Spring For A Bargain

Cockers are one of the most popular gundog breeds but the springer has its virtues and is a most effective hunter, says David Tomlinson

- David Tomlinson

THROUGHOUT THE 20th century the English springer spaniel was the most popular shooting dog in Britain. Whether it remains so today is debatable. In recent years I’ve been on a number of shoots where there wasn’t a springer to be seen, something that would have been unthinkable 20 or 30 years ago.

Finding hard evidence to prove the decline is difficult, but the Kennel Club’s annual registration figures record a steady decrease. In 2010, 13,988 English springer puppies were registered with the club, but in 2016 the figure dropped below the 10,000 mark to 9,827. In 2018 there was a slight recovery with 10,152 registrations, but that’s hardly of statistical significance.

Kennel Club registration figures can be misleading, as they fail to differentiate between show and working strains, which in the case of the springer is important, as the two are virtually different breeds. However, show springers are relative rarities, so I think we can safely assume that the majority of springer puppies registered are of working stock. Incidentally, the consistent popularity of the cocker during the past decade is remarkable. In 2010 the Kennel Club registered 23,744 puppies, last year it was 23,927. My guess is that the majority are show-bred pets, but workers must account for a sizeable proportion.