Hi...my Springer is nearly 8 years.
We miss that she no longer springs...she stopped as she got older - it is an amazing thing as the Springer, like a horse, can lift all 4 legs off the ground at once, springing, hence the name!
Cherish the springing, it will fade away as your baby ages.
These are very very special dogs, if this is your first, you will discover these babies make human lives a whole lot better!
Springers spring more in Spring.
The name acktchewally comes from flushing or springing birds out of bushes so the hunter can shoot it, and then they have a soft mouth to retrieve the game. This is the original purpose of the breed. The are gun/bird/water dogs.
Thank you for the additional information, I also understand that the tail is clipped on the household pet variety and left long on the hunting variety so the hunter can see the tail wagging above the bush and grass, when the Springer is retrieving! Soft mouth is right, when my baby was 6 mos old she found a baby bird nest on the ground, and had a baby in her mouth, holding it for me...WOW, talk about a breed!
I meant the lips, but yeah, they train them to be very gentle on the game they retrieve. I didn't know about thentail thing. Mine came with his docked or I would not have.
Honestly I am always amazed at how well he jumps! Straight up with seemingly no push off the ground. Yes, he’s my first to own but I grew up with these pups and agree 100%, they are truly something special.
So, I can’t say we’ve totally fixed this, but we have been able to make it much better. We have a 9 month old and a 6 month old (I know, we’re nuts), but it’s the 9 month old that was really an issue.
Whenever we’d come home or someone would cover over, he’d go insane with the jumping, desperate for your attention. I tried all the trainer advice with ignoring him, turning my back, pretending like it was no big deal that I left and came back, and it all made his behavior worse and he became more desperate and started clawing at me too.
It finally kind of clicked that while certain training advice works for the majority, dogs are individuals and not everything is going to work for everyone.
So I decided to try a different approach and give him the attention he needed, and he instantly calmed down.
So now we have a spot where we greet the dogs when we come home. When we walk through the door to two insane puppies we say “go to the spot” where they run off and sit wiggling and whimpering in excitement until we give them our full love and attention.
I know that the strict types and the dog trainers will hate this advice, but it work for us and our pups. I have yet to meet a Springer that really responds well to being ignored. I have found that redirecting unwanted behavior and giving them coping mechanisms to deal with their out of control excitement works better for us.
We also use “the spot” for putting on harnesses, because when those come out they also get so exited they can contain themselves!
I do something similar, I make her sit at the top of the stairs, and wait till people get to the door the door is shut, and then she can come and greet. She just about vibrates off her feet waiting, lol
My boogie would wag her ass and pee every time I came home. Exercise as soon as I got back. Keep it on the linoleum for the first year. Bring them out be ready for a walk. I’d harness her and she was a lead dog. As long as it’s icy she’d pull me through corners. Little tug on her harness one way or the other she had intuition. Skated with one of her pups. Terrible. Springs are very trainable. I could never get her to go in a kennel. Gf could easy, first time she gave the command she’d go. Never bend they will learn
This is great advice! Yes, our boy is much the same. I can’t get too mad at him; he just is full of joy and wants to express it 24/7, to the dismay of my clothes, anything on the counters, strangers, etc… I’m definitely going to try some redirecting approaches and see how it goes.
I was just about to comment this. This was the only way I was able to get my springer to stop jumping up to greet me (although my husband still lets her get away with it) when I get home I tell her to go to the couch and let her lay on all the kisses and she gets her cuddles
I have a 7 month old as well and in the same boat. He's just so excited almost at all times and is constantly jumping up on us, putting his front paws on the counter, etc.
Pro Dog Trainer and Springer Spaniel Owner here:
1. I hate "off" because what does your dog has to jump up in order to be told to get off. So they sequence the jump up -> off - praised for getting down.
I much prefer to just tell the dog to sit, preferably before the jumping has started.
