- Liver and white, black and white, or either of these colours with tan markings
About the English Springer Spaniel
Origin: Great Britain
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 20-25 kg
- Female
- 16-23 kg
- Height
- Male
- 48-53 cm
- Female
- 46-51 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Retrievers - Flushing Dogs - Water Dogs
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Also called
- Springer Spaniel Ingles
- Known hereditary risks
- 3 documented conditions, with the test for each
About
What is a English Springer Spaniel?
Medium-sized athletic sporting dog with long ears, feathered silky coat, and enthusiastic, eager-to-please personality. Known for their compact body, gentle intelligent expression, and versatile gundog abilities.
English Springer Spaniel history and origins
Developed in 19th century England as a versatile gundog to find and 'spring' game for the net, falcon, or gun. Originally separated from smaller 'cocker' spaniels by size and hunting use. Officially recognized by The Kennel Club in 1902 and AKC in 1910.
English Springer Spaniel appearance and size
Males typically weigh 20-25 kg and stand 48-53 cm at the shoulder; females 16-23 kg and 46-51 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Flushing dog, Retriever
- Behaviour and temperament
“Friendly, happy disposition, biddable. Timidity or aggression highly undesirable”
Quoted from FCI standard n°125. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Flushing dog, Retriever” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- 3 conditions documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the English Springer Spaniel
What you get with the English Springer Spaniel
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Flushing dog, Retriever”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Friendly, happy disposition, biddable. Timidity or aggression highly undesirable”
- Longer-lived than a crossbred dog — median 13.5 years across 17735 animals, against 12
What you are taking on
- 2 serious inherited conditions are documented, mainly in hormones & metabolism and blood. The health guide tab has the test to ask for on each.
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Moderate feathering on ears, forelegs, body and hinquarters”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death; AKC Canine Health Foundation / Fucosidosis in the English Springer Spaniel. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · English Springer Spaniel
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Moderate feathering on ears, forelegs, body and hinquarters
- Close
- Straight and weather resisting
- Never coarse
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°125 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the English Springer Spaniel in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the English Springer Spaniel
Known hereditary risks for the English Springer Spaniel breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
3 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Eyes
Progressive retinal atrophy, cone-rod dystrophy (cord1/CRD4)
Monitor
A degeneration of both rod and cone cells in the retina causing progressive vision loss, usually apparent by around three years of age. OFA names the English Springer Spaniel as one of only two breeds (with the Miniature Long-haired Dachshund) at real risk of clinical disease from this variant; in most other breeds carrying it, the risk of clinical disease is described as low.
What to ask for
A PRA-CRD4/CORD1 (RPGRIP1) DNA test on both parents
Hormones & metabolism
Fucosidosis
Serious
A fatal genetic disease from a missing enzyme (alpha-fucosidase), causing progressive loss of learned behaviour, unsteady walking and blindness from one to two years of age, usually leading to death within weeks of onset. Noted in the literature as concentrated in dogs from UK and Australian conformation lines.
What to ask for
A fucosidosis DNA test on both parents
Blood
Phosphofructokinase deficiency (PFK)
Serious
A metabolic disorder in which red blood cells and muscle cells cannot produce enough energy, causing episodes of weakness, exercise intolerance, dark urine and anaemia. OFA states this test is for English Springer Spaniels only among the breeds it screens.
What to ask for
A PFK deficiency DNA test on both parents
How long the English Springer Spaniel lives, in the records
Median survival 13.5 years
95% confidence interval 13.4–13.6 years, from 6,221 recorded deaths among 17,735 dogs
Mortality hazard 0.7 (0.68, 0.72) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
Gallery
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Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No English Springer Spaniel breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.