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English Springer Spaniels
English Springer Spaniel board and train in Gloucester, MA
Springers were bred to find birds in high grass and bramble, flush them into the air and retrieve them, and the AKC says working springers will go relentlessly all day in the field. A pet springer carries the same engine and the same nose. This page covers how a stay puts both to use, where recall training fits, and what keeps the progress going after pick-up.
Field engine
Springers learn fast and run all day, and the job in training is steering that engine, not draining it
The AKC trait chart rates the English springer spaniel five out of five for trainability and affection with family, and four for energy, playfulness and mental stimulation needs. A typical male weighs around 50 pounds, a female nearer 40. The training notes call springers lively and highly intelligent, and say continued training and gentle guidance are vital. They also warn that a springer regularly left alone for long periods can develop undesirable behaviors.
The breed has split into show lines and field lines, the AKC notes, and because the two lines were bred for different jobs, drive can differ between them as well as between individual dogs. A field-bred springer may need far more work than a show-bred cousin. Either way, the drive is real: the dog's job was to quarter cover with its nose down and flush what it found. Training gives that drive cues and limits, so the dog can switch on for a game and switch off on the kitchen floor.
- Trainability five of five; energy four
- Field and show lines can differ sharply in drive
- Gentle, continued guidance, per the AKC
- Nose work counts as exercise
Which stay
Choose by whether your springer can settle indoors yet: if not, start with a week; if so, take the fortnight
Foundation packs basic obedience and leash skills, place, stay and recall, impulse control, crate and household manners, and daycare integration with enrichment into one week for a springer. For a young one the most valuable item may be place, a raised cot to settle on after exercise, because a dog that never learns to rest just gets fitter. Impulse control work, waiting for a released toy or an opened door, teaches the brakes a flushing dog does not come with.
Advanced gives a springer two weeks: everything in Foundation plus advanced obedience with distraction proofing, real-world outings, neutrality, confidence building and structured socialization, and two coaching lessons at the end. It suits an adolescent springer that can settle at home but loses its head when a bird lifts or another dog plays nearby. For a springer that is fearful or reactive rather than simply busy, Gabriella Pope may point you to a different program after the assessment.
Recall and the nose
A springer's recall has to beat a scent trail, so the nose becomes part of the reward
Calling a springer off a fresh scent asks it to abandon the very thing it was bred to do. So recall training pays in the dog's own currency: come when called, and you get sent back to sniff, or a find-it game with treats scattered in the grass. A recall that earns more hunting is one a springer wants to answer. The AKC's advice, that the owner be in control at all times, means a long line until the answer is dependable.
Crane Beach in Ipswich is a good place to test it in the off-season. At the time of writing the Trustees admit dogs from October 1 to March 31, off leash only inside the marked No Leash Zone and on a leash of 6 feet or less everywhere else, below the high tide line and never on the dunes. Dogtown Common's woods suit long-line work in cool weather, with a tick check afterward from April to November.
- 01
Start on a long line in a quiet field where the grass already smells interesting
- 02
Call once, then pay with food and a go-sniff release
- 03
Add a scattered-treat find-it as the jackpot
- 04
Practice with a thrown toy as the distraction
- 05
Move to places with birds only when the turn is fast
- 06
Keep the line on until recalls work every time
Missteps
Exercise without an off switch, long hours alone and recalls that end the outing are what trip springers up
More running is the usual answer, and it backfires. A springer jogged for an hour soon becomes a springer that needs an hour and a half. Pair exercise with a settle afterward and with nose work, which tires the head as well as the legs. Long hours alone are the second trap, and the AKC links them to undesirable behaviors in this breed. Daycare, Academy days or a midday walk break up a long workday.
The third is calling the dog only to clip the leash and leave. A springer learns quickly what come predicts, and if it always means the end of the hunt, the dog will hesitate. Call often during an outing, pay well and send the dog back out. Finally, never wrap a long line around your hand: a 50-pound dog hitting the end at speed can injure you. Hold it in loops and let it slide through your palm.
- Pair every run with a settle
- Use nose games as much as miles
- Break up long days alone
- Call often during the outing, not only at the end
After
Keep the settle, the find-it games and a long line in the car, and your springer keeps its manners
Springer owners leave with coaching, one go-home lesson after Foundation and two after Advanced, covering the recall-and-release routine, the place cue and the leash habits the dog practiced. Copy the shape of a good day: work, sniff, settle. Even ten minutes of hide-and-seek with treats in the yard helps a field dog's head, and the AKC lists obedience, tracking, agility and rally among the activities springers enjoy.
Good Harbor in Gloucester admits dogs on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31 at the time of writing, a fine place for long-line recall with gulls overhead. Dogtown Academy, $89 a full day, adds scent games and a trainer session to play, and a 60-minute at-home walk is $55; ask whether we cover your address. Private sessions start from $94, and a springer living in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex or Manchester-by-the-Sea can ride the Pup Van for $10 each way.
At Dogtown
Work and rest around a springer's stay
The training program, the suite at night, Academy days with scent games, and walks for the busy weeks after.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Will board and train calm my springer down?
Can a springer ever be reliable off leash?
Does a field-bred springer need a different program from a show-bred one?
My springer is a year old and pulls toward every bird. Which stay fits?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Steer the drive, keep the joy.
Tell us on the training form about your springer's breeding, daily exercise and what it chases. We reply within the hour on weekdays.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