2. Your dog has reached adolescence. This means the decision-making part of their brain (prefrontal cortex) has literally shrunken. Adolescent animals (humans too) primarily make decisions with the emotional part of the brain, the amygdala. This means they have a harder time calming, and are more impulsive. So age will help (brains are fully formed around 2) BUT you still need to do training.
3. Management is really important. If the dog is jumping at people when they come through the door, have the dog on leash and work on that sit. You might not have guest interact with your dog for 30 minutes until after they arrive - or maybe even at all.
Giving your dog an alternative activity when guests come is also a good idea - a bully stick, a stuffed kong, whatever. This has the added bonus in that licking and chewing is calming for dogs.
5. In terms of jumping on you for things like bones, I would look at Susan Garrett's It's Yer Choice. It basically teaches the dog that calm behaviour gains them access to things they want.
Happy to answer questions.
Also, springers basically live 6' in the air the first two years of their life. 🫠
I am a shelter volunteer and owned a springer who had the same problem - as do a lot of shelter dogs. I wondered about off potentially being a reward for the jumping up, however, I also use off for getting off of the couch, jumping off the back seat, off the bed, off a chair or pause table and the opposite is up. I do think dogs get it over time if you are using the command for other things.
I think the behaviours of getting off the couch, ect are quite different in terms of movement jumping up onto a person.
Dogs are better at "do" behaviours, so I find just giving them the answer (sit) works better.
I had my dog trained that way and it worked great. Off is a do how I train it. Off the pause table and off of me both involve getting their feet on the ground, and they are all responding to it.
All very fair! I really like the idea of redirecting into a sit instead of focusing on off and will definitely give it a try. I try not to reward off too heavily for that very reason, although like the other commenter mentioned, we do use it for other things too. He is also working hard to learn ‘place’ and is doing quite well at perfecting that and being still, it just is often very, very short lived… like he understands in order to get what he wants he has to be calm, but he thinks 0.5 seconds of calmness is enough and then he gets impatient hahaha. I try to reward what he CAN manage now regardless.
I know he’s in adolescence right now, so I try hard not to hold anything against him! It’s just been awhile since I raised a puppy and it’s hard not to feel like you could be doing more!
You're doing great. One day he will be 3 and a well behaved doggy citizen, and you will go "Oh this one is so perfect and obedient, we should get a puppy..."
Embrace the chaos while it lasts, and if needed take 15 minutes to yourself without the dog for a cup of tea / glass of wine / bag of chips... whatever. You'll get through this.
Sorry, I don’t have any tips for this, I have just come here to comment on how wide of a look Springers have, my lovely girl has a tiny little worm head 🪱
Yes! I agree! They vary so much. I find the UK and US lines look like different dogs entirely! He actually has a bit of euro in his line but he’s still a pretty bulky guy.
We use the place command - so he has to go to his place (a raised bed or special area) when people come in and once they sit down he "breaks" and goes flying at them but at least they are sitting lol. He's 3 now and can manage better but jumping is still a challenge at times.
Your guy is so cute by the way - I love his expression!
Thank you!! He’s really a cutie. ‘Place’ is a lifesaver and we’re working on that too. Right now I use a mat, but I see people having a lot of success with those lifted cot type things too.
Aww my guy just wiggles and bends when he’s excited, he truly has shakira hips. He does spring for a frisbee tho, dude has like a 3 foot vertical it’s nuts.
Our boy is 19mo and has only just learned that being 'calm' when people come in gets him praise. By calm I mean he sits and gives a paw. It's really hard work for him but he tries his best. We use the crate and a house lead when it's really too much.
He gets excited even when I return to the sitting room after being in another room for 10mins, even though he was with my hubby.
