English Springer Spaniel Puppies: Adopt or Buy?

Should you adopt or buy an English Springer Spaniel?

It depends on whether it has to be a puppy. Purebred Springer puppies are rare across the rescues we aggregate, so if you want an eight-week-old Springer from health-checked parents, or a pup for field trials, retrieving or showing, a registered breeder is the realistic route. If what you want is the dog (the cheerful nature, the nose, the willingness to please), an adult Springer or Springer cross from rescue comes with a known energy level and set of manners, which matters a great deal in a breed that stays puppyish for years.

The RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase suggests the RSPCA or a reputable rescue first, and if you go to a breeder, making sure they are registered, visiting where the puppies were born and meeting the parents. Our guide to adopting a dog in Australia covers the rescue process step by step.

Reference only, not quotes. Figures read on 11 November 2026; breeders and rescues set their own prices and change them, so check with them.

How much is a Springer Spaniel puppy from a registered breeder?

There is no published figure to quote. No Australian Springer club we found publishes a price. The English Springer Spaniel Association of NSW code of ethics asks members to register all puppies, other than those sold for showing or breeding, on the Limited Register, so a pet puppy from a club member should come on the Limited Register (not for breeding or showing).

In November 2026 we read the own websites of 13 Australian Springer breeders, including members of Dogs NSW and Dogs Victoria who show their membership numbers. None published a current puppy price: most gave no price at all, one asked buyers to enquire, some were not breeding Springers at the moment, and some sites had not been updated since before 2026. Prices for Springer puppies do appear on listing and marketplace sites, which we leave out. So the honest answer is: ask each breeder, and compare what the price includes.

Reference only, not quotes. Fees change, so check with the rescue. Rescue fees usually include desexing, microchipping, vaccinations and a vet check. The dog cost calculator covers the first year after the price tag.

Show or working Springer: what is the difference?

One breed, two types. The English Springer Spaniel Club in the UK says the breed now falls into two distinct types, the “working type” and the “show type”, and that Springers “vary considerably in size and appearance, dependant on the purpose for which they are bred.”

Source: English Springer Spaniel Club (UK), About the breed, read 11 November 2026.

The club says both types make equally good family pets and suit town or country, as long as there is a well fenced garden and regular exercise. Its advice is to decide what you want from your Springer and then buy from a reputable breeder whose dogs fit those needs. In practice, ask any breeder which type it breeds and what its dogs do: showing, field work, retrieving, agility or family life.

Which health tests should a Springer breeder show you?

Hips, elbows and eyes first, then a short list of DNA tests. Dogs Victoria calls the English Springer Spaniel generally a healthy breed, but says conditions occur occasionally and may include progressive retinal atrophy (cord1-PRA), hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. Dogs NSW adds retinal dysplasia, fucosidosis, acral mutilation syndrome and epilepsy. The Royal Kennel Club in the UK sets out the tests it wants breeders to complete.

Sources: Dogs Victoria, Dogs NSW and the Royal Kennel Club breed health page (United Kingdom), read 11 November 2026. This is a buying checklist, not veterinary advice. Our Springer Spaniel health guide covers what these conditions mean once you own one.

The English Springer Spaniel Association of NSW asks its members to breed animals free from hereditary defects, “including Hip Dysplasia, Fucosidosis, eye disorders, structural defects and adverse temperament”, and to use all possible testing. A breeder who belongs to the club should be happy to show you those results.

How much exercise does a Springer Spaniel need?

More than many homes expect. The Royal Kennel Club in the UK rates the English Springer Spaniel at “more than 2 hours per day”, the same rating it gives the Border Collie and Labrador, and lists a large garden. Dogs Victoria says the breed needs regular exercise and mental stimulation and will be an energetic companion on family hikes. Dogs NSW puts it a little more gently: Springers thrive with moderate exercise, though some can be high energy dogs. Working-type dogs bred for the field are, in the UK club's description, built for the agility and versatility a working gundog needs.

Three things follow for a pet home. First, a Springer left alone all day struggles: the English Springer Spaniel Association of NSW says the breed is not recommended for anyone planning to be out all day, and that Springers are intensely people-oriented and not happy as full-time kennel dogs. Our separation anxiety guide covers the signs. Second, it needs a job: the NSW club says a Springer thrives when given tasks, from tricks and obedience to tracking and hunting. Third, the long ears need checking: Dogs NSW says to check or clean them at least once a week because they can be prone to infections.

