Spanielcare.com is an amazing website with helpful articles and hints about Spaniels.
There is also a huge store where you can get just about anything in the way of dog supplies,grooming aids,Dog Apparel (including Wellingtons and Rhinestone Collars !), Dog Health Care items of every description - its more than I have seen anywhere else.
ALL AT SUBSTANTIAL DISCOUNTS !
There are also lots of videos showing you how to look after and groom your Dog.
Do visit it - I think you will like it.

That's www.spanielcare.com

A Spaniel is a friend,confidante,playmate ,cuddler,thief,amusing companion.

If you get a Spaniel you'll be amused,terrified (they do tend to get into serious trouble on a regular basis) and delighted.

Although they are cute and friendly, they have absolutely no fear - that part of their brain just doesn't exist.

There is no such thing as "can't" to a spaniel - they are utterly convinced that THEY rule the world and that everything else is there for their amusement.

They'll take on any foe with impunity and chase giraffes,tigers or any intruder.(not that we get a LOT of tigers around here - cheetahs yes !)

A Spaniel is totally convinced that they are a Higher Being (and they may well be right !)
They think for themselves and are difficult to train (if something more interesting comes by - like a butterfly or an interesting smell then you've already lost !)
They succumb easily to bribery and are adept at opening doors (including car doors while in motion),windows and fridges.

Everything in you house must be higher than they can climb or it will suffer.
Easily bored, they will expect you to keep them constantly amused.That means playing with them.

NEVER,EVER let them on the bed... they will take beds over entirely with an ease that would make the most influential military strategist cry with shame.

They will also try to eat almost anything my smaller spaniel ate a long life lamp and spent two days at the vet's and then disgraced herself all over the reception area .. Hmmm red face time for me !
Do I have one - no
I have TWO !
they LOVE to chase birds (they are after all bird-dogs) but are easy to train with bribes.You'll need a pocketful. The best bribe is .. Dried Tripe - and it smells awful (to us) so keep it in a small sealed plastic box or your clothes will smell of it - and eventually so will you !

Your Spaniel will love doing agility training.

Its a huge fun game for both of you.

There are agility training classes almost everywhere and I seriously suggest you take one of these.

They will expect your dog to have some basic behaviour training before they will accept you. The last thing they want is a disruptive dog upsetting all the others.

There is a fair range of agility training equipment available and this will help your pet develop his/her skills.
Try it ! It's FUN.

To keep your Spaniel healthy and happy you must give regular attention to grooming him or her (or them !)
Spaniels have some specific problems - notably their ears and the fur between the pads of their paws.

The ears can get badly tangled and only daily brushing and an occasional bath will prevent this.

The fur between the paws gets clogged with mud and can force the pads apart causing discomfort.

Check the paws daily and wash them regularly.

You can of course use a professional dog groomer (especially if you have a show dog but do get suggestions for a reliable groomer from the breeder who sold you your puppy).

Its more satifying to groom the pet yourself though and will deepen the bond between you.

You may find that a muzzle is a sensible precaution especially when trimming the fur between the pads of the paws (most dogs don't like it ).

Regular grooming not only helps your dog look better but it will feel better.

Cleaning your dogs ears is MOST important and again the dog will be frightened at first so use a muzzle.

Your vet will supply a cleaning solution to use with a cotton wool ball but you can also use pure olive oil (sparingly).
NEVER use cotton wool or makeup sticks as if the dog moves this can cause considerable harm and damage.

This will remove earwax and discourage ear mites.

You can tell if your dog has ear mites by redness inside the ear and a possible musty or foul smell.

If the colour of the inside of the ears is unusual or you find them smelly then take your pet to the vet - there are oils and creams that will soon alleviate the problem.

Regular brushing spreads the natural oils in the pets coat and maintains the coat in good condition. Dogs also love it !

Nail clipping is really important and you MUST use a proper dog nail clipper to avoid injuring your Spaniel.

Do not clip the nails too often or take too much off - cut gently and not down as far as the quick (your vet will show you) -the quick contains nerves and blood and you don't want to hurt your doggie.

Its possible to make the claws bleed if you take off too much so have an antiseptic cream like Savlon ready in case you do cut off to much.

My dogs have black claws and it is a problem to know how much to take off because you can't see the quick - I find a quarter of an inch is about right but that varies with all dogs.

If you see your dog limping then its probably in need of claw trimming.

I always have my dogs in a muzzle when clipping their nails - this avoids them snapping at you !

Check your dogs teeth every week and clean them with a soft toothbrush to remove food particles and avoid problems.

