Author: Phil

A long-term springer spaniel owner

Springer Spaniel Training – Finding Bodies Underwater

Glasgow Evening Times

By MATTY SUTTON

21 Oct 2011

HE is believed to be the only dog in Scotland trained to recover human remains from under water.

And now Barra is ready to start work on the River Clyde or wherever he is needed.

The 19-month-old Springer Spaniel belongs to Iain Marshall, 44, from Dumbarton, who read about using dogs to find missing people on the sea bed in a magazine.

The station officer at Helensburgh Coastguard and a boatman on the Clyde for Glasgow City Council, decided on his own to research the idea then travelled to Wales to get Barra and train him.

He said: A lot of things happen on the river and unfortunately people go missing, they sink to the bottom and it can take weeks if not months for these people to refloat.

I was reading an article in a magazine about these dogs that can locate bodies under the water and I thought this would be ideal for the river because it could bring closure to peoples’ families.

He contacted Nick Swindells, from UK Search Dog, who agreed to train both Iain and Barra on a year-long course at the International Rescue Training Centre in Wales.

Barra locates bodies by smelling gases they release.

He said: A dog’s natural ability is to go and locate scent, but when you are using him on the boat you are bringing him to the scent, the scents coming to him rather than him going away looking for it. It is a difficult discipline to do with a dog.

As far as I am aware Barra is the only qualified submerged remains search dog in Scotland.

Barra has already helped find a missing person.

Full Story: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/barra-ready-to-dive-into-work-1.1130557

© Copyright 2011 Herald & Times Group. All rights reserved.

 

Springer Spaniel Health With a Twist – Ziggi Saves Charley Boorman’s Life

To mark Movember, a charity initiative held throughout November to raise awareness of men’s health issues, adventurer Charley Boorman reveals how he discovered his own cancer

Charley Boorman gives an affectionate pat to Ziggi, the springer spaniel sitting at his side, and says:”It’s thanks to him and my wife that I’m alive.”

The adventurer and biker, famous for his televised travels both on his own and with best friend Ewan McGregor in TV series such as Long Way Round, has survived numerous crashes and mishaps on the road, and despite them all, he felt fighting fit, apart from one small, niggling problem.

But in January last year, his wife of 24 years, Olivia, took their dog to the vet for his annual check-up. The vet raised concern that one of the dog’s testicles was harder than the other, which could be a sign of testicular cancer.

“By pure coincidence, a few weeks before that I’d mentioned a similar change in one of mine to Ollie.

“Now and then I’d get a throbbing ache there, a bit like after you’ve been kicked where it hurts,” says Boorman, who’s currently touring in his Charley Boorman Live UK Tour.

“It wasn’t really that painful, though, and I’d dismissed it as just one of those aches and pains you get now and again and ignored it.

“In common with many men I was pretty hopeless about having check-ups and had never given much thought to testicular cancer.”

Boorman, 45, is revealing his experience to support Movember – a charity initiative that takes place in November where men worldwide raise funds and awareness of men’s health issues and cancers which affect them, specifically testicular and prostate cancer.

Clean-shaven men are sponsored to grow moustaches during the month and last year, in the UK, £11.7 million was raised for cancer charities.

“Ollie came straight back from the vets and insisted I get myself checked out and even then I still wasn’t alarmed,” he says.

“Reluctantly, I went to the GP and he immediately took it incredibly seriously and everything moved very quickly.”

Around 2,100 cases of testicular cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK.

Full story: http://www.independent.ie/health/health-news/charley-boormanrsquos-brush-with-testicular-cancer-2925290.html

©Independent.ie

Springer Spaniel Training – Water Retrieve of a Canvas Dummy

Video. Bess an English Springer Spaniel retreives a 1LB canvas dummy from across the River Derwent. I’m a little cautious when asking her to do this as I have no way other than swimming to get across to the other side should she decide to mess about. Paul Coates.

Licence: Standard YouTube, thanks to Paul Coates

Springer Spaniel Training – How To Find Little Penguins

Video: An English springer spaniel named Eco has been trained by the NSW Parks and Wildlife Services to sniff out a colony of little penguins on Sydney’s North Head.

15 Checks To Make When Buying A Springer Spaniel Puppy

Buying an English Springer Spaniel puppy is the first step on the long road of fun and companionship with these wonderful animals. So, it is important to get it right and these tips will help you do that. There is a saying “let the puppy choose you”, but that is all right up to a point, as you still want to be sure that the new puppy is basically healthy and up to show standard.

