How to Train English Springer Spaniels

Co-authored by Brian Bourquin, DVM

Last Updated: July 28, 2022 References

Training Basics

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Training Session Structure

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Training for Specific Things

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Expert Q&A

Training your English Springer Spaniel will take time and patience, but Springers are smart dogs. Your Springer’s energy and inherent stamina, which makes them a natural hunter, will also make them easy to train.^{[1]
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www.akc.org/dog-breeds/english-springer-spaniel/detail/} Given your Springer’s need for human affection, you will be able to help them along the way. If you stay patient, put in enough time and effort, and show them lots of love, you will be able to easily train your English Springer Spaniel.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Training Basics

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Do not punish your English Springer Spaniel. When you are training your English Springer Spaniel, do not get annoyed or angry enough to beat, hit, or punish them. This training method is not beneficial to your Springer and they may act up if you try it on them. You will also run the risk of having your Springer be scared of you or hate you, which is not the kind of relationship you want with your dog.
- If you do not train your Springer in the right way, they can become pushy and obnoxious instead of affectionate, loving, and loyal.^{[2]
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  American Kennel Club
  The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.
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Use a rewards based system of training.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Brian Bourquin, DVM
Veterinarian
Expert Interview. 20 December 2019.} The most used and beneficial training method is rewards based training. This will treat your English Springer Spaniel to associate doing the things you want them to do with pleasant activities and things, such as snuggles or treats. To use this method, give a specific command to your Springer. When your Springer follows it, give them a reward, such as a treat or other reinforcement.
- This will show your dog that doing the right thing brings pleasant things.
- As you train your Springer, start small with easy commands, such as stay or sit.^{[4]
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Use calm, short commands. When your English Springer Spaniel is not doing what they are supposed to do, express your unhappiness calmly with sharp, short commands. Keep it simple with short phrases such as "No" or "Uh oh". This will get your point across without having to punish them.
- As soon as your Springer starts behaving correctly, praise them for it and show them affection.
- Remember to keep your calm demeanor and don’t get mad. This is not productive.^{[5]
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Begin training at an early age. Since English Springer Spaniels are so energetic and have tons of stamina, you want to train them early. Your Springer is a natural hunter, so they will look to you for guidance and training.^{[6]
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www.akc.org/dog-breeds/english-springer-spaniel/detail/} You should start training your Springer when they are still a puppy, so they grow up doing the right behaviors and listening to you.
- You can start training your English Springer Spaniel at the age of 8 to 10 weeks old. Any earlier is too young for your Springer to learn anything.^{[7]
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Expose your English Springer Spaniel to others early. Your English Springer Spaniel will thrive on socialization, so make sure you start taking them places and introducing them to others early on. This means you should take your Springer to dog parks, bring them to friends' houses, or invite your friends over to your house to meet them. You want your Springer as comfortable as possible around other people and dogs so they can be more fulfilled. ^{[8]
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American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a purebred dog pedigree registry in the United States. The AKC advocates for the responsible ownership of dogs and promotes purebred dog events, such as the Westminster Dog Show.
Go to source}
- You can also take your Springer to socialization class, where a professional will help you and your dog interact with other young dogs as well.
- Take your Springer to have all their shots before you take them around other animals.
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Have patience. Your English Springer Spaniel is smart, but no dog can be trained right away. Your Springer will take time learn different things as you teach commands to them, you just have to be patient. If you keep with the different types of training, your Springer will get there eventually.
- Your Springer may not respond to all forms of training. Keep being patient as you switch between training approaches until you find the one that works best.
- For example, if a specific form of treat is not working for your Springer, try a different one. If your approach to teaching your Springer how to sit is not working, try a different environment or treat.^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Training Session Structure

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Switch up your treats. The types of rewards you give your English Springer Spaniel should vary so they don’t get complacent or tired of one type of treat. The treats you give don’t have to be food related. You can also give your Springer praise, affection, a play session with their favorite toy, or access to their play area.
- You will be able to know which rewards your Springer likes the best. Your Springer will be more eager to get those than other rewards.
- You can also change treats depending on the day if your Springer likes them all.^{[10]
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Vary how often you give treats. As your English Springer Spaniel trains, they will get used to having a treat after every command. However, as your Springer gets better, you need to vary how often you give their treats in order to keep them guessing. As opposed to rewarding your Springer every time they do something they are supposed to, skip a few as they get better at commands to keep them on their toes.
- This will make your Springer work harder for the treats because they already know they will get them if they do things correctly.
- Start by treating every other correct behavior. As your Springer gets better at this, start skipping two, three, and four behaviors in between treats. Don’t do more than this. The few skipped ones will keep your Springer working for the treats but also let them know the treats are still coming.^{[11]
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Give short training sessions. Your English Springer Spaniel puppy will want to be around you and get affection from you, so they will be easy to train. However, at such a young age, your Springer’s attention span will not be very long. This means you need to keep your training sessions on the shirt side. When you first start, the sessions should be no longer than five minutes.
- If you see your Springer’s attention wavering, go ahead and cut the session off. You aren’t going to get anywhere if your Springer isn’t paying attention.
- As your Springer ages, they will be able to pay attention longer you’re your sessions can run longer.^{[12]
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End your sessions on a good activity. Whenever you close your training sessions, make sure you end it on a good note. Give your English Springer Spaniel an easy command you know they can do at the end. This way, your Springer will perform the command and you can end the session with a treat or affection.
- This will keep good feelings in your puppy’s mind as they leave the training session, which will make them more willing to come back to it in the future.^{[13]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Training for Specific Things

