Environment

New Places, New People.

• Before even picking up your new English Springer Spaniel baby, be sure to puppy proof your home. Protect and remove anything hazardous they may be able to chew and remove anything dangerous that they will be able to reach.
• Always understand that your puppy is a baby that you have just brought home to their new family, and it is the first time in their short lives they have not been with them. More than likely the first couple of nights will not be easy. A potty accident or crying that seems to go on longer than the day itself may happen, this is normal. Calmness, understanding, and patience are a must with your new puppy. With love and time your puppy will get used to his new family and environment. Some quicker than others but they all come around and with these tips you should be off to a good start.
• Introduce your puppy to the family and other pets one at a time, don’t crowd all around him with grabbing, petting and lots of talking. Even with your puppy, first impressions matter!
• Show them around their new home and get them acquainted to their designated area or their crate.

Chewing

• It is very likely that you will often be pulling things out of your puppy's mouth. Whether it is leaves, weeds, garbage, wires, hands, shoes, feet or whatever is on your floor you can be sure your puppy will try and get it in their mouths.
• Puppies chew because: teething, boredom, separation anxiety, sleepiness, & lack of exercise.
• Puppy proof your home.
• Exposed wires, loose carpets and rugs, shoes, expensive furniture, household items with chemicals, food and other things easily accessible in reach of your pup.
• Replace what they are chewing on with bones and toys, and provide adequate exercise.
• Dangers of not addressing chewing: poisonous plants, medications, insect bites, dangerous foods, intestinal blockage, and many more.

Supervise Supervise Supervise

• It is a good practice when you first get a puppy to designate a certain central area as their own rather than your entire home. Allow them to roam and explore this area.
• Be sure to supervise as often as possible, allowing him to have time to himself where they can explore that area without knowing they are being watched.
• Keeping them confined in a smaller space also helps when you don’t have the ability to keep constant eyes on them.
• Do not leave your puppy outside alone.
• Watch your pup to figure out the telltale signs that it's time to go potty.

Potty Training

• When your puppy circles around, sniffs the ground with a purpose, and on some occasions becomes hyperactive he may need to go out.
• It is an instinct for puppies to want to go potty after eating so afterwards be sure to take them outside to a specific area or on pee pads for them to do their business
• Puppies also find it time to go potty after napping and sleeping, playing and/or being confined.
• As you are heading out give them a command to indicate that they're going outside to potty such as “you gotta go out?”. Once outside give them a verbal command such as “Do your Business”.
• After they have gone potty, praise them excitedly and give them a small training treat (if on hand).
• Sometimes your puppy may just not find the right spot or get distracted and want to go back inside. That’s okay! If they do, then put them in their confined area and wait for 10-20 minutes or until they begin to show signs they need to go outside again.
• Always be patient. Your puppy needs time to learn the process and routine. Accidents happen and if you catch them in the act still pick them up and bring them outside to finish.

General Care

Feeding

• Pups 8 weeks old until 6 months should eat no more than 1 and 3/4ths cups broken evenly into three meals a day.
• Do your research and find a brand of puppy food that works well with your dog.
• It may also be a good idea to speak to your vet about recommendations and added supplements.

Cleaning

• Figure out what shampoo/conditioner is best for your dog’s fur type. Ask your vet or do your own research but make sure to pick a trustworthy product.
• You can begin bathing your puppy as early as 8 weeks old. Prepare by having treats, and towels nearby. Odds are that your puppy will not be too fond of baths early on. This is where the treats come in. Some people even smear a touch of peanut butter on their shower wall to distract them as they are washed.
• For the most part when your puppy is very young, you don’t necessarily need to use shampoo. It is a good idea to start with lukewarm water and a quick scrub.
• A detachable shower head for easy washing is helpful but a plastic cup or bowl will do just fine.
• When using soap be careful around the eyes and face.
• Be sure to wash all the soap off your puppy to avoid agitation to their skin.
• Drying: blow dry or towel dry both get the job done the same in the end; however, if you are going to blow dry your puppy make sure the temperature is not too hot and they are comforted with treats.
• Make sure to dry your dogs’ ears because they hang over their ear openings and English Springers tend to be prone to ear infections for this reason.

Tick, Flea and Heart Worm Protection

• Flea, tick, ad heartworm protection is important. All pose their own types of dangerous threats to your puppy. Using prevention is a sure way to protect your pup from these possibilities.
• ticks lead to lyme disease, mosquitos can transmit heartworms, and fleas carry tapeworms. All are extremely uncomfortable and possibly life threatening.

Exercise & Play

Most articles you read online about English Springer Spaniels talk about how they thrive when exercised a lot; however, puppies need a different and careful approach to exercise and play.

Exercise And Play Are Not The Same Thing.

Exercise

A physical activity that raises a puppy’s heartrate and works the muscles resulting in a depletion of energy.

Play

Mental stimulation through interactions with a person, another dog, or an object.

