meet the...English Springer Spaniel
Breed Summary
Breed Group Group 11: Gun Dog Breeds
Sub-group 11-B: Flushing Dogs
Origin Country England
Weight Males: 40-50 pounds. Females: 35-45 pounds.
Height Males: 19-20 inches. Females: 19-20 inches.
Other Name(s) Springer, Springer Spaniel, Springer Spaniel Ingles
Breed Type Pure
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Origins
The English Springer Spaniel breed has a long, rich history, with roots in Spain and England, where the breed was developed into the vigorous and refined dog seen today. Like many modern-day Spaniels, the English Springer Spaniel is descended from the original old Spaniel types of England, whose heritages can be traced further back to the famous bird dogs of old from Spain, known as the Épangeuls (the French word for Spaniel). Prior to the 1600s, Spaniels were all considered to be any dog that performed the function of flushing fowl into a net (prior to the invention of the gun) and then into the line of fire (after the invention of the gun). In 1882, the Kennel Club of England officially recognized the Spaniels into three varieties based on size and usage: the Field Spaniel, the Springer Spaniel, and the Cocker Spaniel breeds were born. These dogs were divided according to size, and it was possible that each of the three varieties could occur in the same litter.
Eventually, in the late 19th century, the dogs were officially divided into three separate breeds. However, it wasn’t until the turn of the 20th century that the English Springer Spaniel received their official title from the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association. Shortly after that, the breed’s popularity as a flushing retriever spread, as did their numbers.Breed Characteristics
Head: Mesaticephalic skull-type, moderate in size and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is of moderate length, fairly broad, and may be slightly flat to somewhat rounded when viewed in profile or from the front. The skull is slightly rounded at the back and along the sides. Neither the occiput nor the stop is prominent. The brows are somewhat well-developed. A slight median furrow runs from the stop toward the occiput. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and set well apart. The eye color is according to the coat and may range from hazel to amber in liver dogs or medium to dark brown in black dogs. The eye rims are tightly fitted without appearing droopy or exposing haw or whites. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
Ears: Moderate to large in size, set somewhat low on the skull, broad, and approximately level with the eyes. They hang elegantly close to the cheeks. When extended, the tip of the ear leather should reach the tip of the nose. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.
Muzzle: The muzzle is strongly developed, broad, and somewhat deep. The muzzle bridge is horizontal and straight. The upper and lower jaws are equal in length and have good bone substance. The face is somewhat chiseled below the eyes.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored liver, according to the coat. The nostrils are well-opened.
Neck: Moderately long length allows for proud head carriage and sufficient range of motion. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Body: Solid, short-coupled, well-muscled, and of good substance. The body is never excessively racy or refined and free of exaggeration. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Tail: Set low on the croup, thick at the base, and tapering toward the tip. Carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, level with the topline, or just higher, but never tucked. The tail may be left natural (preferred) or docked short. Natural tails are of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved. Docked tails are docked to approximately 4 inches (adult size).
Movement: Graceful, effortless, efficient, energetic, and lively. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament: The English Springer Spaniel’s temperament is not unlike that of other birding dogs. They are affectionate, happy, lively, energetic, friendly, pleasing, and sensitive. Their ability to learn quickly allows them to excel at many tasks and skills, including field trials, obedience, tracking and article search, and even agility. They are renowned for their even temperament and get along well with children and other dogs and pets. Like other Spaniels, these dogs demonstrate an exuberant amount of energy that needs to be curbed through training and exercise, otherwise, they can become quite hard to handle. They are also known to bond so strongly that separation issues can result. These can be curbed by ensuring that pent energy is exercised and accommodating the dog to small bouts of being separated. Also, ensuring that he has plenty of things to do to prevent boredom can help. These dogs are typically accepting of most people, strangers or not. However, some may develop a sense of protectiveness toward their people or families. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Breed Standard
BREED GROUP 11: Gun Dog Breeds
Proportions: Square to off-square with the length of the body, measured from the point of the forechest to the point of the rump, being just slightly greater than the height at the withers. The ideal body height-to-length ratio is between 5:4 and 10:9. Females may be slightly longer. The body is well-put-together, with sturdy substance and medium bone. The weight of males or females is always in proportion to height.