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Give your English Springer Spaniel basic commands. One of the first ways you should train your English Springer Spaniels is with simple commands. Your Springer needs to learn to obey these so they do not have any overall behavioral issues as they get older. Start with simple commands, such as "Stay", "Come", or "Sit". Use various treats to help you teach these commands.
- For example, hold a treat in your hand. Show your Springer that you have a treat. Take the treat hand and lower it to the ground. As your Springer follows your hand, they will start to lie down. When your Springer is lying all the way down, say calmly and firmly “Lay down” and give them the treat. If you are clicker training, press the clicker when your Springer lays down as well.^{[14]
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  Research source} If your Springer is having a hard time, push their body gently into a laying down position, then say “Lay down” and give them the treat. Your Springer will pick up on the action after a while.
- You can use a similar method for all basic commands.
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Try the clicker training method. A supplementary training method for your English Springer Spaniel is clicker training. This will help distinguish desired behaviors for your Springer in addition to your other training methods. It also shows your Springer what good behavior they are being rewarded for. Your Springer will start to link the sound of the clicker with the rewards, which will help reinforce the behavior.^{[15]
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- As you are training your Springer, hit the clicker every time they do something they should in order to reinforce that good behavior.
- For example, if you are teaching your Springer to "come", hit the clicker whenever they get to you when you call them.^{[16]
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House train your English Springer Spaniel. House train your English Springer Spaniel as soon as you bring them home. Your Springer should understand this part of their life as soon as possible. When you first bring your Springer home, take them to a designated potty area in the yard. Tell your Springer “potty” or “toilet” when they go to the bathroom there so they will associate it with that activity. When your Springer does go to the bathroom in the right place, reward them like you would any other behavior. This will link rewards with pottying outside like your Springer should, which will train them to do that every time.
- At the early age, your Springer should be taken out every 20 to 30 minutes, moving to longer wait times of about once an hour as they get older.
- Keep a constant eye on your Springer at all times indoors when they are learning. You will need to either keep your Springer in a crate when you leave the house, follow them around when you are home, or keep them on a leash.
- If your Springer accidentally potties in the house, clean up the excrement as soon and as well as you possibly can to remove the smell. This will deter your Springer from using the same spot again.^{[17]
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Crate train your English Springer Spaniel.^{[18]
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Expert Source

Brian Bourquin, DVM
Veterinarian
Expert Interview. 20 December 2019.} Training your English Springer Spaniel for a crate is not too difficult. Start by buying a crate large enough for a full sized English Springer Spaniel, even if they are still a puppy. This will ensure that your Springer has plenty of room to stand and move around. Plus, your Springer will be able to continually use it as they grow. Add a comfy palette or bed inside the crate as well as a water bowl and a few of your Springer’s favorite toys.
- You want to make the crate as inviting as possible so your Springer will be happy staying in here when you leave the house.
- Leave the door open and put a toy inside. When your Springer goes inside, close the door behind them. Leave your Springer inside for a little while at first, then slowly increase how long you leave them in there as they get used to it.
- Keep doing this until your Springer can spend hours in the crate without whining.
- When your Springer does this correctly, give them tons of praise and maybe a treat.^{[19]
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Expert Q&A
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Question

How do I train an English springer spaniel puppy?

Brian Bourquin, DVM
Veterinarian
Brian Bourquin, better known as “Dr. B” to his clients, is a Veterinarian and the Owner of Boston Veterinary Clinic, a pet health care and veterinary clinic with three locations, South End/Bay Village, the Seaport, and Brookline, Massachusetts. Boston Veterinary Clinic specializes in primary veterinary care, including wellness and preventative care, sick and emergency care, soft-tissue surgery, dentistry. The clinic also provides specialty services in behavior, nutrition, and alternative pain management therapies using acupuncture, and therapeutic laser treatments. Boston Veterinary Clinic is an AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) accredited hospital and Boston’s first Fear Free Certified Clinic. Brian has over 19 years of veterinary experience and earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University.

Brian Bourquin, DVM

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

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Most puppies do really well with reward-based training. When your dog behaves or responds correctly, give it a treat for acting well.
Question

Are Springer Spaniels easy to train?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

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Springer Spaniels are a delight to train because of their mixture of intelligence and eagerness to please. However, don't mistake 'easy' with 'lack of effort'. The owner still needs to commit to regular, fun, training sessions to have a well-behaved dog.
Question

What were Springer Spaniels bred for?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

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The Springer Spaniel is a gundog. They were originally bred to flush out small game, such as partridges or pheasants, and then retrieve them.