Welsh springer spaniel

Welsh springer spaniel is a charming, non-aggressive dog with an effective, white and red, fairly long coat and long ears. A volcano of energy, but manageable – a perfect companion for an active family. A good retriever, a bit distracted at work. Curious, sometimes impulsive and stubborn. Welsh Springer Spaniel is strongly attached to the owner. He shows a lot of affection for members of the home herd, especially for children. He loves to play, so he is a great companion of children’s scouts.

Nature

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is one of two breeds of spaniels in whose name the word “springer” appears. It differs from its cousin springer spaniel mainly in color. The Welsh man is always red-white, although his nose may be black or brown. The Englishman is characterized by a greater diversity of coat: usually, liver, rarely black, with or without arson, but never red.

Welsh is smaller and slightly smaller than the English springer, although clearly larger than the cocker. In addition, the Welsh redhead has slightly smaller ears, which is emphasized by shaving them briefly for exhibitions, while English hair is left long.

Welsh Springer Spaniel is strongly attached to the owner. He shows a lot of affection for members of the home herd, especially for children. He loves to play, so he is a great companion of children’s scouts. He rarely loses patience with them – he will rather be aware of the barking that he feels discomfort or move away.

Welsh people like being around people all the time, some even follow him step by step. Therefore, the owner of a dog of this breed should be alert to the fact that too much dependence on a guardian can be harmful and threatens the formation of separation anxiety.

This does not mean that the animal should be treated coldly. It is not a quadruped that is suitable for living in a pen or leaving alone for long hours. It requires a lot of affection and acceptance. However, you should get used to the temporary absence of the owner.

Some Welsh people are shy towards strangers, others are able to greet each person they encounter effusively. This is certainly not a dog capable of being a protector, although when something disturbing happens, he will signal it with barking.

Skills

To this day, these dogs have not changed much, because the British club of the breed puts great emphasis on maintaining their functional predispositions. Unlike English springers, there is no division into utility and exhibition lines in the breed. The potential owner of the Welshman should bear in mind that this active quadruped was bred for hard work.

Welsh Springer Spaniel is not popular even in his homeland. He was always in the shadow of an English cousin. For comparison: in 2000, over 12,500 were registered in the British Kennel Club. English Springer Spaniels and only 424 Welsh. Perhaps the reason for this is that Welsh ripen more slowly, and therefore stacking takes more time. Slower and more sensitive to any smells in the field do not match the currently preferred fast work style. They are very persistent and passionate – they boldly venture into the brushwood.

Welsh springer spaniel. Training and education

Bred for cooperation with a hunter, the Welsh man is smart and learns quickly, but he also has a bit of independence. He likes to roam the bushes, fields and meadows. He is stubborn, especially when he is interested in some smell. During the hunt, perseverance in following the smell of animals is a valuable feature. Therefore, it is not worth getting angry at the dog that he gives in to instincts, but to work on building a bond and obedience from a puppy. Properly run, he can grow into a polite animal, staring at his master as in a picture.

It is different when it comes to their predispositions to fetch. It happens that his learning takes a lot of time. Laying Welsh requires patience and gentleness. These sensitive dogs endure harsh treatment and punishment badly.

Who is this race for?

Welsh requires movement and mental activity. If the owner does not provide it to him, he can become disobedient or barking. Of course, you don’t have to be a hunter to have a dog of this breed. Spaniel will be pleased with long walks in the countryside and exploring fascinating scents. He can also be trained in dog sports: agility, obedience and tracking.

Welsh springer spaniel. Advantages and disadvantages

Disadvantages

• requires consistency
• needs a lot of traffic
• hates loneliness
• is susceptible to heatstroke

Advantages

• excellent hunting dog
• nice family dog
• ready to learn
• friendly towards children
• barely barks

Welsh springer spaniel. Health

Diseases affect Welsh sporadically. They are weather-resistant quadrupeds, only their drooping ears are exposed to infection. They also have a sensitive digestive tract.

Occasionally eye diseases such as glaucoma as well as dysplasia and epilepsy occur. Responsible breeders check farm animals for dysplasia and eye diseases just in case.

Feeding

Welsh often has a sensitive stomach, which is why they should be fed regularly, preferably twice a day. The food should be adapted to the age and level of activity of the dog.

Care

Welsh springer spaniel hair requires regular care, especially during molting. After each walk, remove twigs, leaves and husks entangled in it. The show dog must be properly cut and trimmed.

Welsh springer spaniel. History

This is an old breed, once known simply as Welsh Spaniel or Welsh Cocker Spaniel. It was given its current name when in 1902 it was officially recognized by the Kennel Club.

These dogs were bred to hunt rabbits, birds and other small animals hidden in the thickets. Their task was to sniff the animals and then to scare them off – initially for falconers and then for hunters with firearms. Hence the name of the breed. “To spring” simply meant “to proclaim.”

Initially, the word was used to refer to all spaniels. A separate variety was known in the Duchy of Wales since the 18th century. Some utility farms have been operating in Wales continuously for over a century.

Outside the homeland, relatively many Welsh springer spaniels live in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, France, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy and Estonia. 

Template

Welsh Springer Spaniel – Group VIII FCI, Section 2, Model No. 126

• Origin: United Kingdom
• Character: balanced, cheerful dog, curious about everything that surrounds him, gentle towards people and animals, requiring affection and acceptance; is it stubborn
• Size: dogs approx. 48 cm, bitches approx. 46 cm
• Weight: 16-20 kg
• Coat: straight, smooth, close-fitting, silky, dense; curly hair is undesirable; moderate feather on the upper back of the limbs, ears and tail
• Color: red-white, droplets (mottling) may occur in white areas
• Lifespan: 12-15 years
• Vulnerability to training: high
• Activity: high; needs a lot of movement and activity
• Resistance/susceptibility to diseases: very resistant; tends to have ear infections; do genetic eye diseases and dysplasia occur
• Possibility to buy a puppy: breeding is not enough, so you usually have to wait for a puppy 

Interesting facts

A Welsh Springer Spaniel and an English Cocker Spaniel were used to breed a new utility breed of spaniel, called a Sprocker Spaniel. By character, these dogs are more likely to resemble springers, but the blood mix gave them better health.