The Early Days

Let me introduce myself – I am the female human in this family and during the week the one who looks after Tess single handed. I let her out in the morning, feed her, play with her, attempt to train her, groom her and take her for long walks. We also go to obedience classes but that’s another story!!!!!! And boy have I found it a challenge bringing up a puppy!

Tess is not only our first Welsh Springer Spaniel but also our very first dog and nothing could have prepared us for what was to come! Of course we did our research, spoke to dog owning friends and read the books. How hard could it be to bring a cute little puppy into your home??

I now believe it must be like having a baby – as they grow up you forget those difficult first months. Why else would everyone make it sound so easy when actually it’s exasperating! But owning a Welsh Springer Spaniel is eventually rewarding, as I now know.

It took us many years to take the leap into puppy ownership. We yearned for a life in the country, taking long walks with our faithful pet but our suburban life style, both with stressful jobs and a busy social life, not to mention fabulous holidays, didn’t quite fit. Finally I gave up work and suddenly a dog became a real possibility.

Next decision was what breed. I wanted a small cuddly female but my husband wanted a ‘real dog’. So terrier v Labrador. After much searching a solution was found on the Kennel Club website http://www.kennelclub.co.uk/- a Welsh Springer Spaniel – a medium size and biddable gun dog with medium exercise requirement and not too many registered each year so a little bit unique. Luckily we soon found a litter just over an hour away and arranged to visit the breeder. The minute we arrived and met the mother we were smitten. Perfect and just what we were looking for. Too good to be true though as all the litter were spoken for. We did however find it really helpful talking to the breeder and establishing that the Welsh Springer Spaniel was the breed for us so we were over the moon when she phoned us later that evening and asked us how serious we were. VERY!!!!!! She must have trusted us because she offered us a puppy. How happy were we! Christmas was spent planning and reading and spending and talking endlessly about the new addition to our family.

Finally the day arrived and we went to collect our Welshie and that’s when the fun started. Did I say fun??!!

We somehow muddled through that first weekend together then I was left alone with this little bundle of sheer trouble!

On the plus side she took to her cage really well. I suppose it’s a safe place to be with a nice cosy bed and her toy and vet bed our breeder had given us. After a few noisy nights (ignore say the books – very good advice) she settled really well. House training also seemed to go ok – yes we had lots of little ‘accidents’ around the house but thankfully never any poohs! The trick we found was to be vigilant and take her into the garden when she wakes up, drinks, eats or plays. One trait that was difficult to cope with was ‘anxiety or excitement wees’. Whenever we had a visitor (and there are many when you have a new puppy everyone wants to meet) she would wee with excitement. And this carried on for many months. The other thing I wasn’t prepared for is how lively a new pup can be. She’s beautiful when she’s sleeping and totally mad when she’s awake! There never seemed to be any in between.

Oh and she kept soiling her bed. Now all the books say they will never soil where they sleep so why oh why does the washing machine seem to be in constant use????? I was totally frustrated by this. And what is the attraction to gardening? Constant chewing of bark and twigs and pulling up plants – what is poisonous to little pups? How much more could my nerves take? And her favourite thing was shingle and pebbles – please don’t let her choke…….. Back in the house and the coffee table became the appeal. Maybe she’ll fall asleep soon……………….

Each day went on like this and my life no longer seemed my own. I only leave the house for short periods but in fairness no real harm was ever done. As each day drew to a close I longed for hubby to come home and share in the pain. Whatever made me think I wanted a dog? I just wanted to throw that puppy book out of the window! Nothing seemed to work!

But of course nothing stays the same and day-by-day subtle changes started to occur. Once she had all her injections I knew I would be able to take her out for walks and then surely she would use up some of that energy………….

Does the Welsh Springer Spaniel like water?

Well Tess is certainly one Welsh Springer Spaniel that likes water. Even today we have come back from a walk and she has found the muddiest puddle that she could and jumped straight into it!

We first introduced Tess to water when she was about 6 months old. We had taken her on a walk that took us past a small stream that was very shallow and with very clear water. She walked to the edge and then noticed her own reflection in the water and started to pat the water with her paw. This of course created a splash which initially confused her but then she seem to have decided her reflection wanted to play so she started patting the water with both paws, barked at her reflection and then jumped into the stream. She then spent the next few minutes just splashing in the water and having a great time.

The next time that Tess encountered water was her first opportunity to actually go for a swim. We had taken her to part of a canal network a few miles from where we live for a walk and there was a sloping jetty into the water, which they use to launch small boats. Tess was on an extendable lead at the time and started to walk down the jetty and into the water. The next minute she was swimming and was having great fun although we kept the extendable lead attached just to be on the safe side.

Now whenever we are near water we have to be careful as she can develop that Welsh Springer Spaniel habit of selective hearing and before we know it she is into the water. As you can see from the photo Tess absolutely loves the water and whent this picture was taken she had followed a chocolate coloured Labrador into the water, despite out best efforts to call her back.

She has also been to the beach once and had a wonderful time running into the surf and chasing a tennis ball across the beach. It is great fun watching her play but then you realise that somehow you have to dry them down to get them home and then the fun can really start!!

A little bit about the Welsh Springer Spaniel

Appearance

The build of the Welsh Springer Spaniel should be slightly off square, meaning that the length of the dog should be slightly greater than the height at the withers. However, some dogs may be square, and this is not penalised in the show ring as long as the height is never greater than the length. In some countries the tail is generally docked and the dew claws are removed.