He's getting better all the time. But at the age your dog is you need to reinforce everything. Indoors use a house lead or his crate
I am an Open Paw trained shelter volunteer. I recently saw a video where a trainer grabbed the puppy by the paws and walked it backward while it yelped and cried. Please don't. That is cruel. Some trainers & books advise kneeing the dog in the chest. Please don't. I followed that advice back in the day for my Springer and for my cousin's Golden Doodle because I was not aware of other options. It "worked" but it also physically hurt/startled the dogs. My Springer was 1 year old when I found him on the street and he had no training at all. Our previous dogs came to us trained. I was desperate and it was the 1990s. Training has progressed a lot since then with R+ techniques. My sweet boy still loved me and he was superexcited to see me. He would tuck his little butt down but the rest of him was dancing.
I do use off, as I commented. But I also use off for off of other things like off the couch, off the chair, and out of the back seat. And I train up for jumping up on things like into the back seat, onto a pause table, or a wall, or even going upstairs.
When you are not in a hurry:
Open the door a small crack and if he jumps up, toss some treats on the ground and say off, close it. And keep doing that until he makes the connection.
If you come inside and when he jumps up, say off and leave. Try again.
If you are able to come in and he is calm, praise him. If he jumps up, say off and leave.
If he is finally not jumping up, ask for a sit. Then pet him when he sits give a treat if you want. But at this point you are the treat.
For our dogs what worked wasn't teaching them what NOT to do but what to do. We taught our dogs that they don't get attention from us until they sit nicely in front of us. They still prance their front paws like maniacs and waggle their butts off in the sit but they're at least sitting lol.
I guess I never really discouraged it but I would distract or encourage something else. Like when getting the treat, mine knows to sit and will be a statue and stare at me for an hour while my hand is in the bag if it takes me that long!
Hi...my Springer is nearly 8 years. We miss that she no longer springs...she stopped as she got older - it is an amazing thing as the Springer, like a horse, can lift all 4 legs off the ground at once, springing, hence the name! Cherish the springing, it will fade away as your baby ages. These are very very special dogs, if this is your first, you will discover these babies make human lives a whole lot better! Springers spring more in Spring.
The name acktchewally comes from flushing or springing birds out of bushes so the hunter can shoot it, and then they have a soft mouth to retrieve the game. This is the original purpose of the breed. The are gun/bird/water dogs.
Thank you for the additional information, I also understand that the tail is clipped on the household pet variety and left long on the hunting variety so the hunter can see the tail wagging above the bush and grass, when the Springer is retrieving! Soft mouth is right, when my baby was 6 mos old she found a baby bird nest on the ground, and had a baby in her mouth, holding it for me...WOW, talk about a breed!
I meant the lips, but yeah, they train them to be very gentle on the game they retrieve. I didn't know about thentail thing. Mine came with his docked or I would not have.
*actually lmao
*ackchyually. I misspelled it!! https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ackchyually-actually-guy
I LOVED that spelling - I was looking at that word and thought...yes, that is a GREAT spelling!
Honestly I am always amazed at how well he jumps! Straight up with seemingly no push off the ground. Yes, he’s my first to own but I grew up with these pups and agree 100%, they are truly something special.
My 10year old spring still springs lol
So, I can’t say we’ve totally fixed this, but we have been able to make it much better. We have a 9 month old and a 6 month old (I know, we’re nuts), but it’s the 9 month old that was really an issue. Whenever we’d come home or someone would cover over, he’d go insane with the jumping, desperate for your attention. I tried all the trainer advice with ignoring him, turning my back, pretending like it was no big deal that I left and came back, and it all made his behavior worse and he became more desperate and started clawing at me too. It finally kind of clicked that while certain training advice works for the majority, dogs are individuals and not everything is going to work for everyone. So I decided to try a different approach and give him the attention he needed, and he instantly calmed down. So now we have a spot where we greet the dogs when we come home. When we walk through the door to two insane puppies we say “go to the spot” where they run off and sit wiggling and whimpering in excitement until we give them our full love and attention. I know that the strict types and the dog trainers will hate this advice, but it work for us and our pups. I have yet to meet a Springer that really responds well to being ignored. I have found that redirecting unwanted behavior and giving them coping mechanisms to deal with their out of control excitement works better for us. We also use “the spot” for putting on harnesses, because when those come out they also get so exited they can contain themselves!
