I also have a Springer. He'll be six years old this weekend. He's a large male (almost 60 pounds) and still intact. He became the father of 6 last Fall....that was exciting.
He was 11 months when we got him and he never had any experience working the field. He was simply a house dog. We sent him through obedience training - all 3 levels - beginning, intermediate and advanced. That was probably the best thing we did. Having a well trained dog is paramount. I have a good hunting buddy that was my mentor and he helped both myself and 'Ranger Pete' when we finally were introduced to bird hunting.
We took it slow that first year. Never rushed him into anything yet he still was excited when he found out what birds were all about. Before then, he never even smelled a bird. That was then and now, 5 years later he is a wonderful bird dog. He is absolutely relentless and lives to go afield. He may not win any awards but he's (imho) a world class meat hunter. Last year alone, he found 3 pheasants that other hunters could not find, even with their dogs. He brought back 5 birds alive and we watched him take 3 roosters in mid-air that we never were aware were that close.
One friend had a stroke and hisleft side was badly affected. When we asked if he wanted to go bird hunting, he actuallyhad tears in his eyes because it had been so long. We kept the dog close to him and after only a few hours he could read the dog well. He knew when Ranger Pete got birdy. In 3 weekend of hunting, our buddy took 5 nice birds. Yet he could only point the 20 ga from under his arm when the bird flushed. That's how important reading the dog was. Plus, he never missed one bird.To me, that's what the comrauderie and hunting is all about and the fact that our Springer made it more exciiting wasa hugh plus.
My only advice is to take it real slow. No need at his young age to force him into anything. Let him enjoy just being a puppy. In due time he'll be ready to understand what he was bred for. I would also suggest reading as much as possible on the subject, especially when hunting with flushers. I am sure there are also may videos available on hunting with English Springer Spaniels.
I would especially suggest you put a lot of thought when introducing him to gunfire. My Springer hates the sound of a hand slapping the table. He will literally run and hide - yet he's fine when shooting a 12 ga over him. That's because when he was introduced to shooting, we made certain he was excited doing what he loves. He was excited about other things when we began firing. It was as though long distance gunshots were just a nuisance when he was focussed on finding birds. Of course it took weeks before we actually decreased the distance between him and the gunshots and fired directly over him. Again, my advice is slow but sure, that really is the key.
If there's any additional information I can help with, please let me know. I would be more than happy to give more detail in what I went through when he was in the learning stages.
Finally, good luck with your new Springer. They are such loving, caring family dogs that excel in the field.
I have attached a pic of my buddy.
First Gun Dog
(equipment, training, tips, ect.)