Head
General Appearance: Mesaticephalic skull-type, moderate in size and in proportion to the rest of the body. The topskull is of moderate length, fairly broad, and may be slightly flat to somewhat rounded when viewed in profile or from the front. The skull is slightly rounded at the back and along the sides. Neither the occiput nor the stop is prominent. The brows are somewhat well-developed. A slight median furrow runs from the stop toward the occiput. The head is clean-cut without excess skin or wrinkles.
Expression: Kind, alert, watchful, and lively.
Stop: The stop is slight to moderate and never overly pronounced.
Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1, with the topskull equaling the muzzle.
The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel.
Muzzle: The muzzle is strongly developed, broad, and somewhat deep. The muzzle bridge is horizontal and straight. The upper and lower jaws are equal in length and have good bone substance. The face is somewhat chiseled below the eyes.
Lips or Flews: The lips are fairly clean and fit well over the teeth and jaws. They are neither loose and pendulous nor tight. The upper lip is sufficient in size just to cover the lower jaw, giving the muzzle an appearance that is slightly square rather than wedged.
Nose: The nose is well-pigmented, black, or self-colored liver, according to the coat. The nostrils are well-opened.
Cheeks: Cheeks may be smooth to slightly padded, denoting strength. The cheeks should not appear chiseled or coarse.
Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level, scissor, or reverse-scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and set well apart. The eye color is according to the coat and may range from hazel to amber in liver dogs or medium to dark brown in black dogs. The eye rims are tightly fitted without appearing droopy or exposing haw or whites. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes.
Ears: Moderate to large in size, set somewhat low on the skull, broad, and approximately level with the eyes. They hang elegantly close to the cheeks. When extended, the tip of the ear leather should reach the tip of the nose. The ears are never long, overly large, or broken.
Body and Tail
General Description: Solid, short-coupled, well-muscled, and of good substance. The body is never excessively racy or refined and free of exaggeration. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
Neck: Moderately long length allows for proud head carriage and sufficient range of motion. It is strongly muscled with a slight arch. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut, without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows.
Topline: Straight and may be level or just slightly sloping from slightly prominent withers to croup. The back is broad, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is short, taut, flat, and level, or slightly arched, yet supportive. The back is never excessively long, swayed, or roached.
Croup: Broad and gently sloped.
Underline: A slight to moderate tuck-up may be present, or the underline may run parallel to the topline. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
Tail: Set low on the croup, thick at the base, and tapering toward the tip. Carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level, level with the topline, or just higher, but never tucked. The tail may be left natural (preferred) or docked short. Natural tails are of a medium length, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved. Docked tails are docked to approximately 4 inches (adult size).
Forequarters and Hindquarters
Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. Shoulder blades are approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, of good muscle, moderate bone, and parallel to one another.
Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are equal in length, strong, sturdy, of moderate bone, and well-muscled.
Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
Angulations: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.
Coat
Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
Coat Type: Medium length, close, straight, or wavy weather-resistant outer coat with moderate feathering on the belly, ears, forelegs, body, and hindquarters. Well-feathered between the toes. Short on head, face, and front of legs. The undercoat is soft and dense.
Coat Color or Pattern: CKC recognizes two color varieties of the English Springer Spaniel breed: the standard and nonstandard.
Standard Coat Color Variety: Black, or liver with or without tan points, always with white markings, or predominantly white or with ticking of permissible colors.
Non-Standard Coat Color Variety: Solid black or liver, with or without tan points, lemon, red, orange, sable with or without white markings, predominantly white, or with ticking; solid ticked, clear white.
Movement
Graceful, effortless, efficient, energetic, and lively. The characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the center line of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.
Temperament
The English Springer Spaniel’s temperament is not unlike that of other birding dogs. They are affectionate, happy, lively, energetic, friendly, pleasing, and sensitive. Their ability to learn quickly allows them to excel at many tasks and skills, including field trials, obedience, tracking and article search, and even agility. They are renowned for their even temperament and get along well with children and other dogs and pets. Like other Spaniels, these dogs demonstrate an exuberant amount of energy that needs to be curbed through training and exercise, otherwise, they can become quite hard to handle. They are also known to bond so strongly that separation issues can result. These can be curbed by ensuring that pent energy is exercised and accommodating the dog to small bouts of being separated. Also, ensuring that he has plenty of things to do to prevent boredom can help. These dogs are typically accepting of most people, strangers or not. However, some may develop a sense of protectiveness toward their people or families. Any unprovoked aggressive or fearful behavior toward people is incorrect for this breed.
Faults
All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.
