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Do you have a Springer? Tell me about them (and adolescence!)

40 replies

FluffyDogMother · 24/12/2021 15:22

How long does adolescence last for? Ddog is 10 months, neutered, and very full on!

Walked for an hour in countryside (now on a long line after recall became non-existent - we're putting it down to adolescence and still practice recall everyday), lots of enrichment and interactive toys in the day, 50min walk on lead in evening (sniffs and loose lead training).

He finds it hard to settle in the lounge during the day (will snooze happily of an evening from about 8pm) so it feels like training/enrichment/play is never-ending during daytime. We have taken to forcing naps in his crate in the kitchen just so I can have a break, but he doesn't always settle well. He also jumps and grabs our clothes in his mouth quite a lot - will he grow out of this? He stopped doing it as a young pup but it's started up again.

Everyone talks about puppies, but I'm finding the adolescence stage much much harder. We had a Golden Retriever before so he's not our first dog, but I'm exhausted!

Any tips welcome!

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DramaAlpaca · 24/12/2021 15:33

Springers are often described as velcro dogs. My two certainly are, especially the male. He decided early on that I was his person and he wants to be with me all the time, as physically close to me as he can possibly get. I've never crated, I don't like it. My two nap little and often during the day but sleep like logs at night.

They are high energy and need lots of exercise and mental stimulation as you have discovered. Great fun and brilliant with children. We've had four in total, DH grew up with the breed.

Adolescence is tough, with recall going AWOL etc, but it does improve. My girl doesn't have the best recall, but boy dog is great now after being a teenage pain - one whistle and he's by my side. I actually can't remember when it got easier, I've probably blocked it from my mind, a bit like teenage children Grin

It sounds like you are doing everything right. They are super dogs and the effort you are putting in now will be worth it.

foolonthehill · 24/12/2021 15:44

welcome to the wonderful world of the Springer Spaniel....
probably settle down a little around age 8....recall needed retraining constantly but was very good so long as I kept "on it", absolute delight with all people and "got" not jumping up and was and is super with all small people.
They need high energy homes!

PS You forgot...you have to post a picture!!!

Do you have a Springer? Tell me about them (and adolescence!)
parrotonmyshoulder · 24/12/2021 15:44

I had a difficult adolescence with my now 11 year old springer. I had a toddler, small baby and PND (unplanned scenario in a number of ways). In order to maintain some control over my spiralling life, I did very consistent clicker training (I think I used a YouTuber called kiko pup or similar) with the dog (not the toddler!).
This included lots of training around food, such as when I was feeding children. He learned to lay down and not pester. I taught him to go to his bed when the doorbell rang, bark and be silent on command and all sorts.
He has retained all of these behaviours although the clicker has long gone.
Mine is loving and gentle, but very low maintenance. He likes evening cuddles in front of the tv but never asks for them during the day. He still loves long runs and swims, but tires more quickly now he’s an old man.
I think, I’d I had another pup, I would decide on the behaviours I want and teach them very explicitly using the clicker again.

parrotonmyshoulder · 24/12/2021 15:47

Handsome boy

Do you have a Springer? Tell me about them (and adolescence!)
Luredbyapomegranate · 24/12/2021 15:57

They can be very very lively.

We had two sisters at one point who would happily walk for 3-4 hours a day as young adults (in fact I'm sure they'd have walked more given the opportunity). Is there anyway walks can be split up so someone does a midday walk? - even half an hour.

SuperSange · 24/12/2021 16:08

We have had a rescue spaniel from about 8 months, he's now nine and just started to settle down a bit when he was about six.

foolonthehill · 24/12/2021 18:07

I would also mention that if they are working type they will never tire from exercise alone...clicker training as above and lots of brain activity using scent and seek type games will tire them more.
In fact over exercising can make them more lively!!

Adolescence is hard...keep going they are so worth it!

Do you have a Springer? Tell me about them (and adolescence!)
icedcoffees · 24/12/2021 20:07

Mental stimulation will tire them out more than endless walks.

I would invest in things like long-lasting natural chews, frozen kongs, doing short 5-10 minute bursts of training through the day - you can teach important things or fun commands like weave, roll over, play dead etc. I did a lot of that when my beagle was a pup and it really worked to exhaust him mentally.

Mine can (and will) run for hours but he's no more tired after a three hour walk than he is after a one hour one - all the exercise will do is give you a super fit dog who is impossible to tire out from exercise alone!

