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50 free English Springer Spaniel trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This English Springer Spaniel trivia quiz covers the flushing gun dog from John Caius's 1576 Treatise to today's sniffer-dog units. History questions trace why the breed 'springs' game, how springers and cockers came from the same litter, the Norfolk and Shropshire spaniels behind the breed, Kennel Club recognition in 1902, the AKC in 1910 and the first Field Champion, Rivington Sam, whose mother was a registered cocker. The breed section covers what may be the widest show-versus-field divide of any breed: gene pools segregated for 70 years, the docked stub versus the working tail, coat colours from liver-and-white to blue roan and tricolour, the UK standard's 20-inch height, and the health studies on hepatitis, hip dysplasia and life expectancy. Working springers get their due: Dickin Medal winners Buster and Theo, London bombing search dog Jake, and noses trained on everything from bumblebee nests to C. difficile. White House springers Millie and Spot Fetcher, plus Max the Miracle Dog, round it out. Questions run from easy to expert with a difficulty score on each, so it suits a family quiz or a real gun-dog buff. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia and breed references and each question carries its citation. Also try our Dogs and English Cocker Spaniel quizzes.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Springer spaniels got their name because they were used to do what to game birds?
Flush them into the air
The bird was 'sprung' so a trained falcon or hawk could bring it down to the handler.
Q 02Until the early 20th century, springers shared litters with which breed?
Cocker Spaniel
The smaller pups hunted woodcock while the larger littermates sprang other game.
Q 03The English Springer descends from which mid-19th-century spaniels?
Norfolk or Shropshire
By the 1850s both strains were shown under the single name Norfolk spaniel.
Q 04In what year did the Kennel Club recognise the English Springer Spaniel as a distinct breed?
1902
The standard combined the Spaniel Club of England's physical standard with the Sporting Spaniel Society's ability standard.
Q 05In what year did the American Kennel Club recognise the breed?
1910
Four years later the first English Field Champion, Rivington Sam, was crowned.
Q 06The first English Field Champion, FTC Rivington Sam, had a mother registered as what?
A cocker spaniel
Sam is considered one of the foundation sires of modern field lines.
Q 07Which English physician described the spaniel in his 1576 Treatise of Englishe Dogs?
John Caius
His book was the first to describe the British breeds by function.
Q 08In the 1801 Cynographia Britannica, the land spaniel was split into the Cocking spaniel and which other kind?
The Springing or Hawking type
Even then both types were still being born in the same litters.
Q 09Many 19th-century spaniel breeds were named after what?
Counties or noble owners
The Norfolk and Shropshire spaniels are two examples of county names.
Q 10In January 1899, which two bodies held their field trials together for the first time?
Spaniel Club and Sporting Spaniel Society
Three years later their combined standards produced Kennel Club recognition.
Q 11The English Springer is said to have the greatest divergence of any breed between which two types?
Working and show lines
Field-bred and show-bred dogs look like different breeds but are registered together.
Q 12For roughly how long have the springer's field and show gene pools been almost completely segregated?
At least 70 years
A field dog would not be competitive in a modern show ring, and a show dog lacks the speed and stamina for a field trial.
Q 13Compared with show springers, field-bred springers have coats that are what?
Shorter and coarser
Q 21A UK breed club survey found what to be the most common cause of death in springers, at 26.7%?
Cancer
A North American hospital study also found the breed slightly more prone to hip dysplasia than average, 4.39% against 3.52%.
Q 22One study found English Springers how many times more likely than average to develop chronic hepatitis?
6.3×
The breed's form of the disease is more severe, hits younger dogs and is likelier in bitches.
Q 23A 2005 Swedish study found what share of Springer Spaniels had died by the age of 10?
29%
That is below the 35% rate for all dogs in the study.
Their ears are less pendulous and they have a wirier, more feral look.
Q 14In countries that permit docking, a show springer's tail is docked to what?
A short stub
Field-bred dogs may keep several inches more, and show dogs are heavier boned with dewlaps and dangling flews.
Q 15Compared with its smaller cousin's, how are an English Springer's ears set?
Shorter and higher-set
The Springer also has a longer muzzle, less prominent eyes and a less abundant coat than its smaller cousin.
Q 16Which of these is a recognised English Springer colour combination?
Liver and white
Black and white, blue or liver roan and tricolour with tan points are also allowed, and white areas may be ticked.
Q 17On a tricolour springer, where are the tan markings usually found?
Eyebrows, cheeks, ears and under the tail
The base coat is black and white or liver and white.
Q 18How tall should an English Springer Spaniel be at the withers, according to the UK breed standard?
20 inches
Show-line males run 19–21 inches and 40–60 lb; females 18–20 inches and 35–55 lb.
Q 19How much does a male show-line English Springer typically weigh?
40–60 lb
Working types can be lighter in weight and finer in bone.
Q 20A 2024 UK study gave the English Springer what average life expectancy?
13.5 years
That beats the 12.7-year purebred average; a 2022 study had found 11.92 years.
Q 24Which springer skin condition involves a dog mutilating its own extremities?
Acral mutilation syndrome
Otitis externa and lichenoid psoriasis-form dermatitis are also on the breed's list of predispositions.
Q 25Buster, a Dickin Medal springer, found a hidden arsenal of weapons and explosives in which country?
Iraq
He served with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps alongside the Duke of Wellington's Regiment.
Q 26Police springer Jake searched Tavistock Square, Russell Square and King's Cross after which event?
The 7 July 2005 bombings
He received the PDSA Gold Medal and the Blue Cross Animal Hospital Medal.
Q 27Springers have been trained to sniff out which unlikely target?
Bumblebee nests
Others detect illegal immigrants, blood and the hospital superbug C. difficile.
Q 28Which Gulf state is listed among the countries using springers for drug detection?
Qatar
The list also includes the US, UK, Sweden, Finland, the Isle of Man, Ireland and Canada's CBSA.
Q 29Springers work as search dogs for mountain rescue and for which other UK rescue teams?
Lowland
Their willingness to work and cover rough terrain makes them an excellent choice.
Q 30Theo, a bomb-detection springer, died hours after his handler was killed in which country in 2011?
Afghanistan
Lance Corporal Liam Tasker was shot by a Taliban sniper; Theo suffered a fatal seizure that same day and received a posthumous Dickin Medal.