doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com The Excietment of an English Springer Spaniel !

I only have experience with Springer Snuggle syndrome, some times there is barely room for me on the couch.

A friend of mine had a Springer that snapped; inthat I mean he was petting the dog and the dog just nailed him on the hand. No provocation, no nothing. He called his vet and the vet said it sounded like spaniel rage. according to the vet, it ia attributed to poor breeding practices.
Thats what I know about it.
needless to say, he put the dog down istead of dropping him at the pound for someone else to have issues with.

I have seen springer rage when I leave one in the truck while I hunt with the other. Otherwise the only problems with springers I've ever heard of is when you mix a field bred dog with a bench bred dog. The result is nasty dog that can't hunt. Like with most dogs good breeding is important.

Steve I have that same problem except multiplied by the size difference in a Springer and a 73lb female German Wirehair named Willy...Geo

I know a bit about Rage. Generally occurs at 3-4 years of age in dominant males. It is only a phenomenon among show Springers, and the fault can be traced back to one Westminster Best-in-Show winner.
I concur in people's enthusiasm with field-bred Springers. I trained them for a number of years, and ended up as a trial gunner. For my money, Springer Trial gunning is the most demanding shotgunning you can get involved in. The object is to reliably kill birds at the longest range posssible in order to determine the dog's marking and retrieving ability. Tightly choked 12 bore double guns only are allowed. Many of us used heavier, larger pellet loads in the second barrel. Miss a bird at a critical point, and you may have a difficult discussion with the handler back in the parking lot. Rarely do you get any kudos for a trial well shot.

I have never seen "Springer Rage."

I'm far more familiar with Spring Snuggle than springer rage. As far as the excitement goes, I'm a lab guy at heart so I understand the particular excitement that comes from any birdy flushing dog, I get flamed on a regular basis for it but I can't quite wrap my head around why anyone gets so excited about a point. Compared to a lab a springer has that extra slash and dash that simply can't be found anywhere else that I know of. I'm shopping for another dog and a springer is high on my list. As a lifelong lab-addict that means a lot.

By the way, both labs and springers do just fine on grouse and woodcock, but they were born for pheasants!

13 years old May 29 no Springer Rage

Bridger & Elizabeth Dugan

PDD

David - I crossed over to the dark side and now have an 11 year-old British Lab with about 1300 retrieves and probably about 50 visits to Detroit's Children's Hospital as a registered Therapy Dog. Can't imagine ever having another dog who will measure up to her

I had hunted quail in GA with my Grandfather's English Pointers all my life till the time I was married and in law school, living in a small apartment...and we bought a Cocker from a pet shop. No doubt an inbred show-type dog with no hope of becoming a bird dog, but suitable for sharing a small apartment.

But a bird dog he became. I knew the location of all 20 or so coveys on the farm already, so my Cocker and I would make the same 'rounds' I had always made with Grand-daddy and his pointers. Allen, the improbable bird dog would communicate the proximity of the birds with his body (and stub-tail) language and I would move in for the flush just as if he had pointed, the dog would pounce and up would go the birds. I had about the same luck, and ended up the days with about the same bag with Allen the Cocker as I did with the pointers.
No dove would go unfound around that dog and cold water didn't faze him when a wood duck was down.

After graduation, some service in the Infantry, and the beginning of my practice, we had our first child. Allen, my old huntin' buddy became insanely competitive with the George, Jr. and would exhibit aggressive behavior which, of course was not acceptable. Banished to the yard, Allen began disappearing for weeks at at time. He became wilder each time he returned, got to biting, and eventually was too aggresive to put up with. I was about to have him put away when he ran off one last time never to return.

I hope Allen found a new home and a new hunting buddy. I still miss that old dog...thats why I asked about 'Springer Rage'...Geo