Although the two usually go hand in hand there are many games you can play with your puppy (read below) that do not include much movement.

Duration

When it comes to exercise, it is a good idea to start out at around 40 minutes for an 8-week-old puppy. This does NOT mean one 40-minute session. Instead, it should be broken into chunks throughout the day as in four ten-minute sessions. Always keep in mind that no one knows your puppy better than you do. Watch their behavior throughout the session and remainder of the day to make sure they do not overdo it.

All Puppies are not created equal when it comes to play and exercise. Puppies require a certain amount of exercise to maximize their wellbeing while also not affecting their long-term health.

Gametime

Games are a great way to exercise and play with your puppy. Some games require more exercise than others and some are even designed to help train your puppy.

• Fetch with a ball or Frisbee. Fetch helps your dog learn to recall back to you after they have retrieved the toy.
• Hide 'n' go Seek/Find the Treat Integrate commands that have your dog stay and come/go to you when you are done hiding yourself or the treat. This helps him track your scent and teaches them to locate you when called.
• Tug of War Allows your dog to itch their instinctual hunting scratch.
• Obstacle/agility training You can buy some for a low price online and are also in many public dog parks.
• Solo Play These are games that you set up and your puppy plays on their own. There are treat puzzles, snuffle mats, hollow treat toys, flirt poles, and many more self-play dog toys.
• Water Games Either playing in the water or with a water hose. Springers LOVE the water.
• Digging Box Some Springers love to dig to their hearts content. Instead of training your dog to never dig, some people buy or create a digging box for their pup. This is a simple box filled with play sand (or other safe preferred material) that is your dogs designated digging area.

Here's a link to an article by Journey Dog Training containing extremely useful habit correcting games.

Risks of Over Exercising

Joint & Bone

Exercising your puppy until they are exhausted may seem like a foolproof way to expel their energy so they will have a full night’s rest. In actuality, you may be affecting their long-term health. A puppy's bones, muscles, and joints are not yet done growing until roughly 12-18 months of age. Until then they have two or more growth plates At the end of each long bone. These plates determine the size, shape, and position of your puppies’ bones at maturity. By the time a dog reaches puberty the growth plates close and solid bone grows in their place. Over exercising can place excess stress on the growth plates leading to bone deformation, hip dysplasia, arthritis, and more.

Fractures

A puppy’s bones are more fragile than adult dogs but typically heal quicker.

Bone fractures are less common than other risks of over exercise but still can occur in puppies (typically the lower legs). Jumping from a person’s arms, a high height, running into walls, tripping while sprinting or continuous fast paced exercise are all likely causes.

Signs and Symptoms of Bone Fractures

• Crying or light moaning
• Lasting limp while walking
• Raising of limb
• Lack of appetite
• Swelling in general area

Pad Damage

A young puppy still has developing feet and paw pads. Eventually a dogs pads harden over time allowing them to safely walk on all sorts of surfaces with no risk to their feet but this takes time and maturity. Until then a pup's pads are soft and smooth which means they are more susceptible to brush burns, cuts or cracks, and ground temperature (hot pavement, sand, etc.).

Over-Heating

The perfect storm for falling prey to overheating or heat exhaustion is, a long play session, high temperature, and direct sunlight. A scary fact of overheating is that some dogs don’t show signs or symptoms until there excitement has died down and you are back inside your home.

Signs and Symptoms of Overheating

• Excessive Panting and/or Difficulty Breathing
• Dehydration (dry nose, overly tired, sunken eyes, unresponsiveness)
• Excessive Drooling
• Fever
• Lack of Urine
• Vomiting and/or Diarrhea
• Discolored Gums (bright red, purple, gray, or blue).
• Muscle Tremors/ Spasms

Resolution

• Call your veterinarian
• Lower body temp with lukewarm water
• Have lukewarm water ready for a drink
• Position your pup in front of a fan

Vet Visits

Importance

Because your puppy is so young and undeveloped, bringing them to a vet as soon as possible is key (at least 8 weeks of age). That way your vet can give them a once over and make sure everything is in check.

Research

Make absolute sure you do your research on a vet clinic that you feel you can trust. These beautiful babies are the newest member of your family and finding a trustworthy vet is a crucial part of owning a dog.

Don’t feel uncomfortable or nervous about asking any questions especially if you are a new dog owner, the more open you are, the more answers you are going to receive that will in turn help your pup live thier best life.

What To Expect At The First Visit:

• Weight check
• Check their teeth
• Examine ears, nose, feet, genitalia, and eyes.
• Check lymph nodes
• Possible fecal collection and examination
• Examine skin and coat
• Temperature and heart rate

Vaccinations

Vaccine Information Generously provided by Ark Animal Hospital

Based On Your Pups Current Age

Six seven or eight weeks old today with no previous vaccinations:

• Intestinal parasite exam today and every three weeks until negative result twice.
  
• Da2pp vaccination with three additional boosters three weeks apart.
  