Eyes should be brown in colour; yellow eyes do sometimes occur but are not acceptable for the show ring. Ears are pendulous and lightly feathered. Nostrils are well developed and are black or any shade of brown; a pink nose is to be severely penalized in the AKC standard for the show ring, in Britain it is a recognised (and probably the original) type. A scissors bite is preferred.
Height at withers:

- Dog: 18-19 inches (46 to 48 cm

- Bitch: 17-18 inches (43 to 46 cm)

- Weight: 35 to 45 lb (16 to 20 kg)

The coat is naturally straight, flat, and soft to the touch, it should never wiry or wavy. It is weatherproof and gives protection from all kinds of thorn and brush. The back of the legs, chest, and underside of the body are feathered, and the ears and tail are lightly feathered. The only colour is rich red and white. Any pattern is acceptable and any white area may be flecked with red ticking.

Temperament

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is an active, loyal, and affectionate breed. Some might be "reserved" with strangers, but should not be timid, shy, or unfriendly. The breed is well known for being affectionate to all members of the family, especially children, and accepting other pets of the household with a friendly, playful attitude.
The breed is a quick learner but is sometimes "deaf to commands", especially if there is something more interesting in the environment. With correct training, they can become very obedient dogs.
The Welsh Springer was bred for work and endurance, and as such needs exercise to keep healthy and content. Without adequate exercise, a dog may become bored and design its own (usually destructive) means of keeping busy, often to its owner's displeasure.

Health

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is generally a healthy breed but some can suffer hip dysplasia, eye problems and, also, like other dogs with large heavy ears, they are prone to ear infections . The average lifespan is approximately 12 to 14 years.

History

The Welsh Springer Spaniel was originally called the Welsh Spaniel, but was also known as the Welsh Cocker. It was recognised by The Kennel Club, after the breed had gained popularity, in 1902 under the name Welsh Springer Spaniel. Until then it was shown alongside the English Springer Spaniel. It had been transported to America in the late 1800s and gained recognition by the American Kennel Club in 1906.
Some experts believe that the Welsh Springer Spaniel and the Brittany Spaniel share the same ancestry.

The day we brought Tess our Welsh Springer Spaniel home.

It was with both a sense of excitement and nervousness that we set off to pick up our first Welsh Springer Spaniel. We had read the books, surfed the net and gathered as much information as we possibly could but we were doing it for real now.

We had just over an hours drive in the car to reach the breeders house and had spent the morning getting our own house ready setting up her cage and bed. Needless to say we arrived rather early and spent half an hour sitting in the car around the corner from the breeder until we were nearer to the agreed time to collect her.

As soon as we went in we were met by three welsh springer spaniel puppies running around playing and generally being mischievous but they were so adorable. We had met the mum and the whole litter some four weeks previously when we had come round to meet the breeder and see if the welsh springer spaniel breed was the right dog for us and of course for the breeder to feel comfortable that we were suitable to be dog owners. What was amazing was how much they had grown since we had first seen them.

We spent about an hour doing the paperwork and asking some final questions of the breeder. It was difficult to believe that we going to be taking home this beautiful puppy and feeling very guilty about taking her away from her mum. I have to confess that I did quietly go over to her mum, Briny, who was in her kennel and promised to take good care of Tess for her and it was almost as if she understood as she nuzzled my hand.

Then it was time to go. Tess was in the back of the car with her new mum, sitting on her lap with an old blanket for the journey home. It was obviously rather stressful for Tess being taken away from her mum as she was making little whimpering noises and shaking from time to time but eventually we got to the motorway and that was the cue for her to fall asleep for the rest of the journey home. If this was how a welsh springer spaniel was going to behave then I was very happy.

Eventually we arrived home with no “little accidents” or drama’s and brought her into her new home. The breeder had kindly given us a fleece and toy, which had, Briny’s scent on which would hopefully help her to relax and we had her bed already for her then we just sat on the floor and let her begin to explore her new surroundings. In truth I thing we probably sat on the floor with Tess for about 2 hours just watching her, guiding her and stroking her and really not quite believing that she was ours and what lay before us!!

Let me introduce you to Tess our Welsh Springer Spaniel

Our Welsh Springer Spaniel Tess is now just over one year old and is very much part of the family. She is our first dog and has proved to be both rewarding and challenging in equal measures.

Tess is a very friendly and sociable dog who just loves to play with other dogs and introduce herself to people. Like all Welsh Springer Spaniels she has a lovely Red and White coat that is very soft to touch and her markings make it look like she has freckles on her snout.

Her kennel club name is Northey Soul Dancer and she comes from a wonderful line of Welsh Springer Spaniels from the Northey (McDonald) kennel. Her mother, Briny, is a lovely dog who’s kennel club name is Northey Sun on the Sea and her father is Shandwick Raffles. Both Mum and Dad are from very successful kennels, with her Dad winning Best Puppy in Show at the Welsh Springer Spaniel Club Championship Show in 2004.

Tess has so many of the Welsh Springer Spaniel characteristics as you would expect

- she is lively and playful
- likes everyone including other dogs
- responds well to training and enjoys it
- can get rather over exuberant at times jumping up at people
- suffers from separation anxiety if left alone for to long
- on walks jumps into all the muddy water
- enjoys gardening, especially digging holes and pruning
- greets you with wild enthusiasm when you come home



For all the challenges and the stresses that having your first dog has brought us we would not change this little Welsh Springer Spaniel for the world. She is loyal, friendly, trusting, fun and part of our family. She is growing up quickly into a wonderful dog who we love to take for long walks and she just cannot wait to meet other dogs and play.


SJR