WELSH SPRINGER SPANIEL DAY OUT

We have just joined the South East Welsh Springer Spaniel Club and enjoyed our first event at the weekend. Leaving home at the crack of dawn in torrential rain we arrived in sunny Sussex to a ‘’Pick and Mix’’ Day, spent in beautiful blue skys and sunshine. The day consisted of obedience sessions, gun dog training, ringcraft and, if you wished, you could enter to your pet in the Good Citizens Award. It was wall to wall Welsh Springer Spaniels – what a magnificent sight. Each one looked different but all were perfect specimens – well to their owners anyway!!!!!!

Tess finds crowds a little intimidating and as she can’t bear being parted from either of us, made a huge fuss if one of us was out of sight – rather difficult when you are trying to impress with your skills as a dog handler! But she did manage her sits and stays which we were pleased with, and had an introduction into what is expected in the field for a real gun dog!!! It was great swapping stories with other owners and getting advice from experienced breeders and lunch wasn’t bad either!!!!!

If you would like to hear more about the SEWSS Club log onto www.SEWSSC.org.uk and see pictures of our day and many other events.
Can you spot little Tess in amongst all those other Welshies????????

Double Trouble

As if one Welsh Springer Spaniel was enough of a handful, how about two!!!!!
Our good friend Laura has Tess to stay so often we were pleased to be able to return the favour and have Nesta to stay for a couple of weeks. Well, how hard could two of these adorable dogs be???!!!!!

We didn’t have a very auspicious start when our visitor managed to escape through a tiny hole in the fence (never underestimate a springer!), into the stream bordering our garden and into the neighbouring property, to hear a voice calling ‘’is this dog yours’’.

Apart from that Nesta was a very well trained house guest, so I can’t complain, but its just the logistics of handling two. Imagine two of them joined on a double lead – Nesta dutifully trotting beside me and Tess tearing off in the opposite direction! Or harnessing two into the back of a two door car. Or trying to get them to eat out of their own food bowls. Or each playing with their own toy. They behave just like children – I WANT THAT ONE!!!!!!!!!

But I did soon get the hang of it and had a relatively fun couple of weeks.

We especially enjoyed an eventful day out at Brandon Country Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
It’s a beautiful place to exercise dogs. Firstly you trek through woodland, then come across open scrubland, finishing around a picturesque lake full of reeds, iris and water lilies. Oh and ducks!!!!!!!!!!!!
They were the picture of good behaviour while we kept them on leads until out of earshot of the road, then they did what all self respecting spaniels do and frolicked in the woodland – Welshie heaven. Then off went Nesta, flushing out pheasants and something equally tasty!!! We must have looked a picture climbing over scrub and gorse bushes in hot pursuit of a happy dog while our own pet looked on in amazement!! Of course she came back safely and was duly put on a lead. Thank goodness, as our next encounter was with a pair of muntjac deer. Very tempting! Exhausted we had lunch sitting in the sun enjoying the lake, rounding up a super fun day.

I’m not sure whether I’ll be searching for a Welsh Springer Spaniel pup in the near future but I did miss Nesta when she finally went home. Our house was suddenly very quiet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!