Lovemusic33 · 24/12/2021 20:18

I have had 2 in the past, the first didn’t really calm down until he was 8/9 years old. The 2nd was calmer but still very energetic until he was 7+, he needed a lot of exercise or he would find things to chew. Lovely dogs though.

averythinline · 24/12/2021 20:26

On the chair he's not supposed to be on ....I would highly recommend gun dog training even if your not going to use as a gundog!...we were advised not to walk too much unless with purpose as they can out stamina nearly everyone..good books lez graham total recall, fbook gundog training for novices...but if u can find a local gun dog club and/or trainer..Best bet..we just about to start scent training in new year

Do you have a Springer? Tell me about them (and adolescence!)
madspringer · 24/12/2021 20:55

I have a 2.5 year old male Springer, who has been a handful but is slowly starting to calm down. He has actually always been good at home, but we were pretty strict about home being a place for calm and rest rather than giddying about! Ours is very clever, and can get a bit worked up when we practice training or do particular enrichment activities - he anticipates being asked to do something, or something being expected of him and he gets a bit overwhelmed. He finds settle training hard, as he is constantly waiting for the next instruction, but we got round this by practicing lots of calm time where we sat with him and provided lots of nice chews, and just removed him from the space if he was getting too much. He loves to be near us, and benefits from lots of reassurance that being calm and quiet is ok. Maybe your dog would benefit more from some settle training or calmness protocol rather than lots of enrichment activities if he's anything like ours?

Ours also loves having a routine at home, and will happily snooze during the day at home, but does struggle when we visit family and he finds it much harder to settle then, so maybe getting him into a routine might help him!

dustofneptune · 25/12/2021 07:59

I have a working Cocker, so same kinda energy as a Springer. He was exactly the same as yours at 10 months old. He was fricking WILD. Mouthing, jumping up to grab sleeves, darting into the cupboard to steal shoes, started chasing birds, started sloping off under bushes to avoid being re-leashed at the ends of walks, all kinds of crap. Loads of destructive chewing, constantly frittering about, etc.

He’s nearly 18 months now and the edges have definitely softened. I’d say you can usually start to see maturity around 1.5-2 years old (maturity relative to a Spaniel, I mean!…)

When you enforce naps, is it on a schedule? Or just whenever he’s being too wild?

What did it for us was to have a structure for him. Enforced naps in the late morning, mid afternoon, and then late evening. That coupled with Relaxation Protocol (“settle”) and impulse control training, etc., solved the problem. Over time, he started to settle himself at those times of day without the need to enforce it.

Kong Lock-It balls were also a lifesaver and could keep him busy for up to half an hour if I froze them or put a cocktail sausage inside sideways, haha.

Also, I stopped giving him constant stuff to do, as I felt it just kept him alert expecting more and more stuff.

Instead, I created a routine of like… enrichment in the morning (kong balls, cardboard box, whatever). Then a walk at some point. Afternoon training and play. Evening - natural chew and no games. This really helped. Basically, one activity per time of day.

FluffyDogMother · 27/12/2021 11:19

@Luredbyapomegranate

They can be very very lively.

We had two sisters at one point who would happily walk for 3-4 hours a day as young adults (in fact I'm sure they'd have walked more given the opportunity). Is there anyway walks can be split up so someone does a midday walk? - even half an hour.

My husband works from home but he spends his lunch hour with the dog playing with him and training, to tire him mentally.
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FluffyDogMother · 27/12/2021 11:24

@averythinline

On the chair he's not supposed to be on ....I would highly recommend gun dog training even if your not going to use as a gundog!...we were advised not to walk too much unless with purpose as they can out stamina nearly everyone..good books lez graham total recall, fbook gundog training for novices...but if u can find a local gun dog club and/or trainer..Best bet..we just about to start scent training in new year
Your photo looks just like my boy!

Local Sven training gets booked up quickly so haven't managed to get on that yet. He loves to find treats we hide around the house or garden for him.

Gun dog training - can't find anywhere local at the mo, although I feel uncomfortable with the whole shooting aspect of country pursuits.

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FluffyDogMother · 27/12/2021 11:40

@madspringer @dustofneptune
He does have a routine.
Early morning countryside walk, then nap. When he comes out we play, train and enrichment then another nap. Then more training, games etc. Dinner then more training, games and lastly a chew to wind down with.

He has kongs, antlers, yak chews, interactive toys, lickimat etc. He can't have any soft toys as he chews and eats them (same with bedding).

His worst trait though is the jumping and grabbing us. How did any of you solve this?

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Guttedbuyer · 27/12/2021 11:45

The pulling on the lead almost broke us

FluffyDogMother · 27/12/2021 11:47

Thanks to everyone for the replies- we are considering a behaviourist as DH and I disagree about walking him in the countryside.
I insist on a long line but DH and Ddog hate it. Ddog gets tangled up and then gets frustrated and jumps and grabs us. He also can't play with other dogs on a long line which is another frustration leading to more jumping and grabbing.

