Let us talk about the Spaniel.13 February 2026

Buster & Skye

Oh, the Spaniel they just melt your heart, with their gorgeous brown eyes looking straight into the very core of your soul. You may have been a guardian to a spaniel before or you decided on a different breed of dog the next time round. You could be a first-time guardian to one of these gorgeous dogs.

I did not do any research when I bought Buster home, having recently lost my previous dog of 17 years I was not planning on another dog so soon after her passing. Was I in for a shock.

My research consisted of seeing two spaniels running crazily together chasing a ball, so full of energy, I decided a spaniel would be great. I did get a few looks and comments from people when I mentioned my next dog choice.

Along came Buster my 8-week-old Sprocker spaniel.

I went to the breeder (a working farm) with the intention of having a girl but my boy just sat on my knee so that was that. He was covered with fleas as was mum and the other pups I should have walked out at that moment.

The poor boy got his first bath with flea shampoo before going into the house, washing up bowls come in handy.

Life was certainly different now, from caring for my elderly 17-year-old dog to the bouncy 8-week-old puppy antics. I don’t need to go into detail, most know how challenging the first few weeks/months can be and if you are thinking about getting a puppy make sure you are prepared for some sleepless nights (never let a puppy cry it out, you could end up with a very anxious dog in later life). Then there is the toilet training, chewing, nipping, jumping up and catching you with those sharp claws and teeth. If you are reading this and struggling send me a message, the worst thing you can do is continue without help and become more upset, angry, and frustrated, speak to someone who is qualified to give the best advice. (A Force free, fear free based behaviourist/trainer).

Buster is a Sprocker spaniel. His mum was a working cocker spaniel, and his dad was a working springer spaniel on a farm. The spaniel was originally bred to hunt game, the Cocker originally bred to hunt and retrieve the Wood cock, and the springer was bred to spring and flush out other game birds such as pheasants they are taught to retrieve their trophy back to the handler. Its in their genetics from years of breeding them to be a working dog (that is why they like to pick up things and carry them, also run off in front on a walk).

So, buying a dog that are bred to move from side to side covering a lot of ground ahead of us, nose to the ground will find it difficult to walk by our side on a loose lead. Do not wait until puppy has had all its vaccines to start practicing walking next to you, start straight away in the house and garden without a lead to start with then introduce the lead.

Expecting them to practice once your out in the exciting new world with lots of distractions on their first walk will be difficult, without some foundations already put in place. Even then it is going to take a lot longer than some other breeds to teach them to walk calmly next to you on a lead, you will need patience, time, and consistency.

What should a walk look like for a Spaniel?

We have already talked about the breeds specific traits, nose to the ground (covering a lot of it) hunting and retrieving.

So, it makes sense to introduce breed specifics outlets to help your dog lead a fulfilling content life, tailored for physical and mental well-being. A content fulfilled dog (spaniel) will be a lot calmer than a dog that is not having its needs met, which could lead to behaviour problems such as boredom, destructive behaviour, and anxiety. Not able to settle.

Physical Outlets

Daily walks should not just be how many steps you want to get in at a distance from A to B, this is after all your dogs walk too. Worry less about the distance and time you have been out but more the quality of the time you have spent together.

· Let your dog sniff that is how they take in all the essential information about the world around them; every scent tells a story.

· Have them on a long line if they have not mastered their recall yet, and even if their recall seems good, remember if they haven’t seen a deer, squirrel or pheasant yet, all that practice could go out the window when instinct takes over especially when they are a very young dog. Adolescents can be tough between 6 months up to 18months to 2 years of age depending on breed.

· Breed specific outlets can help with the above when out in the woods, just letting your Spaniel off lead calling them back now and again may in time become boring (your just not that exciting anymore) recall has gone into extinction (declined due to non-reinforcement).

· Take a dummy out with you, make sure you have practiced with it at home so you can do some hunt and retrieve in the woods or park depending how low you want other distractions to be.

· Encourage foraging and digging, join in and be enthusiastic.

· Pattern games are a wonderful way to bond with your dog, checkout Leslie McDevitt’s You tube videos and pdfs remember always start at home in the home/garden and then increase distraction areas slowly. I love the 123 Pattern game, and most dogs I work with love it too. The higher the distraction area the higher value treat you will need. But make it fun and only practice a few repetitions when on a walk.

· https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRxlIp_1gr4

· Flirt poles are a wonderful way to engage with your dog mentally and physically building a connection between dog and handler. They are interactive and fun, taping into most breeds Predatory motor sequence (Orient > Stalk > Chase >Grab-bit > Kill-bite > Dissect > Consume.) Great for high energy dogs, they can help reduce behavioural issues in high energy dogs and gives them a physical outlet to express natural behaviours. 15 minutes of play is the equivalent to a 45-minute walk so if you are pushed for time these are great.

· Avoid the repetitive ball flinger, which increase arousal levels, they will find it more difficult to enjoy calm sniffy walks, the sharp twisting, jumping, and braking puts a lot of stress on the joints leading to issues in later life and arthritis. There are better ways to connect with your dog.

Most importantly, be on a walk with your dog. Stay off the mobile phone, do not have ear pods blasting out music WHY? Because you are simply not in the moment with your dog and you can’t expect them to listen to you when you’ve been listening to music, checking your mobile phone or chatting with a friend and barley noticing if the dog has even checked in with you so you can respond with acknowledgment. Why should the dog listen to what you have to say when you have ignored them for most of the walk.

You may be tempted to do lots of obedience training with your Spaniel, but its not really taping into what they are bred to do, so check a local gun dog trainer (force free), classes that involve recall, dummy hold, shape retrieve, hand target, memory retrieve, blind retrieve, jumps and runners. Obedience training alone will not cut it with this breed of dog.

My boy is 14 now, still doing well and loves his woodland adventures. Looking back, I would have done somethings differently (if only I knew then what I know now). He is a great dog, can take him anywhere so I must have done somethings right hey!

Hope you have found this blog interesting, and it helps you out with your dog.