English Springer Spaniel
Sporting
Group
Breed Standard
General Appearance
The English Springer Spaniel is a medium-sized sporting dog, with
a compact body and a docked tail. His coat is moderately long,
with feathering on his legs, ears, chest and brisket. His pendulous
ears, soft gentle expression, sturdy build and friendly wagging
tail proclaim him unmistakably a member of the ancient family
of Spaniels. He is above all a well-proportioned dog, free from
exaggeration, nicely balanced in every part. His carriage is proud
and upstanding, body deep, legs strong and muscular, with enough
length to carry him with ease. Taken as a whole, the English Springer
Spaniel suggests power, endurance and agility. He looks the part
of a dog that can go, and keep going, under difficult hunting
conditions. At his best, he is endowed with style, symmetry, balance
and enthusiasm, and is every inch a sporting dog of distinct spaniel
character, combining beauty and utility.
Size, Proportion,
Substance
The Springer is built to cover rough ground with agility and
reasonable speed. His structure suggests the capacity for endurance.
He is to be kept to medium size. Ideal height at the shoulder
for dogs is 20 inches; for bitches, it is 19 inches. Those more
than one inch under or over the breed ideal are to be faulted.
A 20 inch dog, well-proportioned and in good condition, will weigh
approximately 50 pounds; a 19 inch bitch will weigh approximately
40 pounds. The length of the body (measured from point of shoulder
to point of buttocks) is slightly greater than the height at the
withers. The dog too long in body, especially when long in the
loin, tires easily and lacks the compact outline characteristic
of the breed. A dog too short in body for the length of his legs,
a condition which destroys balance and restricts gait, is equally
undesirable. A Springer with correct substance appears well-knit
and sturdy with good bone, however, he is never coarse or ponderous.
Head
The head is impressive without being heavy. Its beauty lies
in a combination of strength and refinement. It is important that
its size and proportion be in balance with the rest of the dog.
Viewed in profile, the head appears approximately the same length
as the neck and blends with the body in substance. The stop, eyebrows
and chiseling of the bony structure around the eye sockets contribute
to the Springer's beautiful and characteristic expression, which
is alert, kindly and trusting. The eyes, more than any other feature,
are the essence of the Springer's appeal. Correct size, shape,
placement and color influence expression and attractiveness. The
eyes are of medium size and oval in shape, set rather well-apart
and fairly deep in their sockets. The color of the iris harmonizes
with the color of the coat, preferably dark hazel in the liver
and white dogs and black or deep brown in the black and white
dogs. Eyerims are fully pigmented and match the coat in color.
Lids are tight with little or no haw showing. Eyes that are small,
round or protruding, as well as eyes that are yellow or brassy
in color, are highly undesirable. Ears are long and fairly wide,
hanging close to the cheeks with no tendency to stand up or out.
The ear leather is thin and approximately long enough to reach
the tip of the nose. Correct ear set is on a level with the eye
and not too far back on the skull. The skull is medium-length
and fairly broad, flat on top and slightly rounded at the sides
and back. The occiput bone is inconspicuous. As the skull rises
from the foreface, it makes a stop, divided by a groove, or fluting,
between the eyes. The groove disappears as it reaches the middle
of the forehead. The amount of stop is moderate. It must not be
a pronounced feature; rather it is a subtle rise where the muzzle
joins the upper head. It is emphasized by the groove and by the
position and shape of the eyebrows, which are well-developed.
The muzzle is approximately the same length as the skull and one
half the width of the skull. Viewed in profile, the toplines of
the skull and muzzle lie in approximately parallel planes. The
nasal bone is straight, with no inclination downward toward the
tip of the nose, the latter giving an undesirable downfaced look.
Neither is the nasal bone concave, resulting in a "dish-faced"
profile; nor convex, giving the dog a Roman nose. The cheeks are
flat, and the face is well-chiseled under the eyes. Jaws are of
sufficient length to allow the dog to carry game easily: fairly
square, lean and strong. The upper lips come down full and rather
square to cover the line of the lower jaw, however, the lips are
never pendulous or exaggerated. The nose is fully-pigmented, liver
or black in color, depending on the color of the coat. The nostrils
are well-opened and broad. Teeth are strong, clean, of good size
and ideally meet in a close scissors bite. An even bite or one
or two incisors slightly out of line are minor faults. Undershot,
overshot and wry jaws are serious faults and are to be severely
penalized.
Neck, Topline, Body
The neck is moderately long, muscular, clean and slightly
arched at the crest. It blends gradually and smoothly into sloping
shoulders. The portion of the topline from withers to tail is
firm and slopes very gently. The body is short-coupled, strong
and compact. The chest is deep, reaching the level of the elbows,
with well-developed forechest; however, it is not so wide or round
as to interfere with the action of the front legs. Ribs are fairly
long, springing gradually to the middle of the body, then tapering
as they approach the end of the ribbed section. The underline
stays level with the elbows to a slight upcurve at the flank.
The back is straight, strong and essentially level. Loins are
strong, short and slightly arched. Hips are nicely-rounded, blending
smoothly into the hind legs. The croup slopes gently to the set
of the tail, and tail-set follows the natural line of the croup.
