’ve personally had to fish one out of a canal lock and they’re the sort of dog I wouldn’t trust not to throw itself off a cliff to get to the sea.

Unless they’ve been raised with small animals I wouldn’t trust them not to try to eat them. They’ve got a pretty high drive when it comes to murdering small furries. Even if they seem fine with an animal, the cat/parrot/rabbit may suddenly do something to trigger it and end as a small red stain on the carpet. They’re quite efficient killers of the my local rabbit population too.

In terms of training they’re biddable and quick to learn but don’t have the same tolerance of training pressure you find in a lab for example and get over excited or frustrated more quickly. Short novel bursts of training work best. In regards to running up to other dogs, I’d keep working on recall and just gradually increase the level of distraction. Don’t expect the same kind work ethic you find in labs or hprs either. They work faster and more energetically but you need to be more on top of them to keep them on the straight and narrow. This is generally true of all spaniels, including the brittany.

I work the basis of 2 x 1hr long walks per day as a baseline with more when time allows. Like most working gun dogs they’re pretty easy to keep as pets provided you can meet their needs for exercise and human interaction. Mine enjoy nose work the best but provided you don’t mind having your living room turned upside down that need be no more complicated than playing “hide the bone” of an evening.

In terms of feeding, I do a lamb or beef pot roast a couple of times a weak for the dogs. Blend the veg and broth to make a sauce, flake up the meat and then mix it with james wellbeloved kibble. Failing that I’ll open a can of fish in sauce (curry is favourite) and mush it in with their kibble. I generally don’t feed raw (except for bones) but that’s only because I also have a giant and a blackie pup and don’t fancy them walking around with raw meat in their beards. No reason you couldn’t with your spaniel.

Obviously ymmv

Some pictures of the offending articles (Erin, Murphy and Yo-yo)

 

[EternalVetBills]

I'll reply properly in a bit, but I've over slept slightly and in a bit of a rush. Just wanted to say thank you everyone, some really great replies here, and I really appreciate the advice. Loving the pictures, although they have made me realise just how skinny he is!

Thank again everyone. Pictures coming, when I can get him to stand still long enough to take some ?

 

[PapaverFollis]

Mine was insanely skinny until about 4 years old. I feed him Burns working food now though and he's doing really well on that.

 

[Moobli]

I’m envious. I really wanted another Springer, but have now ended up with an unwanted German Shepherd so will have to wait.
My Springer didn’t need much. Her favourite thing in the world was me throwing her ball into the long grass so she could sniff it out. It was far better then just throwing a ball continually and her tail was constantly wagging. She also loved water so a trip to the river was also a favourite.

Have we heard the story of the unwanted shepherd?

I have vaguely toyed with the idea of a working springer or cocker at various times as I quite like the sound of a self exercising dog ? as well as admiring their joie de vivre about life in general but in reality shepherds suit my lifestyle and personality so much better.

Lots of experienced gundog people on here OP so I’m sure you’ll get excellent advice (although personally I’d ignore talk of choke chains and suchlike ?).

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Also, I think someone mentioned above, they don't *need* hours and hours of walks. But they will keep going forever if you wanted to. On a normal weekday ours probs gets at the very least 5-10km all off lead and spends the rest of her time snoozing and playing with the cat. When at my mum's she probably gets 2-5km walks on lead if that and she still just sleeps all day.

Also spaniels are ridiculously clever, they will out smart you. But also then very quick to pick up things and very trainable. Our cockerpoo was in the grown up obedience class at 16 weeks old after a few weeks of "Puppy obedience" and holding her own!

Also agree with others about the ears, ours has never had too much of a problem but I have noticed a significant decrease in scratching since we got the groomers to shave the underneath of her ear.

 

[EternalVetBills]

Change the sliplead into a figure of eight (put it on, then pull down under the throat, loop excess over nose, I can walk 3 on a finger each) They are meant to be out front as Roxy says, but my lot walk on loose leads only when tired! They’re far better without leads, but obviously we have them for safety. They will walk nicely if reminded.

Increase his food if he isn’t putting on weight, just get what you normally get, although raw will work out cheaper. Mine are on raw.

The amount of walks is fine, springers don’t need hours and hours, honest, as long as they’re stimulated. They get used to what they get. I make mine search for dummies/balls but I have a naughty one who needs occupying! They can be obsessive, be it hunting a stray deer, finding a ball etc. Mine are very fond of looking for frogs.
View attachment 56612

We of course need pictures if the owner agrees.

