JUDGING SPRINGER SPANIELS

The feet are tight, compact, well rounded, with strong, full pads. I personally have a thing for feet and I love dogs with beautifully round, compact feet both front and rear as well as lovely bone which should never be too flat.

A Springer should be shown in working muscular condition and never cobby like an English Cocker or racy like a Setter. It should have well-developed hips and thick thighs, with a rear assembly that suggests strength and driving power. The efficiency of the rear angulation should be neither more than, or less than that of the forequarters. We often see dogs with too much rear angulation and an imbalance between front and rear angulation and this will always result in faulty movement. If you look at the dog in a standing position, the rear foot should be under the root of the tail. Sometimes, a longer lower thigh can contribute to an over-exaggerated look, which is flashy and often rewarded in the ring but it is far from correct. Thighs are broad and muscular and stifle joints, strong and moderately bent. The hock joints are somewhat rounded. The rear pasterns are short, strong and well boned. When viewed from behind, the rear pasterns should be parallel. The hind feet are tight, compact, slightly smaller than the forefeet and well-rounded with strong, thick pads. Dew claws may or may not be present, and you will find more dew claws intact in Europe and Australia than in Northern America. Personally, I find some English lines too high on hock which results in a powerless driving action at the rear. Sickle hocks are foreign to this breed and should be penalized.

In assessing colour, we are guided by the UK and FCI Standards that simply state that liver and white or black and white, with or without tan, are acceptable. The AKC Standard is considerably more detailed when it comes to colour, probably because so many judges are unaware that a Springer can come in so many