History of the English Springer Spaniel as a Hunting Dog
This is the founder of all the English hunting spaniels. During the Renaissance, it was considered the ideal companion for the European hunter. Its popularity in America began in 1700. The Springer Spaniel gets its name from his method of flushing game: he springs forward to drive birds out of hiding. This breed hunts well both on land and water and is good at work in brush. He also is a fine retriever. There are two types of Springers - field and bench. The field type is bred for hunting and field trial work. They tend to have a whiter coat than the bench type, much less hair, and are more high energy. The bench type are bred for conformation shows and have more liver or black than white, they have much more coat, but are usually calmer. The English Springer Spaniel is playful, energetic and a quick leaner they are a compact, hearty medium-sized dog with long pendant ears. They should be sturdy and neither too light nor too heavy. The tail is generally docked. The dog should have a proud bearing, with a level back approximately the same length as the height at the withers (never longer). The front legs should he straight. The feet are compact. The head is strong, yet refined and not too heavy, in good proportion to the rest of the dog. The length of the head should be about the same as the length of the neck. The stop is moderate with a groove rising between the eyes and gradually disappearing in the middle of the forehead. The topline of the skull and muzzle have approximately parallel planes. The medium-sized eyes have a kind expression. The eyes are either hazel or brown, depending on the color of the coat. The ears are set in line with the eyes. When pulled forward, the ears should reach all the way to the top of the nose. The tail is customarily docked. The teeth should meet in a scissors bite and the jaw is powerful. The medium-length coat is flat or wavy and feathered, and comes in liver & white, and black & white (with or without tan markings), blue or liver roan. The white may have flecks of colored hair.