Thank you so much for that lead advice! I tried it this morning and it was a revelation! I let him walk out in front rather than making him walk to heel like my others, as that seems to be the general consensus here. However I do draw the line at crossing over in front of me (I do love the phrase zig wagging though, so apt!) as I'm very clumsy anyway so the last thing I need is a dog tripping me up; we instead came to a great compromise of him walking in front but off to the side, so he could zip about within his area as much as he wanted as long as he was respectful. I wouldn't have been able to do it without looping the lead over his nose though so thank you very much!
I love that picture so much! Aren't they funny!

Well, if we are sharing pictures...
Incidentally zig wagging was an auto correct which I changed once and missed it changing again - its appropriate though lol

I couldn't tell whether it was or not, you've definitely coined a very appropriate new phrase.

Your girl looks lovely, she's got a very pretty face.

Mine would have quite happily killed himself on a slip lead, honestly. He basically leans into any pressure and pain. Loves it. I've watch him run flat out through the thickest brush and brambles, come out bleeding and then throw himself in again. Absolutely bonkers.

He does walk nicely now. If I am calm and concentrate. We've tried lots of different methods but what really cracked it was teaching general self control and focus through playing games. As well as various lead techniques. Happy to talk through it but preferably via PM.

But his recall is bob on. He flushed a deer in the croft a couple of months ago and although he chased it 50 yards he came back before all hope of catching it was lost. That's just rewarding rewarding rewarding and MANAGING to avoid avoidable recall failure or avoiding testing the recall. Get enough successful reps in and it won't fail when you need it. I sometimes chuck a biscuit through my legs as he comes back so he runs through my legs to get it. Do that enough times and you get a recall that makes a bee line straight for you! It might also be worth teaching "middle" so you can call him into a controlled position.

Management for the other dogs. I just don't let mine interact with other dogs at all and they have become uninterested in them. Especially Spaniel.

They are fabulous dogs. Beyond bonkers though.

He loves a game of find it. Best thing ever. And tennis balls. I actually don't give him tennis balls very often as he loses his tiny mind but it's a handy ultimate reward for training.

Oh and he's ace at agility. Sometimes goes rogue and does a bit of freestyle. But has the best time! If we'd ever taken it seriously I think he would have been very good.

Thank you PF that's so helpful! Would love some lead advice, more than happy to talk over PM.

Mine was insanely skinny until about 4 years old. I feed him Burns working food now though and he's doing really well on that.

Oh phew, I don't need to worry too much then.

 

[EternalVetBills]

This will be a bit piecemeal but off the top of my head at 3am

Working springers are the canine equivalent of a naughty two year old.

It’s a good idea to trim the fur from between their pads and toes as well as around the inside of the ear. Get into a routine of regularly checking feet, ears and eyes for thorns burrs and in particular grass seeds. They collect more crap than any breed I’ve encountered and once the foreign object gets between the pads it will slowly work it’s way into the paw and up the dogs leg. You’ll save yourself time and money at the vets in the long run.

You will likely have to clean out their ears from time to time if they get smelly, particularly if they have been near water.

When rummaging in the shrubbery they will pretty much ignore any damage so get used to checking them over for cuts and thorns. Don’t be fooled by their whimpy behaviour;the same dog which makes a fuss because he’s got a burr round his bum or ice crystals on his paws will happily ignore a gash which requires stitches.

Springers will go until they drop, so you have to be more careful about curbing them from over exertion and other kamikaze behaviour. On the plus side they don’t tend to slow down much when they reach maturity like many other breeds.

They’re very sensitive and handler soft and realistically if you have to use harsh measures on a spaniel something somewhere has gone horribly wrong. They don’t have much tolerance for mistreatment and will hold a grudge. They’re generally friendly but if something has a go at them they often make enemy of them for life.

They’ve got a very soft play style and in my experience often get on better with small energetic dogs or big gentle dogs that are happy to be bounced on. I’ve kept mine with harder working breeds such as dobes, giants, Belgians and so forth and they’ve got on with my aunts DDR Alsatians but this only happens when the harder breeds adapt themselves to the spaniels and not the other way around.