You should avoid giving your dog sweets and never give him or her chocolate in any form - it can and does kill them.
Sweets make your dogs teeth rot and a doggy treat like tripe is much better for them (and they like it more !)

To bathe your Spaniel run a little warm water in the tub (or shower) and put a ruber mat on the bottom of the bath to avoid the do slipping.

(I always wear bathing trunks and rubber gloves when I bathe my spaniels as I treat it as a game and I KNOW I'll get soaked anyway !)

A good tip is to put a cotton wool ball in each of the dogs ears and this keeps water out.

Using a PET SHAMPOO (human shampoos are too strong)
wash the dog all over being very careful NOT to get the shampoo into its eyes.

Rub the shampoo gently into the fur but NOT exposed skin (especially around the genitals and anus) then
Use a luke warm sprt to wash off the shampoo and then to clean the exposed skin areas - NOT the face as this gets water in the eyes and scares the dog.

Make sure you rinse thoroughly and then dry your pet with a warm dry towel (my spaniels love this bit as they try to steal the towel at this point !)

I don't use a hair dryer on my Spaniels as they don't like it but some dogs love the warm air !

Immediately after bathing your dog make quite sure you BRUSH it all over with a bristle brush and cut out any tangles that may still remain.

Many Spaniels die before they reach 10 or 12 years old. This is because their owners don't feed them correctly.
A Spaniel SHOULD be able to live to 14 to 20 years old but they seldom do.

Of course a major way to keep your dog well is to give regular checkups and vaccinations at your vet.
This means that minor illnesses that could develop into more major ones will be caught in time.

A major killer of Spaniels is Breast Cancer - which many say can be prevented by having puppies - and I think that's true. Nature intended female dogs to have pupies and a litter of spaniel puppies seems like a good idea.

However my main worry is the junk foods we feed our pets.
Our own food is quite well regulated for health but that is not true of animal foods - I even found a WHOLE HORSES HOOF in a can of very well known dog food - when I complained the maker just sent a voucher for 3 more cans
(as if I would feed that rubbish to my beauties !)

Apart from horse and kangaroo meat (often used in dog/cat foods), most dog and cat food is made with the meat that comes from major companies that produce meat for supermarkets and is a way of selling the rejects - a product that is not fit for human consumption.
So all the parts of animals that we are revolted at eating are just minced up into cans for our pets.

Ever wondered what happens to the remains of dead horses & donkeys ? or lots of other animals - well they all go into that big grinder for pet food - as does waste from restaurants,rotten food from supermarkets and canteens.

We actually PAY for this junk (which can also be from diseased and rotten flesh).

And we wonder why our pets die young !

The grease from fast food restaurants also goes into the meat grinder and thats why dogs love it - tastes greasy & yummy to them !

But have you actually SMELLED dog food - yes its not a wholesome smell - and most of the major dog food companies do it !

If that grease wasn't included then even dogs wouldn't eat it !

That's not to mention the additional fillers like wheat,maize and chemicals that bulk out pet food and preservatives that give food a shelf life of five years !.

Thats not to say that the end product is actually BAD !

Some companies indeed use food that would pass the tests for human consumption.

The problem is that we the consumers have NO WAY to tell the difference.

A Cute dog on the front of a can looks the same no matter what is inside the can.

Some years ago we had a Japanese language student staying with us - we went shopping and she looked at cans with peas,beans,fish etc.

Then she started screaming - she came across the cans with photos of dogs and cats - she thought WE EAT dogs & cats !

There is currently NO WAY TO KNOW what is in a dog food can.

Talk to your vet about what is actually GOOD for your Spaniel - My vet carries a range of approved dog foods (but it is only two or three companies !)

One of the brands of all-in-one food that I use here in Ireland is Red Mills - which judging by the smell is largely composed of Fish.

That was suggested by the breeder I bought my dogs from and both his and my dogs are pictures of health.

Feed your dog healthy food and don't give it too many treats (a few scraps from what you eat are ok but not too many !) and you will definitely prolong its life.

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Almost every Spaniel owner ends up getting lots of Spaniel Related Gifts -
Here's a selection of more tasteful gifts that really won't end up in a drawer in your toolshed !

Spaniel Collectibles

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It may well have worms.
Dogs are actually born with worms and every puppy has them to one degree or another.
I worm my dogs every year (puppies need worming more often).
Worming tablets are available from your vet or
HERE.
Make sure you weigh your dog to ensure you give him/her the right dose.
To make sure your dog eats the worming tablet wrap it in a piece of bread and butter. Then about 5 minutes later take your dog for a walk. Worm tablets often contain a mild laxative so that is a sensible routine.

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