If you have done all the preliminary checks on the pup – parents’ pedigree, prize winners in last two generations and so on then we come to the finer points.

Because a puppy is by definition very young, then we will not know how it will grow, and have to rely on the look of the parents. The things we can check on the mother (and maybe the father too if he is around, though this is not always the case) without being show-judge experts are:

1. From the side, is the body basically square – height equal to length is good.
2. The forelegs – does the mother stand with pigeon toes or with paws splayed (‘five to one’ as on a clock), or ideally paws straight ahead.
3. Are the hindquarters muscular and strong looking and are the rear paws pointing forward. Judging the hocks and quarters is a matter for the expert eye, but the rear legs should have a moderate rake back, and should not be vertical or raked too much.
4. The base of the tail should run parallel with the dog’s back and not rise above it.
5. The paws should look like a continuation of the legs and the toes should not be splayed (which can lead to injury).
6. The coat should be glossy and healthy looking, but not coarse or curly. Feathering should not be excessive.
7. In addition to the basic liver and white or black and white colouring, some tan markings are ok, but only on the eyebrows, on the cheeks, inside the ears, under the tail, and sparely on the lower legs.

If the mother checks out ok in these respects, and has a good natural gait with the legs swinging straight forward then that should all be a good indicator for her pups.

On the pup, the checks should be as follows (besides the others listed in the second paragraph):

1. A liver colouring should be rich and dark.
2. A wavy coat in a pup is not a good sign for an adult show dog – check the coat behind the head and down the neck and back. Wavy now will be wavy later.
3. Deep blue eyes which are not running or weeping (deeper colour now means a deeper hazel colour in maturity).
4. A cold wet nose with no pink patches.
5. A coat which is smooth and glossy.
6. Check the teeth for correct bite – upper teeth have a close overlap on the lower teeth and the jaw is set square.
7. Check the testicles to see that they are both descended (this would be by 6-8 week of age).
8. The pup should not be too thin or appear fat, and a big tummy could point to worms.

These checks are generic, and if you are serious about winning prizes with your English Springer Spaniel then you should check the Breed Standard in more depth for your particular country, as Breed Standards are not completely consistent.

The above checklist is not exhaustive but will give a good general indication of the pup’s likely development.

Springer Spaniel Survives 175′ Cliff Fall

Owner needs ambulance, springer spaniel swims happily to lifeboat…

Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office: SPRINGER SPANIEL … – At 2:30pm , Humber Coastguard received a call from the North Yorkshire Police informing them of a Springer Spaniel dog that had fallen over the cliffs at Flamborough Head. Soon afterwards a ‘999’ call was received from a highly …

Pet Therapy For SAD Sufferers

There is much research to support the theory that keeping a pet can reduce stress levels. Worrying and stress compound the effects of seasonal affective disorder (‘SAD’). This article tells you about the various ways in which keeping a pet can help to offset those bad effects. Many pets, including cats, tropical fish and even parrots, help. My own favourites are dogs, and springer spaniels in particular.

Company for You

If your family has grown up or you live alone for other reasons, then a dog is great company.  Therefore, having ‘someone to care for’ provides real and tangible health benefits. Of course, a cat is company, as is a caged bird, but they are less demanding than a dog.

Demanding

A demanding pet is a good thing, because it gives you a reason to get out of bed in the morning and get out in the daylight, getting exercise. With a cat you just put down the food and the cat comes and goes through the catflap in the door – there’s little benefit there for you. Of course, the cat will come and curl up on your lap in front of the TV in the evening, and that does reduce stress.

Caring Moves Your Focus

If you live alone, whether through choice or circumstances, then the effects of SAD are intensified, because you have only yourself to focus on. If you have a pet to care for, then the caring shifts some of your focus away from yourself, at least for some of the time. The less time you spend looking inwards and the more time spend looking outwards, then the better it is for you.

Laughter Releases Endorphins

Springer spaniels are generally very happy dogs and love having fun. This is good for you – my Springers made me laugh each and every day. They are smart dogs and that adds to the fun! Laughter helps release those feel-good endorphins in the brain – more SAD therapy for you.

Exercise

Springers will hunt and retrieve for hours on end – they love a game of hide and seek with an old sock or glove – and this leads to more fun and exercise for you too, as well as taking your mind off your own problems. As we know, exercise is a therapy for seasonal affective disorder, realeasing those endorphins in the brain.