A working springer on a lead is like a kite on a bit of string. You can train them to walk nicely but this is a dog bred to quarter and flush quickly and efficiently, a feat at which they have few rivals, so you are working against instinct. Introducing your dog to a face halter is how a lot of people solve the problem. Body harnesses, choke chains and so forth are fairly useless with most working line dogs in my experience and often encourages them to pull harder or gain compliance only through the use of excessive force.

Springers love water and will often develop selective deafness if they see the chance to go and wallow in a nearby cattle trough. You probably want to keep him on the lead near any dangerous bodies of water. I’ve personally had to fish one out of a canal lock and they’re the sort of dog I wouldn’t trust not to throw itself off a cliff to get to the sea.

Yes, I noticed that when I walked past a pond the other day and all I saw was a black and white blur zoom past ?‍. It hadn't even crossed my mind until then. Thankfully nothing dangerous water wise near me, but will bear it in mind if/when I drive him anywhere. I'll definitely take him to the beach at some point though, I'm sure he'd love it!

Unless they’ve been raised with small animals I wouldn’t trust them not to try to eat them. They’ve got a pretty high drive when it comes to murdering small furries. Even if they seem fine with an animal, the cat/parrot/rabbit may suddenly do something to trigger it and end as a small red stain on the carpet. They’re quite efficient killers of the my local rabbit population too.

No small furries in my house, terrible terrors 1 & 2 can't be trusted with them. One bit through 3 layers of fox wire to get my pet rabbit when I was 15 (after having eaten my hamster, by climbing on a dresser and destroying the cage only a week before) and I haven't tried getting anything else small and furry since. It'll be quite nice if he does have that prey drive though, it means I'll be able to take him rabbiting with my two. I wasn't sure whether spaniels were into that sort of thing or not.

In terms of training they’re biddable and quick to learn but don’t have the same tolerance of training pressure you find in a lab for example and get over excited or frustrated more quickly. Short novel bursts of training work best. In regards to running up to other dogs, I’d keep working on recall and just gradually increase the level of distraction. Don’t expect the same kind work ethic you find in labs or hprs either. They work faster and more energetically but you need to be more on top of them to keep them on the straight and narrow. This is generally true of all spaniels, including the brittany.

I work the basis of 2 x 1hr long walks per day as a baseline with more when time allows. Like most working gun dogs they’re pretty easy to keep as pets provided you can meet their needs for exercise and human interaction. Mine enjoy nose work the best but provided you don’t mind having your living room turned upside down that need be no more complicated than playing “hide the bone” of an evening.

In terms of feeding, I do a lamb or beef pot roast a couple of times a weak for the dogs. Blend the veg and broth to make a sauce, flake up the meat and then mix it with james wellbeloved kibble. Failing that I’ll open a can of fish in sauce (curry is favourite) and mush it in with their kibble. I generally don’t feed raw (except for bones) but that’s only because I also have a giant and a blackie pup and don’t fancy them walking around with raw meat in their beards. No reason you couldn’t with your spaniel.

Thank you so much, that's all so helpful. Especially the training stuff, I was assuming he'd have the same sort of tolerance as a lab so that is really useful to know that he won't! I'll keep sessions short and sweet.

No reply from his owner yet as to whether pics are okay or not, but will put some up if she okays it. Thank you so much everyone

 

[PapaverFollis]

Skinny Oscar... 2012 so he'll have been 2 years old here. They just burn through anything you feed them at that age. I found if I tried to feed him more it just went straight through. Vet told me he was fine. And he did start to fill out a bit more. He's 10 now and still slim but looks like a proper chubs next to what he used to be! ?

 

[EternalVetBills]

Skinny Oscar... 2012 so he'll have been 2 years old here. They just burn through anything you feed them at that age. I found if I tried to feed him more it just went straight through. Vet told me he was fine. And he did start to fill out a bit more. He's 10 now and still slim but looks like a proper chubs next to what he used to be! ?

View attachment 56657View attachment 56658

That's what Trousers looks like. Ah, phew. I can stop worrying then

 

[Roxylola]

Roxy was the same up to about 8. I dont have to feed as much now but shes still lean

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Zak does the zig wag-loving that term-although he’s more of a bounce round like Zebedee dog. When I walk him, he’s on a harness and longline and is allowed the width of the pavement, which is double the usual, verge etc round here. He can then cross from side to side without impacting me. Bear sometimes needs the figure of 8, isn’t it amazing?!