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Breed guide · Dogs
He brings me a sock every time I come home. I've started keeping one by the door for him.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Nose down, zigzagging from one side of the pavement to the other, and deaf to their name.
What's going onThat is the search Springers were bred for, and it tires their head more than a fast walk does. Give their nose a job every day, at home and outside, and they listen better on the walk.
At home
Locked on to the pigeons, the mynas and the cats by the bins, sometimes frozen with a paw lifted.
What's going onSpringers were bred to find birds and push them into the air, then sit while they flew off. The interest in birds stays. The sit was always trained, and a whistle is a good way to teach it.
At home
One Springer is lean, fast and never off duty. Another is heavier, calmer and carries far more coat.
What's going onField-bred Springers are lighter and busier. Show-bred ones are heavier, with longer ears and more coat. Both need a job, and the field dog needs a bigger one.
At home
A sock at the door, the post carried round the flat, and a gentle mouth on your hand as a puppy.
What's going onThey were bred to carry a bird back without marking it, and a sock or a slipper will do. Keep a toy that is theirs by the door and swap, rather than chasing them for it.
At home
To the kitchen, to the bathroom, and flat on the floor after a raised voice.
What's going onA Springer worked a few metres in front of one person all day and kept checking back. That is why they follow you, and why a long day alone in a flat is hard. They are anxious after a telling-off, not guilty, so reward what you want, calmly.
At home
Head shaking after a walk, scratching at an ear, or a smell when you stroke their head.
What's going onLong, heavy ears hold in warmth and moisture, and ear infections are on their health record from puppyhood. Look inside and smell their ears every week, and dry them after every bath.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: A full day in cold, wet cover, nose down, a few metres in front of one person.
In Dubai: Often spent in a flat.
Their weather
Built for: Cool rain and hedgerows.
In Dubai: Hot pavement for half the year.
Their work
Built for: Birds to find and something to carry home.
In Dubai: Nothing to search for.
The pulling, the stolen socks and the evenings they cannot settle mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a hedgerow. You can give their nose and their mouth a job, and the ten things below show you how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Springer Spaniel's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Searching is the work they were bred for, and it tires them more than a walk does.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
Searching is the work they were bred for, and it tires them more than a walk does.
What to do
Scatter part of their breakfast on the grass or on a towel indoors. Hide a toy and send them to find it. On the hottest days, ten minutes of search games indoors instead of a walk. From 7 years, keep the searches easy and at floor level.
They were bred to work side to side a few metres in front of you, and a long line lets them.
Every age, most of all 2 to 7 years
Why
They were bred to work side to side a few metres in front of you, and a long line lets them.
What to do
A harness and a five to ten metre line, somewhere quiet and open, early in the morning. Let them work the ground, call them in every few minutes and reward them when they come. Keep puppy sessions short and on soft ground while the hips are forming.
Springers have been trained to the whistle for generations, and it carries further than your voice.
Every age, starting at mealtimes in puppyhood
Why
Springers have been trained to the whistle for generations, and it carries further than your voice.
What to do
One sound for "come back", one for "sit". Start at mealtimes indoors, reward them every time, and only take it outside once it works at home. As they get older, add a hand signal in case their hearing fades.
A Springer who sits when a pigeon lifts is doing what the breed was always trained to do.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
A Springer who sits when a pigeon lifts is doing what the breed was always trained to do.
What to do
At a distance where they still listen, ask for a sit when a pigeon or a cat moves, reward them and walk on. Get closer over weeks. Keep them on a lead near roads and bins, at every age.
They want to bring you something. If you do not choose it, they will.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They want to bring you something. If you do not choose it, they will.
What to do
Keep a soft toy or a canvas dummy that is theirs. Five to ten throws along the ground, then stop. Swap anything they steal for a treat, and do not chase them for it.
Ear infections are on their health record from puppyhood, and heavy ears hold in moisture.
Every age, for life
Why
Ear infections are on their health record from puppyhood, and heavy ears hold in moisture.
