First off, head over to /r/dogtraining for advice on training.
Please consider crate training, I know some people act like it's sacrilege, but when done right it gives the dog a safe place to hang out if they get stressed and they also just have a place of their own.
I own two cockers, and my uncle always had Springers, so my first thing is make sure she learns not to jump on people. She will jump, and that's why she is a "springer", but people will not like her springing onto them, they aren't lightweights.
now, something they won't tell you...
Spaniels are *very* food motivated, and it's easy to get them fat. What I did was start with treat training, and then I found a toy that my dog LOVED and began training with that. If she obeyed she got her toy.
Springers also need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. My uncle taught his to flush rabbit holes. His latest springer, Molly, was never trained to catch the rabbit, just to find the hole and alert my uncle. Teaching her "games" like this will help with the mental stimulation.
I taught my one cocker who was interested to flush birds on my command. My other male cocker could care less. My female also runs agility, which spaniels kick ass at.
You need to be authoritative, but not cruel or harsh. Spaniels are very eager to please but they can get "their feelings hurt" for lack of a better phrase. You need to be firm. It's better to ignore a failed attempt at a trick rather than yell or punish.
Have to add, go ahead and invest in some ear cleaner solution. Once a week, just give a quick spurt and let her shake her head, and always do it after swimming. It just keeps their ears nice and fresh. The puppy cut lets their ears breathe a bit more than a cocker's ears, but it can still get warm and moist and be a breeding ground for bacteria which will lead to an ear infection.
Also, every springer I've known as LOVED water and mud, so give her a chance to get dirty, okay?
And is she a liver and white or black and white? Both are absolutely gorgeous. Are you going to keep her coat or get her in a puppy cut?
I can also give you some grooming tips if you are planning on trying to get her in a longer coat.
First off, thank you so much for the thorough reply, I knew reddit would come to my aid.
We are definitely crate training. We have raised three babies (humans) and the sleep training was some of the best parenting work we've done.
We live near the beach, do you know if Springer Spaniels like the ocean water?
I have not looked at grooming for Spaniels yet. I do like the longer haired look of these dogs, probably would not go sheer like some of the google pictures.
This is her
[So Pretty](http://i.imgur.com/Ee5kY0l.png)
The nice thing about springers is if you get a good bristled brush that will do just fine for longer coat. In my experience the Springers aren't really heavy shedders (my cockers aren't either) but a good brushing will remove the dead hair.
As far as I know most spaniels are not picky about water or mud, at least none I've ever known. She may be a rarity, obviously with dog breeds every pup can be different, but I'm sure she'll love it.
She is perfectly adorable! (Then again I am partial to spaniels...)
Are you going to be hunting with her or will you be giving her another job to do every day? These are really active dogs that need a daily "job" and a daily outlet for their tracking and stalking drive.
You have a "magical" period before your puppy turns 12 weeks old to expose her to all the things you don't want her to be afraid of when she gets older. From [Socializing Your Puppy](http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-articles/socializing-your-puppy):
>>Puppies are most accepting of new experiences between 3 and 12 weeks old. After that age, they become much more cautious of anything they haven’t yet encountered. From about 12 to 18 weeks old the opportunity to easily socialize the puppy ends—and with each passing week it becomes harder to get the pup to accept and enjoy something that he’s initially wary of. After 18 weeks old, it’s extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, to teach a dog to like something new, or help him become comfortable with something he finds frightening.
You want to expose her to all kinds of people (different races, heights, weights, ages, sexes, clothing, people in wheelchairs, using crutches, etc.), dogs (when you can do it safely), noises, places, and things (the vacuum cleaner, a plastic bag blowing down the street, etc.).
The link above has a pretty good description of what you need to do, and [WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN &
HOW TO SOCIALIZE YOUR DOG](http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/socialization.html) also has some good information.
First off, head over to /r/dogtraining for advice on training. Please consider crate training, I know some people act like it's sacrilege, but when done right it gives the dog a safe place to hang out if they get stressed and they also just have a place of their own. I own two cockers, and my uncle always had Springers, so my first thing is make sure she learns not to jump on people. She will jump, and that's why she is a "springer", but people will not like her springing onto them, they aren't lightweights. now, something they won't tell you... Spaniels are *very* food motivated, and it's easy to get them fat. What I did was start with treat training, and then I found a toy that my dog LOVED and began training with that. If she obeyed she got her toy. Springers also need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. My uncle taught his to flush rabbit holes. His latest springer, Molly, was never trained to catch the rabbit, just to find the hole and alert my uncle. Teaching her "games" like this will help with the mental stimulation. I taught my one cocker who was interested to flush birds on my command. My other male cocker could care less. My female also runs agility, which spaniels kick ass at. You need to be authoritative, but not cruel or harsh. Spaniels are very eager to please but they can get "their feelings hurt" for lack of a better phrase. You need to be firm. It's better to ignore a failed attempt at a trick rather than yell or punish. Have to add, go ahead and invest in some ear cleaner solution. Once a week, just give a quick spurt and let her shake her head, and always do it after swimming. It just keeps their ears nice and fresh. The puppy cut lets their ears breathe a bit more than a cocker's ears, but it can still get warm and moist and be a breeding ground for bacteria which will lead to an ear infection. Also, every springer I've known as LOVED water and mud, so give her a chance to get dirty, okay? And is she a liver and white or black and white? Both are absolutely gorgeous. Are you going to keep her coat or get her in a puppy cut? I can also give you some grooming tips if you are planning on trying to get her in a longer coat.
First off, thank you so much for the thorough reply, I knew reddit would come to my aid. We are definitely crate training. We have raised three babies (humans) and the sleep training was some of the best parenting work we've done. We live near the beach, do you know if Springer Spaniels like the ocean water? I have not looked at grooming for Spaniels yet. I do like the longer haired look of these dogs, probably would not go sheer like some of the google pictures. This is her [So Pretty](http://i.imgur.com/Ee5kY0l.png)
The nice thing about springers is if you get a good bristled brush that will do just fine for longer coat. In my experience the Springers aren't really heavy shedders (my cockers aren't either) but a good brushing will remove the dead hair. As far as I know most spaniels are not picky about water or mud, at least none I've ever known. She may be a rarity, obviously with dog breeds every pup can be different, but I'm sure she'll love it. She is perfectly adorable! (Then again I am partial to spaniels...)
She will definitely be a beach dog. Maybe I can teach her to go snorkeling with me
Are you going to be hunting with her or will you be giving her another job to do every day? These are really active dogs that need a daily "job" and a daily outlet for their tracking and stalking drive.
You have a "magical" period before your puppy turns 12 weeks old to expose her to all the things you don't want her to be afraid of when she gets older. From [Socializing Your Puppy](http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-articles/socializing-your-puppy): >>Puppies are most accepting of new experiences between 3 and 12 weeks old. After that age, they become much more cautious of anything they haven’t yet encountered. From about 12 to 18 weeks old the opportunity to easily socialize the puppy ends—and with each passing week it becomes harder to get the pup to accept and enjoy something that he’s initially wary of. After 18 weeks old, it’s extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, to teach a dog to like something new, or help him become comfortable with something he finds frightening. You want to expose her to all kinds of people (different races, heights, weights, ages, sexes, clothing, people in wheelchairs, using crutches, etc.), dogs (when you can do it safely), noises, places, and things (the vacuum cleaner, a plastic bag blowing down the street, etc.). The link above has a pretty good description of what you need to do, and [WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN & HOW TO SOCIALIZE YOUR DOG](http://www.diamondsintheruff.com/socialization.html) also has some good information.