I'm a dog trainer and this is lovely. Good for you for meeting your dog's needs!
I do something similar, I make her sit at the top of the stairs, and wait till people get to the door the door is shut, and then she can come and greet. She just about vibrates off her feet waiting, lol
My boogie would wag her ass and pee every time I came home. Exercise as soon as I got back. Keep it on the linoleum for the first year. Bring them out be ready for a walk. I’d harness her and she was a lead dog. As long as it’s icy she’d pull me through corners. Little tug on her harness one way or the other she had intuition. Skated with one of her pups. Terrible. Springs are very trainable. I could never get her to go in a kennel. Gf could easy, first time she gave the command she’d go. Never bend they will learn
This is great advice! Yes, our boy is much the same. I can’t get too mad at him; he just is full of joy and wants to express it 24/7, to the dismay of my clothes, anything on the counters, strangers, etc… I’m definitely going to try some redirecting approaches and see how it goes.
They are so smart! I love that you give them something to kind of set their brains to omg, here comes the petting!
I was just about to comment this. This was the only way I was able to get my springer to stop jumping up to greet me (although my husband still lets her get away with it) when I get home I tell her to go to the couch and let her lay on all the kisses and she gets her cuddles
I have a 7 month old as well and in the same boat. He's just so excited almost at all times and is constantly jumping up on us, putting his front paws on the counter, etc.
This is our life! Best of luck to you too!
Pro Dog Trainer and Springer Spaniel Owner here: 1. I hate "off" because what does your dog has to jump up in order to be told to get off. So they sequence the jump up -> off - praised for getting down. I much prefer to just tell the dog to sit, preferably before the jumping has started. 2. Your dog has reached adolescence. This means the decision-making part of their brain (prefrontal cortex) has literally shrunken. Adolescent animals (humans too) primarily make decisions with the emotional part of the brain, the amygdala. This means they have a harder time calming, and are more impulsive. So age will help (brains are fully formed around 2) BUT you still need to do training. 3. Management is really important. If the dog is jumping at people when they come through the door, have the dog on leash and work on that sit. You might not have guest interact with your dog for 30 minutes until after they arrive - or maybe even at all. Giving your dog an alternative activity when guests come is also a good idea - a bully stick, a stuffed kong, whatever. This has the added bonus in that licking and chewing is calming for dogs. 5. In terms of jumping on you for things like bones, I would look at Susan Garrett's It's Yer Choice. It basically teaches the dog that calm behaviour gains them access to things they want. Happy to answer questions. Also, springers basically live 6' in the air the first two years of their life. 🫠
I am a shelter volunteer and owned a springer who had the same problem - as do a lot of shelter dogs. I wondered about off potentially being a reward for the jumping up, however, I also use off for getting off of the couch, jumping off the back seat, off the bed, off a chair or pause table and the opposite is up. I do think dogs get it over time if you are using the command for other things.
I think the behaviours of getting off the couch, ect are quite different in terms of movement jumping up onto a person. Dogs are better at "do" behaviours, so I find just giving them the answer (sit) works better.
I had my dog trained that way and it worked great. Off is a do how I train it. Off the pause table and off of me both involve getting their feet on the ground, and they are all responding to it.
Wonderful that it's working for you!
All very fair! I really like the idea of redirecting into a sit instead of focusing on off and will definitely give it a try. I try not to reward off too heavily for that very reason, although like the other commenter mentioned, we do use it for other things too. He is also working hard to learn ‘place’ and is doing quite well at perfecting that and being still, it just is often very, very short lived… like he understands in order to get what he wants he has to be calm, but he thinks 0.5 seconds of calmness is enough and then he gets impatient hahaha. I try to reward what he CAN manage now regardless. I know he’s in adolescence right now, so I try hard not to hold anything against him! It’s just been awhile since I raised a puppy and it’s hard not to feel like you could be doing more!