• Bordetella vaccination with no initial booster needed.
  
• Lepto Vaccination is recommended at 12 weeks of age with one additional booster three weeks from initial vaccine.
  
• Rabies vaccination (required states) at 12 weeks with no initial booster needed.
  

Nine, Ten or eleven weeks old today with no previous vaccinations:

• Rabies vaccination at 12 weeks with no initial booster needed.
  
• Intestinal parasite exam today and every three weeks until negative result twice.
  
• Da2pp vaccination with two additional boosters three weeks apart.
  
• Lepto vaccination is recommended at 12 weeks of age with one additional booster three weeks from initial vaccine.

Twelve weeks or older today with no previous vaccinations:

• Intestinal parasite exam today and every three weeks until negative result twice.
  
• Da2pp vaccination with one additional booster three weeks from initial vaccine.
  
• Lepto vaccination with one additional booster three weeks from initial vaccination.
  
• Rabies vaccination with no initial booster.
  

We recommend intestinal parasite exam, rabies, da2pp, lepto, and a heartworm test annually and a Bordetella vaccine every six months after initial series.

Training

Technique

Use Basic Short Commands

When teaching your puppy tricks use basic, short commands. “sit”, “lay down”, “stay”, etc. It also is important to keep in mind that similar words may be hard for your puppy to differentiate. So, if you are teaching him a new command it may be smart to choose a word that doesn’t sound too alike.

Don't say your command continuously until they attempt it. They need some time to connect the dots and will get more confused when you break their concentration and repeat the word to quickly.

Short Sessions

Puppy's as young as 8 weeks old can begin learning tricks and commands but remember your puppy is still so young, they don't have the longest attention spans. So, it is key to keep the training sessions, short, fun, and involve rewards.

Rewards

It is very important to reward your puppy when they learn a new command or do something good. Positive reinforcement goes a very long way with all dogs. Expressing happiness and presenting your dog with a treat is a surefire way to make them understand what they just did was good.

Crate Training

Crate Training helps assist with proper house training and is a spot that they can feel safe and secure in.

Begin as early as possible

Introduce them to their crate with a couple of treats. Make the crate comfy and be sure to include some of their favorite toys.

They will be whiney and upset at first, but this will cease quickly.

Place the crate in an area of the dwelling that the family often gathers or spends the most time. Once they feel comfortable within the crate, you can gradually move the crate into a room of their own.

You may want to include some water in a heavy bowl (to reduce tipping) at night.

Crate Size

You want your crate to be big enough for your puppy to easily turn around but not big enough that they can move enough to pace back and forth.

Because it doesn’t make much sense to continuously buy crates as your puppy grows, certain brands include a divider to shorten the space, allowing you to gradually expand it.

Off-Leash Training

Training your springer spaniel to be able to be able to comfortably stay near you is crucial. You never want to leave a door open for a minute too long and realize your springer is nowhere to be seen or accidentally drop a leash while you're walking along a road only to have them dart into traffic after a squirrel.

Knowing your Springer won't run off or at the very least come when called in an emergency is a major relief when the situation may occur.

To begin with off leash training you want to make sure your puppy understands a recall command, "come" or "here" are both common commands that get the job done.

After your puppy begins the grasp of recalling to your location, often it may be smart to start adding a whistle after your command. a whistle travels much farther and by the off chance your springer is separated from you being able to whistle and have them associate that with their recall command is a good practice.

It may seem like a pain but always having training treats on hand for your puppy whenever you leave your home/apartment goes a very long way because that way you are always engaging him in a training session.

Along with treats, reward your puppy with extra praise and excitement when they recall to you.

Eventually move to a large area that is accessible to you. a yard or a public dog park early in the morning or late in the evening (preferably alone) would do the trick.

Follow your puppy as they move around. See what they interact with, what catches their attention, and if something catches their eye and they sprint outside of the distance you would like them to stay, calmy use your recall command and/or whistle to call him back.

Remember that English Springer Spaniels are intelligent and read emotions well. Staying calm and letting him know this is just another recall command is key. You don't want your puppy to be concerned or scared from your voice and movement. they will recall easiest if the given command is the way they are used to it being.

Teaching your puppy to stay is the final step to assuring your dog will behave off leash.

If you are going to let your pup off leash, be sure to make sure you are allowed and you are not near any public roads. Regardless of how comfortable and obedient your English springer Spaniel may be, due to their high prey drive there is always a possibility they may be unable to resist their instincts initially.

Socialization

Puppy Socialization is important so much so it starts with us weeks before you even have your puppy in your arms.

Bring your puppy to different places, let them interact with people of all ages and races as well as dogs that are friendly, allow them to smell new things and hear new sounds. Lend yourself to their curiosity and remember everything is new for them.

Once your puppy has all the proper vaccinations, a great option is a reputable puppy socialization class. These classes are run by professionals that have a greater understanding of puppy behaviors and oversees the interactions between the puppies.