15 Checkpoints When Purchasing An English Springer Spaniel Pup
Buying an English Springer Spaniel pup is the initial step on the long road of pleasure and companionship with these amazing creatures. So, it is important to get it right and these suggestions will assist you to do that. There’s a saying “let the puppy pick you”, but that is all right up to a point, as you however wish to be sure that the new puppy is basically healthy.
A pup is by definition really youthful, so we WOn’t know the way that it’s going to grow, and therefore need to rely on the look of the parents. The matters we can check on the mother (and maybe the father too if he’s about) without being judging specialists are:
1. From the side, is the body essentially square – Height equal to span is good?
2. Does the mother stand with paws paws straight ahead, or splayed or with pigeon toes?
3. Are the hindquarters muscular and powerful are the back paws and looking pointing forwards? The rear legs should have a moderate rake back, and must not be perpendicular or raked.
4. The bottom of the tail should run parallel with the dog’s back , not rise above it.
5. The paws should look as a continuation of the legs and also the toes shouldn’t be splayed (which could cause harm).
6. The coat ought to be shiny and healthy looking, but not coarse or curled. Feathering shouldn’t be excessive.
7. Blue roan is an acceptable shade in the usa.
If the mother has a good natural pace with the legs swinging straight forward afterward, and checks out well in these respects that should be an excellent indicator for her pups.
On the pup, the checks ought to be as follows (besides the others recorded in the 2nd paragraph):
1. A liver colouring should be rich and dark.
2. Revealing may not be important to you but a wavy coat will need grooming.
3. Deep blue eyes that are not running or weeping (stronger color today means a deeper hazel color in maturity).
4. A cold wet nose with no pink spots.
5. A coat which is lustrous and smooth.
6. Assess for correct bite in the teeth – upper teeth have a close overlap on the lower teeth as well as the jaw is set square.
7. If the pup is older than 8 weeks then both testicles must be completely descended for a show-line dog.
The pup must not seem too fat or too thin. A huge tummy could point to worms.
These checks are generic, and if you are serious about winning prizes with your English Springer Spaniel then you definitely should check the Breed Standard in more depth for your particular state, as Breed Standards are absolutely inconsistent worldwide.
The above check list isn’t exhaustive but will give a good general indicator of the pup’s likely development.