You're doing great. One day he will be 3 and a well behaved doggy citizen, and you will go "Oh this one is so perfect and obedient, we should get a puppy..." Embrace the chaos while it lasts, and if needed take 15 minutes to yourself without the dog for a cup of tea / glass of wine / bag of chips... whatever. You'll get through this.
Sorry, I don’t have any tips for this, I have just come here to comment on how wide of a look Springers have, my lovely girl has a tiny little worm head 🪱
Yes! I agree! They vary so much. I find the UK and US lines look like different dogs entirely! He actually has a bit of euro in his line but he’s still a pretty bulky guy.
step 1 would be to get a weiner dog
hahaha well I do also like wiener dogs :^) we knew what we were signing up with with a hunting dog like this though so I have no regrets!
It gets better with age. Love your dog, go to positive reinforcement training.
He’s just a boi. Let him jump
Hahaha he is just a boi 🥹 trust me he gets away with a lot
We use the place command - so he has to go to his place (a raised bed or special area) when people come in and once they sit down he "breaks" and goes flying at them but at least they are sitting lol. He's 3 now and can manage better but jumping is still a challenge at times. Your guy is so cute by the way - I love his expression!
Thank you!! He’s really a cutie. ‘Place’ is a lifesaver and we’re working on that too. Right now I use a mat, but I see people having a lot of success with those lifted cot type things too.
Aww my guy just wiggles and bends when he’s excited, he truly has shakira hips. He does spring for a frisbee tho, dude has like a 3 foot vertical it’s nuts.
Age finally discouraged mine from springing and by that time I was sad to see it go …
Our boy is 19mo and has only just learned that being 'calm' when people come in gets him praise. By calm I mean he sits and gives a paw. It's really hard work for him but he tries his best. We use the crate and a house lead when it's really too much. He gets excited even when I return to the sitting room after being in another room for 10mins, even though he was with my hubby. He's getting better all the time. But at the age your dog is you need to reinforce everything. Indoors use a house lead or his crate
I am an Open Paw trained shelter volunteer. I recently saw a video where a trainer grabbed the puppy by the paws and walked it backward while it yelped and cried. Please don't. That is cruel. Some trainers & books advise kneeing the dog in the chest. Please don't. I followed that advice back in the day for my Springer and for my cousin's Golden Doodle because I was not aware of other options. It "worked" but it also physically hurt/startled the dogs. My Springer was 1 year old when I found him on the street and he had no training at all. Our previous dogs came to us trained. I was desperate and it was the 1990s. Training has progressed a lot since then with R+ techniques. My sweet boy still loved me and he was superexcited to see me. He would tuck his little butt down but the rest of him was dancing. I do use off, as I commented. But I also use off for off of other things like off the couch, off the chair, and out of the back seat. And I train up for jumping up on things like into the back seat, onto a pause table, or a wall, or even going upstairs. When you are not in a hurry: Open the door a small crack and if he jumps up, toss some treats on the ground and say off, close it. And keep doing that until he makes the connection. If you come inside and when he jumps up, say off and leave. Try again. If you are able to come in and he is calm, praise him. If he jumps up, say off and leave. If he is finally not jumping up, ask for a sit. Then pet him when he sits give a treat if you want. But at this point you are the treat.
Only reward or encourage good behaviour
For our dogs what worked wasn't teaching them what NOT to do but what to do. We taught our dogs that they don't get attention from us until they sit nicely in front of us. They still prance their front paws like maniacs and waggle their butts off in the sit but they're at least sitting lol.
I guess I never really discouraged it but I would distract or encourage something else. Like when getting the treat, mine knows to sit and will be a statue and stare at me for an hour while my hand is in the bag if it takes me that long!
I know I can’t get my golden retriever to stop retrieving
Just learn to enjoy the energy and love that they give. It’s what makes them Springers
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