Welsh Springer Spaniel Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

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Welsh Springer Spaniel Breed Overview

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a medium-sized dog.

The adult Welsh Springer Spaniel stands 17 to 19 inches tall at the shoulder.

The Welsh Springer Spaniel belongs to the Sporting Dogs group.

Dogs in the Sporting Dogs group, like the Welsh Springer Spaniel, were bred to help hunters catch and retrieve feathered game. Some sporting dog breeds such as Retrievers, which were built for swimming, were bred to hunt waterfowl in water.

Whereas sporting dog breeds like setters, spaniels, and pointing breeds were bred to hunt quail, pheasant, and other game birds nest on grasslands.

Many Sporting Group breeds have thick, water-repellent coats that protect them from harsh hunting conditions.

The fact that Welsh Springer Spaniels belong to the Sporting Dogs group is one of the reasons why Welsh Springer Spaniels have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Welsh Springer Spaniel is generally described as:

  • Active
  • Affectionate
  • Friendly
  • Loyal
  • Playful
  • Stubborn

History of the Welsh Springer Spaniel Breed. Where Welsh Springer Spaniels came from

Interestingly, the Welsh Springer Spaniel got its name from how it “springs” upon prey once it`s down for the count.

These extremely intelligent dogs have long been a favorite of hunters and have been around for centuries.

While it may be tempting to lump them in with their cousins, the English Springer Spaniel, they are actually a separate breed.

The Welshie is easily identified by its flowing red and white spotted coat and laid-back personality.

It`s no surprise that this hunting dog was a favorite of royalty in the past, given how friendly and accepting they are of strangers.

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What the Welsh Springer Spaniel Looks Like

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is an undeniably attractive dog.

This medium-sized breed is built for sport, with an athletic and compact build.

Their tails are usually docked and carried horizontally, and their feet are webbed just enough to help them swim.

The most distinguishing feature of this breed is its red and white fur, which can be wavy, flat, or straight! When groomed, the coat gleams, and when paired with the oval-shaped eyes (which can range in color from dark to medium brown) that sparkle with joy, the Welshie is a one-of-a-kind dog to behold.

Slight feathering that trails down the body, ears, and legs completes their look; it is critical to keep this.

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Best Welsh Springer Spaniel Breeders

Welsh Springer Spaniel Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable Welsh Springer Spaniel breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Welsh Springer Spaniel breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. Windywood

    Puppy Price: $1,000 -$ 2,000

  2. Royaile Kennel

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

  3. Cryslen Welsh Springer Spaniels

    Puppy Price: $2,600

  4. Juniper Welsh Springer Spaniels

    Puppy Price: $CALL

  5. Jeff Hermersmann

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

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Welsh Springer Spaniel Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 17 different Welsh Springer Spaniel birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Welsh Springer Spaniels can have is 6 puppies. Also, the Welsh Springer Spaniel can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 12 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Welsh Springer Spaniel will have depends on factors such as the age of the Welsh Springer Spaniel, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Welsh Springer Spaniel will have and how the litter size of the Welsh Springer Spaniel compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Welsh Springer Spaniels Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 15 different Welsh Springer Spaniels, the average speed of the Welsh Springer Spaniel is 21.1 mph (33.9 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Welsh Springer Spaniel ran in a race is 24.03 mph (38.7 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Welsh Springer Spaniel is 15.6 mph (25.1 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Welsh Springer Spaniel compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast Welsh Springer Spaniel can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for Welsh Springer Spaniels

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Welsh Springer Spaniel ranked by popularity:

  • Flo
  • Romeo
  • Nick
  • Sage
  • Cai

How Intelligent are Welsh Springer Spaniels?

Welsh Springer Spaniel
Intelligence Rank 31 out of 130 dog breeds
Trainability Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions

According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:

  1. Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.

  2. Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.

  3. Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.

Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.

Prof. Coren found that the Welsh Springer Spaniel has an obedience intelligence rank of 31 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Welsh Springer Spaniels in the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.

This means that Welsh Springer Spaniels tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.

However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.

See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:

Breed Intelligence Rank
Border Collie 1
German Shepherd Dog 3
Rottweiler 9
Belgian Malinois 22
Irish Water Spaniel 24
Norwich Terrier 38
Dalmatian 39
Kuvasz 42
Bichon Frise 45
American Foxhound 46
Scottish Deerhound 47
Boxer 48
Norfolk Terrier 56
Pug 57
Italian Greyhound 60
Old English Sheepdog 63
Chihuahua 67
Basset Hound 71
Borzoi 75
American Bulldog 77

How Popular are Welsh Springer Spaniels with New Dog Owners?

Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.

The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Welsh Springer Spaniel.

The popularity of the Welsh Springer Spaniel averaged over the years is Number 128 out of about 200 dog breeds.

Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.

Health Problems in Welsh Springer Spaniels and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Welsh Springer Spaniel puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Welsh Springer Spaniel breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Welsh Springer Spaniels for:

  1. Autoimmune thyroiditis
  2. Elbow Dysplasia
  3. Eye Examination by the age of 2, then at ages 5 and 7
  4. Hip Dysplasia

You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Welsh Springer Spaniels here.

Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Welsh Springer Spaniels

If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Welsh Springer Spaniel.

We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Welsh Springer Spaniel:

Other Things to Know About Welsh Springer Spaniels

Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Welsh Springer Spaniel that you need to know about the Welsh Springer Spaniel breed:

  • Welsh Springer Spaniels do not like to be left alone.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels do not have the tendency to drool.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels adapt well to apartment living.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels are good for new dog owners.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels can tolerate cold weather.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels can tolerate hot weather.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels get along well with other dogs.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels are very easy to groom.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels are very healthy. They do not suffer from a lot of health problems compared to other dog breeds
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels gain weight easily. You need to pay careful attention to what you feed them.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels do things with high intensity. They can be very forceful.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels are very playful.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels are easily disturbed by noise in their environments. They are sensitive to human tone. They will understand the tone of your voice when you try to correct their behaviors with a firm tone.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels get along well with kids. They are kid-friendly.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels are very easy to train.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels are highly intelligent.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels are highly vocal. They have the tendency to bark and howl.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels have a high tendency to wander. They are easily distracted by other animals or objects.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels weigh 35 to 55 pounds when fully grown.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels are 17 to 19 inches tall at the shoulder when fully grown.
  • Welsh Springer Spaniels have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.