Does anyone own an English Springer Spaniel?

[PhatAtUT]

i'm about ready to get a dog and i think this is the breed i want. anyone care to share your experiences with them? does anyone know a reputable breeder or the best way to find one?

 

[riloh05]

had one for 15 years... dog was awesome. strongly reccomend this breed. if i had more space i would have another. 2 words to sum up my dog- smart and sweet. RIP Sadie.

 

[whickums]

I don't have much experience with the breed. But, with most breeds the way to find a reputable breeder is to go through that breed's parent club. Here is the one for English Springer Spaniels. At a quick glance it looks like there is a lot of good information on that site.

In general you should avoid anyone selling puppies through the classifieds or craigslist (unless they are adopting rescued puppies out). If breeders have websites you should be wary if they have more than 1 or 2 litters available at one time, or if they accept online payment and/or will ship the dogs anywhere. And please god, no pet stores.

Good breeders are very protective of their "product" and they want those puppies to go to only the most responsible homes. They'll ask you lots of questions, and in turn you should do the same.

 

[Mageeman]

They are actually the only type of dog my family has owned since I've been alive. I was born into a house that had two springers, Sherlock and Chelsey. Sadly, they both died by the time I was in second grade (but they were already about 12 years old when they died.

Our third dog, Bo, was the sweetest dog I've ever seen. My parents got him so I could have a dog to play with as a kid, and Bo was my dog. However, he got very sick when he was only 7/8 and died from a variant of dog cancer. In retrospect, we probably would have noticed how much different he was acting, but at the same time as Bo got sick, my grandmother fell, broke her hip, and died about three weeks after Bo.

At this time, a friend from high school had a mom who bred Spaniels and had a litter right after Bo died. So we went, and got a new puppy. They had preliminarily named him Tanner because his body was almost all brown, however we named him Monty. Monty is definitely the smartest dog we've had, but also the most neurotic. He is the only Springer we've had that really isn't a true people dog. He's fine once you get to be around him for a few minutes, and he's much better at the house than say at the vet. He's become much better because we took him through a dog class at the local pet store just for socialization. Monty also chases lasers and his own shadow against the walls. But he really has the most character and his name fits him the best.

As another side anecdote, Monty (and Bo did as well), like to play chase and at my parent's new house they have a pool. He was following my dad, saw an outcropping of vines that scared him, Monty jumped up and landed in the pool. Apparently though, Monty can't swim which is really ironic considering they are a water spaniel.

If you have any other questions, PM me and I'll try to get to you promptly (I'm just about to move back home in the next few days so I'm fairly busy). Springers are great dogs, be prepared for something like a puppy for about 6-8 years. Monty is just starting to calm down (never has had a chewing problem, but does like to steal bread off the counter if we leave it out), Bo was always a quiet dog but loved to chew up MY toys and stuff and that started stopping after about six years. Bo also liked to bring dead (or nearly) birds in the house. Sherlock and Chelsey, I can't remember much except they were sweet dogs. Sherlock liked to get rocks out of the lake and bring them to us, Chelsey was the first to die and I was very young. But like I said, they are great dogs.