The English Springer Spaniel is a cheerful, energetic, supremely capable gundog, bred to "spring" game birds into the air for the hunter and to retrieve them on land and from water. Among the most popular and versatile of the spaniels, the Springer is bright, affectionate, and famously eager to please, with a bottomless enthusiasm for work and play. It is a wonderful, biddable companion for an active household, and it brings genuine working-dog energy, a strong bird drive, and a velcro-like devotion that shape how you should train and live with it.
That eager, high-energy nature is the key to training one. The English Springer is exceptionally intelligent and people-oriented, so it learns quickly and reward-based training is a pleasure, one reason the breed excels at everything from gundog work to agility to detection. The things to plan around are its very high exercise needs, its bird and scent drive that affects recall, its tendency to bond so closely that it can struggle alone, and a real sensitivity. Meet the exercise need, channel the drive, build independence, and keep training upbeat, and you get a brilliant, devoted, joyful companion. Under-exercise it, and that enthusiasm turns to restlessness, barking, and mischief.
This guide covers what works with a Springer, week by week, built around how an eager, high-energy gundog actually learns.
What Makes Training a Springer Different
Four breed traits shape your approach.
1. Exceptionally biddable and intelligent. The Springer is one of the most trainable breeds, eager to please and quick to learn, which makes reward-based training fast and enjoyable. This brilliance also means the breed needs real mental work, or it gets bored and inventive.
2. Very high energy. This is a working gundog that needs substantial daily exercise plus a chance to use its nose. Under-exercised, the Springer becomes restless, barky, and destructive, and obedience cannot substitute for the missing exercise.
3. A strong bird and scent drive. The urge to flush, scent, and retrieve is hardwired, and a bird or interesting smell can override recall. Recall must be built carefully around the drive, and walks benefit from sanctioned sniffing outlets.
4. Devoted, velcro, and sensitive. The Springer bonds intensely and wants to be with its people, so it can struggle with isolation, and it is sensitive enough that harshness backfires. Build independence early, and keep training gentle and upbeat to bring out its willing best.
Week-by-Week Training Plan for Your Springer
Below is the framework we use at TailorPup for a Springer-specific 12-week plan. Run it at home; the order and emphasis are the point.
Weeks 1 and 2 : Foundation, Socialization, and Independence
Engagement is effortless with this eager breed. Run three to four five-minute sessions a day with high-value rewards, socialize broadly, and begin gentle independence training with short calm absences, since the Springer bonds so closely. Establish a real exercise routine too. Our puppy basics guide covers the foundations.
Weeks 3 and 4 : Core Commands and Tricks
Springers learn very fast. Lure sit, down, and stay, mark, and reward, adding cues once reliable, then add tricks and name games to give this brilliant breed the mental work it craves. Build duration to balance the bounciness.
Weeks 5 and 6 : Loose Leash Walking
An enthusiastic Springer pulls toward scent and excitement. Use stop-and-stand: stop the instant the leash tightens, advance only when it loosens, stay quiet. A front-clip harness helps. Allow scheduled sniff breaks, since the nose is a real part of this gundog, and pair leash work with plenty of running.
Weeks 7 and 8 : Recall and Independence
Build recall on a long line in low-distraction areas, paying every success generously, and never call the dog for anything it dislikes. Proof it gradually around the bird and scent drive. Deepen independence work in parallel to keep the close bond from becoming distress.
Weeks 9 and 10 : Channeling Energy and Nose Work
Give the gundog brain and body real outlets: fetch, swimming, gundog-style work, scent games, agility, and long walks all suit the breed. A Springer that gets to run and use its nose daily is a calm, settled, focused dog. Mental work matters as much as the physical.
Weeks 11 and 12 : Generalization
Prove the skills in the real world: loose-leash walking past distractions, recall in larger spaces with temptation present, settled behavior, and continued alone-time practice. A Springer that performs at home but unravels outside is only partly trained, and these last two weeks finish the job.
Common Springer Training Mistakes
Three mistakes show up over and over with this breed.
Mistake 1 : Underestimating the exercise need. The friendly, biddable nature fools people into treating the Springer as an easy housedog. Under-exercised, it becomes restless, barky, and destructive. The breed requires substantial daily exercise, including a chance to use its nose.
Mistake 2 : Skipping independence training. Because the Springer bonds so closely, owners who keep it constantly attached risk separation anxiety. Build gentle alone-time tolerance from the first week, before there is a problem.
Mistake 3 : Using harsh handling. The sensitive, eager Springer shuts down under corrections, which damages both behavior and the close bond, and it simply does not need them given how biddable it is. Keep training upbeat and reward-based. The full list is in our English Springer Spaniel training mistakes guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are English Springer Spaniels easy to train ? Yes, exceptionally. They are among the most biddable and intelligent breeds, eager to please and quick to learn, so reward-based training is fast and enjoyable. The challenges are the very high energy, the bird drive, and the close attachment rather than the learning itself.
How much exercise does a Springer need ? A lot: well over an hour of vigorous daily activity plus mental work and a chance to use the nose. This is a working gundog, and under-exercised Springers become restless, barky, and destructive. The breed suits active homes.
Do English Springer Spaniels get separation anxiety ? They can, because they bond so closely and are true velcro dogs. Early, consistent independence training prevents most cases, and the breed does best where it is not isolated for long stretches.
Can I let my Springer off-leash ? Eventually, in safe areas, once recall is well proofed, but it must be earned. The bird and scent drive make an unproofed recall unreliable, so build it carefully on a long line first, using the breed's biddability to your advantage.
Is positive reinforcement effective for Springers ? Yes, ideally. The biddable, sensitive breed thrives on upbeat reward-based training and shuts down under harsh handling, which is both unnecessary and counterproductive with such an eager dog.
Why is my Springer so bouncy and busy ? Because it is a high-energy working gundog with a bottomless enthusiasm for life. Channel it with real exercise, mental work, and a chance to use the nose, and the bounciness becomes manageable joy rather than restlessness.
Are English Springer Spaniels good family dogs ? Yes, excellent ones, for active families. They are affectionate, biddable, and great with children, with a joyful temperament. They thrive when their exercise needs are met, they are included in family life, and their attachment is balanced with independence training.
Why TailorPup Was Built for English Springer Spaniels
A generic plan ignores what defines this breed: the brilliance, the very high energy, the bird drive, and the close attachment. That mismatch is why standard advice leaves Springer owners with a restless, barky, sometimes anxious dog.
TailorPup builds a 12-week plan around your specific dog: its gundog nature, its age, and the behaviors you are seeing. For a Springer that means an exercise-first structure, front-loaded independence training, upbeat reward-based methods, scent-aware recall work, and plenty of mental work for a brilliant mind.
Daily 12-minute sessions plus weekly adjustments based on your dog's progress. Free for 7 days, no card required.
Start your English Springer Spaniel's plan free at tailorpup.com →
Related: English Springer Spaniel Training Mistakes · Recall Training · Leash Pulling · Puppy Training Basics