How To Train a Springer Spaniel To Come Back

A Springer Spaniel is a beautiful and intelligent hunter and gundog. Despite this personality, you’ll still need to train your Springer Spaniel so that he’ll listen to your commands. If you start early, you might have an easier time training a Springer Spaniel to come back.

The 6 ways to train a Springer Spaniel to come back include:

Begin training when he’s still a puppy.
Challenge your pup by starting recall training.
Use the recall whistle for retrieving.
Maintain a consistent recall whistle.
Combine the whistle with “sit and stay.”
Retrain when the training doesn’t seem to work.

As your Springer Spaniel has a unique personality, you should know the elements you need to make the training a success, and this article will discuss all of that in great detail. So let’s get started, shall we?

1. Begin Training When He’s Still a Puppy

Your Springer Spaniel puppy has a higher propensity to learn quickly. Since Springer Spaniels are natural hunters, your Springer Spaniel puppy should be able to follow your training and guidance.

If you can bond with your Springer Spaniel puppy, he’ll usually listen to you more. You can begin training your Springer Spaniel when he’s 8 – 10 weeks old.

Here are ways for bonding with your Springer Spaniel:

Make time for him. Your Springer Spaniel puppy will appreciate the time you spend with him, thereby helping to establish a bond. When you and your pup have a good bond, he’ll be more likely to listen to you.
Meet his basic needs. Ensure that your puppy is well-fed and has sufficient water. Also, make sure you spend enough time with him whenever you’re at home to avoid leaving your puppy feeling isolated. When you meet his basic needs he’ll show his appreciation by listening to you.
Train your puppy to wait for your cues. As your Springer Spaniel puppy grows up and gets habituated to your instructions, it’ll be easier to train him to come back. When you make time for him and care for his basic needs, your puppy will pay more attention to you and wait for your cues.

Amazon.com has some basic instruction books or resources on how to bond with your puppy:

2. Challenge Your Pup by Starting Recall Training

You can progressively start recall training with your puppy. When you start the training while your Springer Spaniel is still young, he’ll grow up with proper behaviors and listen to your instructions.

What Is Recall Training?

The American Kennel Club defines recall training as “the act of calling your dog to come and always expecting them to respond.” Owners often want their Springer Spaniels to respond to their call by instructing them with one-word commands, such as “Come” or “Here.”

By ensuring consistency, your puppy will be more likely to remember the same command and respond accordingly.

Common Issues With Recall Training

Recall training has some issues that might impede your training progress. These factors will make it very difficult to train your puppy. They include:

Punishing your dog.
Command nagging.
Poisoning of cues.
Lack of proper reinforcement.
Working when you’re tired or frustrated.
A lack of physical and mental exercises for your dog.

Keep reading as I discuss these issues and explain why they’re bad for your dog training.

Punishing Your Dog

Your Springer Spaniel shouldn’t have negative associations with the commands you give him, or he’ll be less likely to listen to your command since he feels threatened.

Punishing your dog will also make him less likely to listen to you or be engaged the next time you introduce this activity. That’s because your dog may have formed a negative association with recall training.

Punishing your dog too often will no doubt cause a strain in your relationship and thereby affect the whole training process and damage the bond you have created with them.

Command Nagging

Command nagging happens when your dog doesn’t respond to a cue, and you repeat it endlessly, which can occur with the word “come.” If your dog doesn’t respond, and you keep using that same word over and over, it makes the dog lose attention very quickly.

By repeating the cue, you have unfortunately taught your Springer Spaniel that he doesn’t have to respond immediately, and the command becomes “come, come, come.” This will harm the recall training since your dog isn’t learning the proper way to respond to your cue.

It is essential that you only say the cue once. If your dog is distracted, get his attention first. This helps avoid command nagging so that your dog is trained to respond to a single cue every time.

Poisoning of Cues

Poisoning of cues is another possible pitfall for training your Springer Spaniel in a recall. This occurs when you unintentionally associate a cue or behavior with something your dog views negatively, which will then prevent your dog from responding.

For example, you might have successfully taught your dog to “come,” but if you were to use it prior to bathing your dog, he may associate the command with something that he dislikes.

He may hesitate to come to you the next time you call him.

Avoid using cues related to an activity your dog dislikes when you first start training if it becomes continuously reinforced. However, once your dog responds as you intended for a long time, you can also use the command for other needs, such as calling him for a bath.

Lack of Proper Reinforcement

While high-value treats work for most dogs, active dogs might prefer a toy that signals play. To know the types of reinforcement that’ll work in strengthening your recall training, you should study your Springer Spaniel’s body language while trying out different reinforcements or rewards.

Some positive reinforcements may also work better in a quieter setting like your garden, while others might work better in a large and particularly distracting environment like parks. You should try different reinforcements in both settings before deciding on the best reinforcement to use, which increases the versatility of the training program.

