The Working Springer Spaniel
The Working Springer Spaniel by Keith Erlandson
How to choose, train, work, breed, and trail the world’s most popular sporting spaniel, including a section on the working cocker!
Introduction:
“The working springer spaniel has long been the most popular sporting breed throughout the English speaking world. A versatile hunting and retrieving dog, its drive and energy it an attractive temperament but can make it difficult to handle. Keith Erlandson was one of the world’s top breeders and handlers of both the working springer and cocker. He describes in this book the knowledge he gained from more than 40 years’ experience with both breeds.
Illustrated with 16 pages of photographs, The Working Springer Spaniel includes individual chapters on the origins of the springer; obtaining a spaniel puppy; hip and eye tests; pre-training procedures; training equipment; dogging guns and ammunition; early obedience lessons; steadiness to dummies and introduction to retrieving; introducing the gun; retrieving real game; hunting and steadiness to game; a breakdown of game scent; dropping to shot; blind retrieves; jumping; water work; walking to heel; artificial lines; punishment; soft and hard mouths; the principles and practicalities of breeding; field trials in Britain, USA, Canada, and Europe; the working cocker; wookcock and ‘cocking’ spaniels.
The book is essential reading for anyone who owns or is thinking of owning a working springer or cocker spaniel.”
Number of pages: 242
About the Author:
The late Keith Erlandson was a renowned professional gundog trainer and competed extensively in spaniel field trials, making up over 20 field trail champions. He won the McNeil professional handlers’ trophy on 12 occasions. He was a ‘A’ panel judge of spaniels, he judged the Irish, the European, and the Swedish Spaniel Championships. He wrote regularly for the sporting journals, and his book Gundog Training (1976) is a much-respected classic text for trainers in many countries.
