SPANIEL (ENGLISH SPRINGER)
NIMBLE ANGEL
LIVER & WHITE – Born 07 April 2022
You can find Molly on:
Molly’s Age
Personality
From the early days, Molly was a very shy puppy.
At first, we thought she hadn’t been socialized enough, so we’ve tried to expose her to new experiences long before her final vaccinations.
We carried her in a dog bag, taking her everywhere we could so she could see and hear things she had never experienced before.
We suspect she wasn’t exposed enough to people and various environments during her first four to eight weeks.
As far as we understand, all she knew were her siblings, her mother, and the crate she was in.
Molly improved significantly in handling unfamiliar settings as a result of our persistent socialization attempts, but she never fully overcame her fear of other people.
We eventually came to terms with this being a part of her personality.
We even appreciate that she avoids people because it means we won’t have to worry about her wandering off on our walks.
Training and Accomplishments
The first thing we taught her was to take care of her business in the garden, which was surprisingly one of the easiest tasks.
She only had two accidents at home, and both were our fault.
We were still learning to recognize the subtle signs she gave us when she needed to go outside, and we often misinterpreted them as unusual behavior or simply didn’t realize what she was trying to tell us.
It took Molly around three days to learn to do her business outside, but it took us longer to recognize the subtle signs she gave us when she wanted to go out.
Along with potty training, we immediately started teaching her other essential commands such as lie down, sit, stay, leave it, and so on.
She loved learning new things, and just as with potty training, it was incredibly easy to teach her almost anything we desired.
I’m purposefully avoiding the word “tricks.”
Although we taught her many commands that may seem useless, we later found that even the most unusual commands come in handy in certain situations.
We taught her just for fun to pick up her toys and put them back in her toy box without realizing how useful this would later become.
Springer Spaniels are incredibly intelligent, and you will observe this daily if you own one.
For instance, we had some leftover balloons from our son’s birthday party. Naturally, Molly couldn’t resist the opportunity and attempted to catch one using her teeth.
Much to her surprise, the balloon burst immediately, but she didn’t admit defeat. She promptly deduced that she needed to grasp them by the end and gently carry them around.
She also plays with them using her paws and seeks our attention to toss them for her.
Now, she rarely pops any balloons, having rapidly mastered the proper way to handle them.
Health & Exercise
If you’re considering getting an English Springer Spaniel, make sure you can provide the exercise these dogs need to stay healthy both mentally and physically.
From the early days, our not-so-large garden was insufficient for Molly, and we quickly realized that longer trips were necessary.
Luckily, just around the corner, we have woods and grassy fields just behind it where we can take Molly every day for long walks.
It takes only 5 minutes, and we’re surrounded by trees and squirrels.
Molly loves going there, and despite our best efforts in leash training, she still pulls enthusiastically when we go for a walk.
I keep track of every mile we walk with Google Fit on my phone and Molly’s GPS tracker attached to her harness.
We consistently cover around five to six miles, or approximately ten kilometers daily.
We take her out early in the morning, around 6:30 am, just before work.
Since I work from home, I take her out again during lunchtime at around 12:30 pm and then for the last time after work around 5:00 pm.
We decided to get an English Springer Spaniel, fully aware of their stamina and their potential need for long walks.
With British weather, especially during the winter months, you have to be prepared for occasional outbursts of rain, wind, and generally nasty weather.
Just check out the video below.
I recorded this short clip in late March during a walk with Molly in a local woods, and we were both absolutely soaked within just a few minutes of leaving home.
But that’s something you have to account for when getting any dog, not just a Springer Spaniel.
The only difference is that you’ll likely spend much more time walking with a Springer Spaniel than with most other breeds.
Weekends are different, though.
English Springer Spaniels require a lot of mental exercises, and apart from games designed to fulfill this need, we take Molly to new places.
Just recently, we became members of the National Trust, which allows us to visit any National Trust locations without additional fees.
Most National Trust places are dog-friendly, even offering local dog maps that show owners the paths where they can walk their dogs off-leash.
But coming back to Molly’s health, taking her to new places challenges her mentally, and she gets exhausted very quickly.
Socialization
Molly has a unique personality when it comes to interacting with other dogs.
Unsurprisingly, she doesn’t love every dog she meets.
However, it seems that any dogs with long ears, similar to Spaniels, hold a special place in her heart, as she instantly becomes friends with them, regardless of breed.
Fortunately, we had some advantages when it came to socializing Molly, as we also have a Bengal cat named Bolt.
Growing up with a cat may have helped her socialization efforts, and now, almost eight months later, Molly and Bolt are best friends.
Molly has learned that not all dogs are friendly and sometimes even ignores certain breeds.
Over time, she has developed preferences for the dogs she plays and interacts with.
When it comes to people, Molly’s attitude is an entirely different story, one that I believe deserves its own article.
But just to give you a heads up, she isn’t particularly fond of humans.
Initially, we were concerned about this trait, but now we appreciate that she isn’t keen on being cuddled by strangers.
This gives us peace of mind, knowing that she won’t wander off with just anyone, as some dogs tend to do.
Is a Springer Spaniel Right for You?
If you are considering this amazing breed of dog, make sure to read one of our articles about the pros and cons of English Springer Spaniels before making a decision.
We have put a lot of effort into making this article as informative and objective as possible.
Not only have we highlighted the most commonly described advantages and disadvantages of Springer Spaniels that you can find on the internet, but we have also added a number of rarely mentioned traits that only owners can know about.