Breed guides
Are Springer Spaniels easy to train?
Springers tend to do everything at full tilt, including affection. Many will happily work for a ball or a scrap of cheese, and that eagerness makes them a pleasant breed to teach. What catches owners out is the nose, which can switch off their ears mid-field, and an engine that keeps running long after the walk. Here is how both sides of that coin play out.
Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Busy by design
Eager to please, and eager to flush everything.
Flushing spaniels were bred to quarter close to the handler, push through cover and spring game into the air. That job asked for a cooperative dog who checked in often, which is why many Springers feel easy to train in the backyard. They tend to read people well, enjoy retrieving and bounce back quickly from a missed reward or a mistake.
The flip side is a dog who may treat every bush as a job. On scent, a Springer can tunnel into cover and stop listening, and indoors many struggle to settle without being taught how. Busy behaviours such as stealing socks, barking at the window or circling the kitchen are often an unemployed spaniel finding work.
- Recall off a scent trail
- Calm on a place mat
- Drop and give on cue
- Leash manners past birds
What training looks like
Teaching a spaniel to switch off as well as on.
We build engagement with markers and rewards, then use retrieves and short searches as rewards in their own right, so the nose works for the training rather than against it. Recall is practised away from scent, then near it, then in it. Indoors, a place command and a structured routine help many Springers learn that the house is for resting.
Functional Off-Leash works on recall around distractions and off-leash house manners, with an Educator remote collar included and taught to you. On-Leash Foundations suits a Springer who mostly drags on walks, and Private Training at $150 + GST a session suits hands-on owners. In the consultation we recommend a program, and a smaller one if it covers what your dog needs. Ear, eye or joint questions go to your vet.
Asked and answered
The questions people ask us.
Are Springer Spaniels easy to train?
In many ways, yes. Many Springers are cooperative, food and toy motivated, and quick to learn basic cues, though their nose can override all of it outdoors.
Are Springer Spaniels hard to train?
They can be hard when energy and scent drive go unmanaged. A Springer with no outlet often invents its own jobs, and those jobs are rarely ones you would pick.
What does Springer Spaniels training involve?
Usually recall that holds around scent, a reliable drop for retrieved items, loose-leash walking and a place command for calm at home. Retrieves and searches are often built in as rewards.
Why won't my Springer settle in the house?
Many Springers were never taught an off switch, so they keep looking for work. A place command, a predictable routine and enough daily outlet often help, and a dog who seems unable to rest is worth a vet check.
Keep reading
Spaniel running the show?
Book a consultation and we will talk through your Springer's recall, settle and routine, and point you to the program that fits.
From real owners
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Real Northline dogs