Working While You’re Tired Or Frustrated

Avoid training when you’re in a bad mood.

With the recall command, you may be more likely to get mad at your Springer Spaniel for not being perfect on the first try. And since your dog wants to please you, your bad mood might unintentionally cause anxiety or depression.

Then, the next time you try commanding your dog, he might hide instead, which is the opposite of what you want.

A Lack of Physical and Mental Exercises For Your Dog

Before attempting recall training, you must remember that your dog’s well-being comes first. Your Springer Spaniel should be taken for a couple of rounds around the neighborhood, which helps wear down some of your Springer Spaniel’s excess energy.

That way, he’ll be more attentive to your commands when you start training.

Your dog can also run around your backyard, which is a contained space, for half an hour before you head out into a public place.

3. Use the Recall Whistle for Retrieving

Whistles can help recall your Springer Spaniel. An example of what the whistle sounds like can be found here:

This command can be easily set up. Remind your Springer Spaniel to respond similarly to the whistle by introducing him to the meaning of the whistle.

Take your dog to a sterile environment with few distractions and blow a whistle while your Springer Spaniel is on a leash next to you. When your dog responds, give a high-value food reward, and he’ll be able to link the whistle with a high-value food reward.

The best treats for a Springer Spaniel available on Amazon.com include:

Freeze-Dried Training Treats for Dogs: There are more than 475 beef liver and sweet potato treats in one bag, making it the best choice for your money. Additionally, these treats are very nutritious and so your Springer Spaniel puppy will be more trainable with these treats.
A BETTER TREAT – Freeze Dried Salmon Dog Treats: These are freeze-dried salmon, thus serving as high nutrition treats encouraging your Springer Spaniel puppies during training. Since they aren’t too heavy or greasy, they’ll be suitable for training.

4. Maintain a Consistent Recall Whistle

When your Springer Spaniel isn’t listening, express your discontent calmly with sharp, short commands. You should simplify your response to your dog’s disobedience with a simple phrase, such as: “No.” Don’t punish him, or you might make him feel threatened or scared.

To ensure that there’s consistency in your training, try the following:

Use the same commands every time. This will avoid confusion as your Springer Spaniel, like all dogs, requires the same sounds to associate with the task.
Use sharp, short commands. This is essential and will help your Springer Spaniel adjust his understanding of the tone quickly.
Stay with the same trainer. As your Springer Spaniel puppy gets habituated to the leading trainer and is expecting your instructions, it will be easier to train him to come back.

5. Combine the Whistle With “Sit and Stay”

When you whistle to recall your Springer Spaniel, let him see that you have a treat in your hand. To ensure that your Springer Spaniel knows that he’ll be rewarded, do not give the treat to him just yet – simply let your dog sniff the treat.

Have someone hold your dog’s collar so that he’ll not follow you as you walk further away from him. When you’re at a good distance from your dog, whistle for him to come to you.

Here are the essential things you need to remember with “sit and stay”:

Your dog will become habituated to listening to your instructions. Your Springer Spaniel puppy will understand that he has to be attentive and look out for your commands.
When you begin to move, your dog needs to stay where he is. Ensure that neither of you moves towards each other during this command.
Reduce separation anxiety. As your Springer Spaniel puppy grows up and understands your commands better, he’ll also be habituated to having space between the two of you.

6. Retrain When the Training Doesn’t Seem To Work

It’s normal for your Springer Spaniel to take some time to associate the recall whistle and the treat. You shouldn’t get annoyed or angry enough to beat, hit, or punish your dog in this crucial moment.

There are two decent books available on Amazon.com that talk about the problems with such training methods:

Cesar’s Way by Cesar Millan: Cesar is a well-known dog trainer, who some call a “dog whisperer,” and he’ll show you how to connect with your Springer Spaniel on a canine level. Additionally, he’ll show you the difference between discipline and punishment.
Dog Training 101 by Sam Quinn: Besides the importance of positive reinforcement, Quinn will show you the three basic methods to start training your dog so that you can retrain when it doesn’t work the first time.

Alternatively, you can teach recall through the hide and seek method.

Ask your Springer Spaniel to “sit and stay.” You can ask a friend to hold the leash as well.
Make sure you have a high-value treat in your hand.
Find a place to hide.
Use the recall command to call your Springer Spaniel to you.

The best part about this method is that without your Springer Spaniel being conscious of it, as he looks for you, he’ll run towards you whenever you call. This also makes it a fun activity for your Springer Spaniel.

You should still ensure that he receives his treats and is rewarded for good behavior.

Conclusion

Your Springer Spaniel is a natural hunter and will help you while you are out shooting birds. He can be your best partner during hunting sessions. Even if you don’t hunt, your Springer Spaniel will be an excellent dog that follows your commands, as long as he gets the best learning environment.

When your dog is attentive to your every command, he’ll feel a sense of accomplishment in what the two of you have accomplished.