Heat matters too. In a UK study of 905,543 dogs under veterinary care in 2016, Hall, Carter and O'Neill (2020) found English Springer Spaniels had 2.74 times the odds of heat-related illness compared with Labrador Retrievers. In an Australian summer, exercise moves to early morning and evening; our dogs in hot weather guide lists the heatstroke signs, and any of them means calling or going to your nearest vet now.

The dog exercise calculator shows the Kennel Club breed ratings side by side, with RSPCA advice for puppies and hot days.

What do Springer Spaniels in rescue look like?

Mostly adolescents, adults and crosses. Across the rescues, shelters and council pounds we aggregate, a purebred Springer is listed only now and then. Because so few come up, an alert on the English Springer Spaniel breed page matters more than checking once.

The rescue page of the English Springer Spaniel Association of NSW, an older page on the club's website, says adults are surrendered or end up in shelters from time to time, and that the club does its best to help those organisations rehome them, so it is worth contacting the club. An adult from a rescue or foster home comes with honest notes on how it copes alone, with children, with cats and with other dogs, which is exactly what a puppy cannot tell you.

How do Springer Spaniel puppy scams work?

Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites and fake social media and marketplace profiles to sell popular breeds and pets that do not exist. Its advice: view the pet in person, ask for a video call with the breeder if you cannot visit, check the breeder is legitimate and accredited, and compare prices, because a very cheap pet is likely a scam.

• No breeder number. The Queensland Government says puppy sale scams are on the rise and not to buy a puppy from a person who does not have a valid breeder identification number (BIN). NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT also require an identifying number in puppy ads. Look it up on the official register, not through a link the seller sends.
• A membership number you cannot check. Ask for the breeder's Dogs Australia membership number and check it with the state body yourself.
• “DNA clear” with no papers. A registered breeder can show hip and elbow scores, eye certificates and named DNA results. A vague promise that the parents are clear of everything is not the same thing.
• The wrong colour sold as rare. The Dogs Australia standard lists liver and white, black and white, or either of these with tan markings. Be wary of a “rare colour” premium.

Our guide to puppies for sale in Australia has the full state-by-state table of breeder numbers and what to do if you have already paid.

When is a registered breeder the better choice?

Rescue is not right for everyone. A registered breeder makes sense if you want a Springer for field work, retrieving trials or showing, if you want a puppy from health-tested parents with a known family history, or if you have watched the rescue listings for months and no adult has suited your home.

1. Registration. Check the membership number with Dogs Australia or your state body, and your state's breeder number on the official register.
2. A club check. Ask the English Springer Spaniel Association of NSW or your state's Dogs Australia member body about member breeders. Membership shows a code of ethics, not health results, so still ask.
3. Show or working. Ask which type the breeder breeds and whether it suits the life you can offer.
4. Health results for both parents: hips, elbows, eyes and DNA.
5. The mother, in person, and where the puppies are raised, before any deposit.
6. A written contract covering register type, desexing, health problems and whether the breeder will take the dog back.

Is an English Springer Spaniel the right dog for you?

The Dogs Australia breed standard describes the general appearance as “Symmetrically built, compact, strong, merry, active. Highest on leg and raciest in build of all British land Spaniels” and the temperament as “Friendly, happy disposition, biddable. Timidity or aggression highly undesirable.” It gives a height of approximately 51 cm, and Dogs NSW says Springers weigh around 21 to 24 kilos. Be honest about four things.

• Exercise. More than 2 hours a day on the Royal Kennel Club rating.
• Time alone. The NSW club says the breed is not for anyone planning to be out all day.
• A long puppyhood. Dogs NSW says a Springer approaches maturity at around 3 years of age.
• Grooming. Regular brushing and trimming, nails, the hair between the pads, and weekly ear checks.

Not sure it fits? The what dog breed is right for me quiz and the adoption readiness check each take a few minutes, and our medium-sized dog breeds guide compares the Springer with other dogs its size.

Find an English Springer Spaniel near you

Springers and Springer crosses listed by rescues, by city:

• English Springer Spaniels for adoption in Sydney
• English Springer Spaniels for adoption in Melbourne
• English Springer Spaniels for adoption in Brisbane
• English Springer Spaniels for adoption in Perth
• English Springer Spaniels for adoption in Adelaide

Local guides to adopting a Springer, with the rescues that serve each city: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Perth, Adelaide.

Weighing up other spaniels and gundogs? Our Cocker Spaniel, German Shorthaired Pointer and Weimaraner guides cover the same questions. For bigger dogs, see the Newfoundland, Alaskan Malamute and Rhodesian Ridgeback guides; for other active breeds, the Koolie and Bull Terrier guides. The family dogs listed in Sydney are worth a look too.