English Springer Spaniel (field)

How do field bred English Springer Spaniels compare to the other spaniel breeds? In particular, field bred English Cockers?

Basic temperament? How do field lines differ from show lines besides conformation?

There is a breeder near me that not only has tailed field bred ESS, but some good looking Labradors as well. Since I'm fairly certain I'd like our next dog to be on the more medium end of the spectrum versus the larger end, ESS have piqued my interest! I do love what I hear about field bred ECS, but the ESS seem to be easier to find.

A well bred field-bred ESS should be social with other dogs, very social with people, and have a natural flush then retrieve. I find them to be more energetic than bench bred. But they should know how to settle as well. They are also slighter in bone and tend to be smaller dogs in general. Most of them carry very little body coat, minimal feathering, but have lovely ear hair

There is a breeder in MT that I admire greatly. She will not force fetch her dogs, she will not e-collar them. She ONLY breeds dogs who genetically know what to do. I've been following her story of a puppy she got back because he was too much for the owners. She was afraid his natural retrieve and soft mouth had been ruined because the owners pried so many things out of his mouth. She's had great success with him, because he has a fabulous genetic base to work from.

Unfortunately, health testing isn't as wide spread and a LOT of field breeders really don't sell to pet (or non-hunting) homes. I have a couple breeders I've found I like though.

I'll definitely be doing more research and looking around. They sound very nice. Would you mind PM'ing me the breeders that you've found that you like? That may give me a better understanding of breeder types.

Also, how would you say they do with handling? Or not so much handling, but...physicality? Not only is Abrams' play style very physical (he does tone it back when he plays with Cynder, but I know he would love having a dog he could really PLAY with), DH enjoys having a dog he can play-wrestle with. Even if it isn't to the extent of the drop down, beat up, full out wrestling matches he and Abrams get in to, having a dog that engages with him and plays with him personally, not just a toy, is something he values. I realize spaniels in general are rather "soft", so I wasn't sure where they fell in that line. Cynder, obviously, doesn't play in that way and DH loves her all the same.

NextDog is likely a few years off (unless one falls into our lap), so I'm not searching seriously yet, just trying to get a feel for things. I think a spaniel would fit in very well if a smaller size is what I need, although I'm also keeping my eye out for a more medium sized, moderately bred Labrador. I'm a Retriever person at heart, what can I say. (I'd love to have another Chessie, but I can't imagine having two at once in our current living situation. They'd get into so much trouble together. Hahaha)

^this makes me so happy. I really dislike the auto- force fetch culture in gundogs.

Following this closely! I've been interested in the breed for a while. I don't know if they are a good fit for a duck blind dog, but may be worth talking to some people!

Springer- If you get a chance, I'd love the names of the breeders as well! Especially the one in MT.

I've done a few sessions with a fellow club member who has a field springer from WI. Kennel name is eluding me at the moment.





He's... a lot of dog. But he's fun.

I really know nothing about them, except we have 2 clients that each have like 3 or 4 of them that they hunt with, and they're all very nice, tolerant dogs. A couple are a little timid but nothing extreme. And my first thought when I met them was "these look nothing like any ESS I've ever seen!"

They are SUPER popular around here. And I'd say their personalities can vary quite widely, but there's always an element of utter nuts.

I have 2 at my obedience class, another at agility, my friend owns one....

They're fun dogs. Their brain (and tail!) seems to work at 300 miles per hour. They are easily distracted. Nose to ground permanently. But.... not naughty dogs. Just very very enthusiastic and need a lot of direction.

The ones I've met had been mad as a hatter, but mostly in a good way. They are just fun and a bit nuts, always going 100mph. They have been similar enough to Brittanies I've met. I specifically got a Welsh because I wanted some of that temperament, but with a little more calmness and a good off switch. I've heard field bred ECS are very similar to ESS but in a smaller package, but I haven't met any.

The conformation bred dogs are generally calmer, though I've also heard bad things about them from field people (aggression, etc). I haven't met a field bred dog with a poor temperament, but they also aren't the dog for everyone just because of energy level and go-go-go personalities. The ones I've met have been very sweet with all sorts of people and dogs.

I don't find them super soft in temperament. I think they are softer than some of the retrievers as far as correction training goes (which many hunters still use), but as far as general dog owning stuff I don't find them "soft". They are physical dogs who love a good romp with other dogs, IME. They're bred to dive into cover after birds, they can't be super soft. They just seem to take corrections a bit more personally than a lab might.