What to do
Lift the flaps, look and smell. Dry inside them after every bath or swim, and use the cleaner your vet recommends. Ask your groomer to keep the hair under the flaps short. Head shaking, scratching or a smell means telling your vet that week. Ear cleaning is in your plan from six months to four years, and ear care after that.
With their nose down, they will not notice they are overheating.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
With their nose down, they will not notice they are overheating.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. Carry water, keep hard play short, and head home before they slow down.
They were bred to spend the day with one person, and the chewed cushions start when they are alone too long.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to spend the day with one person, and the chewed cushions start when they are alone too long.
What to do
If you are out for more than a few hours, arrange a midday walk, a visit or daycare. Hide part of their lunch before you leave, and keep leaving and coming home calm. If they are distressed when you go, contact your vet.
Springers are prone to allergies from puppyhood.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 4 years
Why
Springers are prone to allergies from puppyhood.
What to do
Brush the feathering on their ears, chest, legs and belly several times a week, and keep the hair between the paw pads short. Part the coat as you go and look for red skin, and notice if they keep licking their paws. Allergy management is in your plan from age two to four.
Hip problems and gradual sight loss are both on their record, and they hide both well.
Every age
Why
Hip problems and gradual sight loss are both on their record, and they hide both well.
What to do
Feel their ribs, spine and hips once a week, look at their eyes in good light, and brush their teeth daily. Notice if they are slow to get up, or unsure on the stairs or in the dark, and tell your vet that week. Weigh them once a month.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Field or show
Field Springers come from working lines still bred to hunt: lighter, faster and busier, often with more white and a shorter coat. Show Springers are bred for the show ring: heavier and calmer, with longer ears and a fuller coat. In the UAE you will meet both, so ask which line your puppy comes from.
Colours
Most Springers are liver and white or black and white, in bold patches or flecked all through with colour (roan). Some add tan markings on the face and legs, which makes them tricolour. Whichever you fall for, the ears and the nose come as standard.
The first six months
Their vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, with baseline screening for hip dysplasia. Keep exercise short and on soft ground while the joints form, and handle and dry their ears from the first week.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Buy a gundog whistle, a harness and a long line, and a soft toy that is theirs to carry. Put rugs down where they run on marble, keep a towel and ear cleaner by the bath, and add a snuffle mat for the hottest days.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Many puppies are bred without the parents' hips or eyes being screened. Ask the breeder for both parents' hip scores and eye test results, and meet the mother if you can.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
The sock drawer is theirs now. If they stop raiding it, tell your vet.
Before they were yours.
Before the 1800s
British spaniels found birds in cover and pushed them into the open, first for nets and falcons, later for the gun. They were sorted by the job they did, not by breed.
What they still carryThe nose, the zigzag search and the need to stay near you.
The 1800s
Puppies from one litter were sorted by size. The small ones worked woodcock and were called cockers. The larger ones sprang game for the gun.
What they still carryA bigger, stronger spaniel built for a long day in thick cover.
1902
The Kennel Club in the UK recognised the breed under its full name, the English Springer Spaniel. The American Kennel Club registered its first in 1910.
What they still carryTheir name, and a working life that never stopped.
The 20th century
The breed split in two: lighter, faster field dogs bred to hunt, and heavier show dogs with longer ears and more coat. The two are now rarely crossed.
What they still carryTwo quite different dogs under one name.
Today
In the UAE a Springer is a family dog in a flat or a villa, from either line.
What they still carryA nose built for the hedgerows, in 45-degree heat.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Springer suits you, so might these.
English Cocker SpanielThe same kind of dog: an English gundog spaniel, smaller, with a silkier coat to brush.Guide coming soon
Brittany SpanielAnother busy hunting spaniel, from France, a little smaller and even more energetic.
BoxerThe same bouncy, friendly temperament and love of play, in a short-coated dog that struggles more in the heat.
Flat-Coated RetrieverA similar size and a coat that is just as easy to keep, in a retriever with even more energy.