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BiteyShark · 27/12/2021 11:47

His worst trait though is the jumping and grabbing us. How did any of you solve this?

Mine is a WCS but I lump them into the same category as springers.

Whenever mine did something like that removing myself from him was the most effective training measure. Baby gates are great for that. Getting worked up and grabbing people then behind a baby gate for a few mins to calm down. Jumping up then turn around and ignore. Doesn't stop then remove yourself behind the gate and turn and ignore. Once calm gently give a treat or a bit of a fuss (not getting them worked up again).

BiteyShark · 27/12/2021 11:51

@FluffyDogMother

Thanks to everyone for the replies- we are considering a behaviourist as DH and I disagree about walking him in the countryside. I insist on a long line but DH and Ddog hate it. Ddog gets tangled up and then gets frustrated and jumps and grabs us. He also can't play with other dogs on a long line which is another frustration leading to more jumping and grabbing.
I see you have discounted gun dog training.

Gun dog training was brilliant as it taught us how to keep his attention outside even with other dogs/squirrels/deer. By tapping into his flushing, hunting and retrieving instincts he would be totally fixed on me.

Colourmylife1 · 27/12/2021 12:36

We go to pet gundog training. It’s specifically for people with no intention of hunting but who want to understand and work with their dogs’ traits. Early days for us but my Springer loves it and I love seeing him so focussed.

VioletCharlotte · 27/12/2021 14:35

I've got a Springer! My boy is 12 now but still full of energy, they're like Duracell batteries!

Adolescence was tough...I may have said on more than one occasion that I was ready to rehome him. Like your dogs, mine lost his recall totally so we had to keep him on a long line.

During the day wasn't too bad as I work full time so he was out at doggy day care, which was great as he came home exhausted. He's actually got worse the last couple of years since I've been working from home. They're incredibly clever dogs and need a lot of mental stimulation was well as exercise. Have a look at sniffer dog training or agility.

Has he been neutered? That made a huge difference to my dog.

FluffyDogMother · 27/12/2021 16:38

@BiteyShark The "leaving the room" is what we use now but he still does it a few times in the day. I wonder to myself how many more days I have ahead of me of being grabbed by sharp teeth before he will learn that not ok.

Not against pet gun dog training where the focus is on the skills, just don't like the shooting birds bit. Google tells me there is nowhere local; nearest one is about an hour's drive away.

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SpanielsAreMyLife · 27/12/2021 16:45

We've got a sprocker and a working cocker. The cocker is just about calming down now at the age of 8, and very chilled in the house......... just a nutter still on a walk. The sprocker is literally shaking 24/7 with nerves and energy, and she's as daft as a brush. I've been really careful not to over exercise mine, as I learned the hard way with the cocker that the more you walk, the more they need. We have about 45/50 minutes off lead in the morning and about 30 minutes late afternoon, otherwise they were hyper. I think both were around 2 before they were anything approaching a pleasure to walk...... we had the endless months on a long line when recall went in adolescence.

Other thing to watch is diet - I have also learned the hard way that too much protein makes them very hyper. We've got ours on Forthglade cold pressed and they are really good on that...... soft shiny coats, firm poops and no mad behaviour.

FluffyDogMother · 27/12/2021 16:53

@VioletCharlotte yes he's neutered, stopped him mounting the bitches he met when out (and occasionally us) but not calmed him in any other way.

This is what we did today;
Breakfast then gave it 30mins before we went out at 8am to local country park, 1hr long walk and practiced recall on long line.
Home then 2hr nap
11.30am sweet potato chew, 3 sessions of "find it" hiding about 10 treats each time for him to find in the house. Played tug with rope. 4different interactive toys with treats (Kong and Nina Ottoson), reinforce basic training with treats, chew on a chew toy.
1pm he starts to chill out a bit
2pm nap time
4pm awake and go out for on lead walk, enforcing loose lead walking
5pm he will get more interactive toys with treats
6pm dinner time
6.30pm he'll get Kong in his pen (we eat our dinner)
7pm playtime again
8.30pm he'll eventually chill out on sofa with us
10pm bed

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BiteyShark · 27/12/2021 16:59

The gundog training we did for puppies and beginners was all about steadiness, recall, hunting and retrieving dummies. No shooting involved at all and in fact mine is terrified of gunshots (we are in the countryside) so no hope there for ever getting close to working Grin. If there are none near you it might be worth looking online for hints and tips as it makes a massive difference to the bond when they realise you can help them hunt.

For leaving the room I found I had to do it repeatedly for some time but as soon as he got the fact that biting and generally being a pain meant boring time away from his humans it did get better.

At that age honestly it is so hard. Have lots of BrewWineCake and remember this phase will pass.

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