About the English Spaniels in general

English Cocker Spaniel, Welsh Springer Spaniel, English Springer Spaniel

The Spaniels are very charming dogs, they are gentle, lively, merry and they have a big heart. They are used as trackers in hunting. They were bred for a systematic search of an area, for tracking, to alert animals, and for fetching the hunted animals. A hound works absolutely independently and within a very long distance but it is in a constant contact with its leader. To achieve this it is necessary to develop these natural hunting abilities since a very young age, these are for example independency, controllability, obedience, and a good contact with the leader.

Spaniel races are different in sizes but there is no difference in the style of their work. Very fast and eager movement in the terrain is very typical for these dogs, they virtually drive through areas. Loudness is also essential with these dogs, this is barking while on a warm track which reports and notifies (by barking) the leader about animals that are close around. This quality is inbred but it must be developed from a very young age. Therefore contact with live animals is necessary.

While training Spaniels it is necessary to be sensitive but thorough. They are very gentle, that is in combination with their temperament, passion for hunting, and stubbornness, all of this puts a lot of pressure on their trainer. Mistakes we might have made during training may not show immediately but later elimination of these mistakes can be very hard.