This is a gundog built to work all day in the field, and without serious daily exercise and a job to do, that friendly energy turns into a bored, anxious house dog, which sellers rarely mention alongside 'great family pet.'
13.5years, median
1 years above the all-dog median of 12.5.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 24,126 dogs of this breed. 95% confidence interval 13.4 to 13.6 years. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, medium breeds as a group had a median of 12.5 years and medium-muzzled breeds 12.8. This breed is medium and medium-muzzled.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0Health tests to ask the breeder for
English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association sets the tests a English Springer Spaniel needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation, 24 months or older)
- Elbow Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation, 24 months or older)
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist (OFA CAER)
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy cone-rod dystrophy 4 (PRA-crd4/cord1) DNA test
When to spay or neuter an English Springer Spaniel: the UC Davis study of 35 breeds has a suggested guideline for the breed. For males it is any age. For females, a year or later. The spay and neuter page has the numbers behind it and what the guidelines say for a dog this size.
- Fucosidosis DNA test
- Phosphofructokinase Deficiency (PFK) DNA test
- Degenerative Myelopathy (common variant) DNA test
- Autoimmune Thyroiditis
- Cardiac Evaluation
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a English Springer Spaniel near you
Shelters and rescues list English Springer Spaniels and English Springer Spaniel mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
Listings come from Petfinder and open there. Petipedia does not take part in adoptions and earns nothing from them.
Living with a English Springer Spaniel
Springers are genuinely lovely family dogs, but they were bred to hunt birds all day, and that energy does not switch off just because you live in a house. Expect a real daily exercise commitment, a walk around the block is nowhere near enough, floppy ears that need regular checking and cleaning to avoid infection, and a dog that wants a job such as training, fetch, or scent work, not just company on the sofa.
Health you should know about
- Ear infections — long, floppy, low-hanging ears trap moisture and debris against the ear canal, making this one of the breed's most common chronic complaints; UK primary-care data found spaniel-type breeds as a group carry meaningfully higher odds of otitis externa than non-spaniel breeds.
- Hip and elbow dysplasia — developmental joint problems that can cause lifelong arthritis.
- Progressive retinal atrophy — an inherited eye disease that can cause blindness; less common than in some breeds but documented in Springers.
- Seizure disorders — phenobarbital-responsive seizures usually starting before age 5 are documented in the breed, though described as uncommon.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a English Springer Spaniel? British dog and cat names, 89 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 3 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 3 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.