The tail is carried horizontally or slightly elevated and displays
a characteristic lively, merry action, particularly when the dog
is on game. A clamped tail (indicating timidity or undependable
temperament) is to be faulted, as is a tail carried at a right
angle to the backline in Terrier fashion.
Forequarters
Efficient movement in front calls for proper forequarter assembly.
The shoulder blades are flat and fairly close together at the
tips, molding smoothly into the contour of the body. Ideally,
when measured from the top of the withers to the point of the
shoulder to the elbow, the shoulder blade and upper arm are of
apparent equal length, forming an angle of nearly 90 degrees;
this sets the front legs well under the body and places the elbows
directly beneath the tips of the shoulder blades. Elbows lie close
to the body. Forelegs are straight with the same degree of size
continuing to the foot. Bone is strong, slightly flattened, not
too round or too heavy. Pasterns are short, strong and slightly
sloping, with no suggestion of weakness. Dewclaws are usually
removed. Feet are round or slightly oval. They are compact and
well-arched, of medium size with thick pads, and well-feathered
between the toes.
Hindquarters
The Springer should be worked and shown in hard, muscular condition with well-developed
hips and thighs. His whole rear assembly suggests strength and driving power.
Thighs are broad and muscular. Stifle joints are strong. For functional efficiency,
the angulation of the hindquarter is never greater than that of the forequarter,
and not appreciably less. The hock joints are somewhat rounded, not small and
sharp in contour. Rear pasterns are short (about 1/3 the distance from the hip
joint to the foot) and strong, with good bone. When viewed from behind, the rear
pasterns are parallel. Dewclaws are usually removed. The feet are the same as
in front, except that they are smaller and often more compact.
Coat
The Springer has an outer coat and an undercoat. On the body,
the outer coat is of medium length, flat or wavy, and is easily
distinguishable from the undercoat, which is short, soft and dense.
The quantity of undercoat is affected by climate and season. When
in combination, outer coat and undercoat serve to make the dog
substantially waterproof, weatherproof and thornproof. On ears,
chest, legs and belly the Springer is nicely furnished with a
fringe of feathering of moderate length and heaviness. On the
head, front of the forelegs, and below the hock joints on the
front of the hind legs, the hair is short and fine. The coat has
the clean, glossy, "live" appearance indicative of good health.
It is legitimate to trim about the head, ears, neck and feet,
to remove dead undercoat, and to thin and shorten excess feathering
as required to enhance a smart, functional appearance. The tail
may be trimmed, or well fringed with wavy feathering. Above all,
the appearance should be natural. Overtrimming, especially the
body coat, or any chopped, barbered or artificial effect is to
be penalized in the show ring, as is excessive feathering that
destroys the clean outline desirable in a sporting dog. Correct
quality and condition of coat is to take precedence over quantity
of coat.
Color
All the following combinations of colors and markings are
equally acceptable:(1) Black or liver with white markings or predominantly
white with black or liver markings; (2) Blue or liver roan; (3)
Tricolor: black and white or liver and white with tan markings,
usually found on eyebrows, cheeks, inside of ears and under the
tail. Any white portion of the coat may be flecked with ticking.
Off colors such as lemon, red or orange are not to place.
Gait
The final test of the Springer's conformation and soundness
is proper movement. Balance is a prerequisite to good movement.
The front and rear assemblies must be equivalent in angulation
and muscular development for the gait to be smooth and effortless.
Shoulders which are well laid-back to permit a long stride are
just as essential as the excellent rear quarters that provide
driving power. Seen from the side, the Springer exhibits a long,
ground-covering stride and carries a firm back, with no tendency
to dip, roach or roll from side to side. From the front, the legs
swing forward in a free and easy manner. Elbows have free action
from the shoulders, and the legs show no tendency to cross or
interfere. From behind, the rear legs reach well under the body,
following on a line with the forelegs. As speed increases, there
is a natural tendency for the legs to converge toward a center
line of travel. Movement faults include high-stepping, wasted
motion; short, choppy stride; crabbing; and moving with the feet
wide, the latter giving roll or swing to the body.
Temperament
The typical Springer is friendly, eager to please, quick to learn
and willing to obey. Such traits are conducive to tractability,
which is essential for appropriate handler control in the field.
In the show ring, he should exhibit poise and attentiveness and
permit himself to be examined by the judge without resentment
or cringing. Aggression toward people and aggression toward other
dogs is not in keeping with sporting dog character and purpose
and is not acceptable. Excessive timidity, with due allowance
for puppies and novice exhibits, is to be equally penalized.
Summary
In evaluating the English Springer Spaniel, the overall picture is a primary
consideration. One should look for type, which includes general appearance
and outline, and also for soundness, which includes movement and temperament.
Inasmuch as the dog with a smooth easy gait must be reasonably sound and well-balanced,
he is to be highly regarded, however, not to the extent of forgiving him for not
looking like an English Springer Spaniel. An atypical dog, too short or long in
leg length or foreign in head or expression, may move well, but he is not to be
preferred over a good all-round specimen that has a minor fault in movement. It
must be remembered that the English Springer Spaniel is first and foremost a sporting
dog of the Spaniel family, and he must look, behave and move
in character.
Approval Date: February 12, 1994
Effective Date: March 31, 1994