- Liver and white, black and white, or either of these colours with tan markings
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.
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.
“Friendly, happy disposition, biddable. Timidity or aggression unacceptable”
Quoted from FCI standard n°125. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FCI breed standard; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death; AKC Canine Health Foundation / Fucosidosis in the English Springer Spaniel. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The English Springer Spaniel standard is published by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale), the international federation of pedigree-dog clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour and size. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Moderate feathering on ears, forelegs, body and hinquarters
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.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health.
Height at the withers (cm)
The same scale for every breed: no source defines size categories by height.
An adult's measurements, per the standard. It does not say how big this puppy will be. Quotations from the FCI are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the English Springer Spaniel in general; any individual animal can differ.
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.
9 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Found in more than about one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened, or described as common in the sources.
The chromosome-12 FGF4 insertion makes the spinal discs degenerate early, which raises the risk of a disc rupture that can cause pain or paralysis, and one copy is enough to raise it. It is common in this breed — in a screen of 749 English Springers, roughly two in five carried at least one copy.
What to ask for
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents
A progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs that starts as hind-leg weakness and ends in paralysis; there is no treatment. The SOD1 variant behind it has been found in this breed — roughly one English Springer in fifteen carried it in a screen of 751 — and not every dog with two copies develops the disease.
What to ask for
Degenerative myelopathy (SOD1) DNA test result, on both parents
A degeneration of both rod and cone cells in the retina causing progressive vision loss. It is recessive. In this breed it is late and slow: in a study of 494 Springers, owners of dogs with two copies reported vision problems only in old age, from about ten years, and most such dogs never noticeably lost their sight, though a few developed painful complications such as glaucoma or a dislocated lens. 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. Roughly half of 750 English Springer Spaniels screened carried at least one copy, and about one in eleven had two.
What to ask for
A PRA-CRD4/CORD1 (RPGRIP1) DNA test on both parents
The chromosome-12 FGF4 insertion makes the spinal discs degenerate early, which raises the risk of a disc rupture that can cause pain or paralysis, and one copy is enough to raise it. It is common in this breed — in a screen of 749 English Springers, roughly two in five carried at least one copy.
What to ask for
A CDDY/IVDD-risk DNA test on both parents
A degeneration of both rod and cone cells in the retina causing progressive vision loss. It is recessive. In this breed it is late and slow: in a study of 494 Springers, owners of dogs with two copies reported vision problems only in old age, from about ten years, and most such dogs never noticeably lost their sight, though a few developed painful complications such as glaucoma or a dislocated lens. 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. Roughly half of 750 English Springer Spaniels screened carried at least one copy, and about one in eleven had two.
What to ask for
A PRA-CRD4/CORD1 (RPGRIP1) DNA test on both parents
A progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs that starts as hind-leg weakness and ends in paralysis; there is no treatment. The SOD1 variant behind it has been found in this breed — roughly one English Springer in fifteen carried it in a screen of 751 — and not every dog with two copies develops the disease.
What to ask for
Degenerative myelopathy (SOD1) DNA test result, on both parents
Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
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
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
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
Found in roughly one in a hundred to one in twenty of the breed's dogs screened.
An inherited loss of pain sensation in the feet that appears in young puppies: affected dogs do not feel their toes, and many lick, bite and badly injure them, so most are put to sleep. It is recessive. This is one of the sporting breeds in which it was described and its cause identified; roughly one English Springer in thirty-one carried it in a screen of 751.
What to ask for
Acral mutilation syndrome (GDNF) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited loss of pain sensation in the feet that appears in young puppies: affected dogs do not feel their toes, and many lick, bite and badly injure them, so most are put to sleep. It is recessive. This is one of the sporting breeds in which it was described and its cause identified; roughly one English Springer in thirty-one carried it in a screen of 751.
What to ask for
Acral mutilation syndrome (GDNF) DNA test result, on both parents
Described in this breed, but found in few or no dogs in recent screening, or only ever in one dog or one family. They are here so a test result makes sense if a breeder mentions one.
An inherited fault in the heart's electrical recovery between beats, described in a family of English Springer Spaniels: it can cause fainting and sudden death, often with no warning. It looks rare — none of 751 English Springers in a large screen carried the variant.
What to ask for
Long QT syndrome (KCNQ1, English Springer type) DNA test result, plus an ECG, on both parents
An inherited failure to form the myelin that insulates nerves, described in this breed: affected male puppies develop severe whole-body tremors in their first weeks. It is X-linked, so it shows in males while their mothers carry it silently. It looks very rare — none of 751 English Springers in a large screen carried it.
What to ask for
X-linked tremors (PLP1) DNA test result on the dam, since carriers are female
An inherited kidney disease in which the filtering membranes of the kidney are faulty, leading to kidney failure in young dogs. The English Springer has its own COL4A4 variant, different from the English Cocker's, so the English Cocker test does not cover it. It is recessive and rare — roughly one English Springer in a hundred carried it in a screen of 751.
What to ask for
Familial nephropathy (COL4A4, English Springer type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited fault in the heart's electrical recovery between beats, described in a family of English Springer Spaniels: it can cause fainting and sudden death, often with no warning. It looks rare — none of 751 English Springers in a large screen carried the variant.
What to ask for
Long QT syndrome (KCNQ1, English Springer type) DNA test result, plus an ECG, on both parents
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.
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
An inherited kidney disease in which the filtering membranes of the kidney are faulty, leading to kidney failure in young dogs. The English Springer has its own COL4A4 variant, different from the English Cocker's, so the English Cocker test does not cover it. It is recessive and rare — roughly one English Springer in a hundred carried it in a screen of 751.
What to ask for
Familial nephropathy (COL4A4, English Springer type) DNA test result, on both parents
An inherited failure to form the myelin that insulates nerves, described in this breed: affected male puppies develop severe whole-body tremors in their first weeks. It is X-linked, so it shows in males while their mothers carry it silently. It looks very rare — none of 751 English Springers in a large screen carried it.
What to ask for
X-linked tremors (PLP1) DNA test result on the dam, since carriers are female