Pet Personalities

Unlike an aquarium of tropical fish, dogs are much more interesting, in my opinion. They have distinctive personalities, as cats do too. However, if you are unable to ‘get about’ easily – perhaps lacking a transport, or for health reasons – then tropical fish are great stress reducers too. And, let’s not forget parrots – they will talk to you!

Finally

Well, dogs are my favourite – and Springer Spaniels in particular – but generally any form of pet will add interest and diversion into your day. Dogs, and particularly Springer Spaniels, offer probably the widest range of benefits to a SAD sufferer. So, think about a pet as a possible component in the holisitic approach to beating SAD.

The author has lived with seasonal affective disorder for many years.  He has devised his own holistic approach to the condition.

Source: www.submityourarticle.com

Permalink: www.submityourarticle.com/a.php?a=96026

Springer Spaniel Barking And How You Can Control It

Does your springer spaniel bark excessively? Springer spaniels are not noted for barking excessively like some small pooches do, though they can get excited at times. You do need them to bark when there’s a stranger outside your home, or with pleasure when the kids come home from school, and of course, when nature calls! But annoying the neighbours? No, you don’t want that.

The good news is that there are answers to the problem, depending on what the reason for the springer spaniel barking is. Knowing why might lead you to the best solution. Do remember, though, that dogs bark as we talk. I bet that even you talk to yourself when you are sometimes alone! I do, anyway (maybe I’m crazy). Maybe you need the advice of a renowned a professional dog trainer such as Dr Denis Fetko (‘Dr Dog’), so that you can save yourself a load of hassle, and best of all, cure your springer at an affordable cost.

Why do they bark?

Besides communication, Spaniels bark because of:

  • hunger
  • loneliness
  • fear
  • boredom
  • defence
  • offence
  • warning

The key thing is that you want them to bark under certain conditions only, and you want them to be quiet when you tell them. You don’t want to stop them barking completely.

We’ll assume that

1. Your dog is checked regularly when you groom her (or him).

2. That he/she gets checked annually by the vet.

3. That the dog’s normal living space is at the right temperature.

4. That he gets enough exercise.

5. That in fact you do not have lots of strangers calling at the door, and that there are not a lot of foxes or raccoons in your garden at night (get the idea)?

Does your springer only causes a problem when he’s alone and you are in work, and the neighbours complain about it? If she is not not messing in the house then the reason could be loneliness. Try leaving a radio playing.

Dogs do suffer from poor hearing (especially older ones) even deafness on occasion, and it’s essential to check regularly that your springer’s ears are clean. He might not be able to hear you telling him to stop barking.

Is the problem new?

If your dog was ok before, but is now a problem, then that is a sign that something has changed – it could be his age or health, it could be that your daughter (he’s been her favourite) now has her  boyfriend visit and he’s jealous.

Have you changed his food? Moved home? Bought him a new dog basket?

In short, does he have anything to complain about – because they are smart dogs and they complain if they are not happy. One of my springers didn’t bark when he was unhappy or I scolded him – he grunted like an old man.

What’s the Answer?

OK, so you’ve worked through all the obvious things. Maybe your springer spaniel is now 8 months old and the barking problem continues. Training is going well, he is now obeying the basic commands and walking to heel, you have started the ‘fetch’ training, yet the excessive barking persists.

Maybe you’ve got a rescue dog and not a pup. He might have had a tough life so far, you don’t always know. Did you ask the staff at the rescue centre if he barked excessively? It’s not always a sure guide, as there’s often a lot of barking at these centres anyway – the staff have no control over which dogs arrive at their gates.

There are plenty of solutions to the barking problem (depending on the reason), but first of all, don’t reinforce the behaviour. If the dog barks, then don’t give her a cuddle – it doesn’t work with kids and will not work with her.

Some people favour electric collars – that’s an old  approach and not in keeping with best practice. The key to curing is understanding, and if you’ve looked at the problem from all angles without success, then you probably need professional advice.

Dr Denis Fetko is a leading dog behaviour expert, and can help you stop your springer’s excessive barking. His expertise is readily available, affordable and very popular, not only for springer spaniel barking problems. Check him out at Dr Dog!

Springer Spaniel Photo – Docked Tail

This is a great pic, so much like my Jasper! You can see that this great character has a docked tail – the pic was taken in S America. They just love the sea!

Happy Springer Spaniel in the Sea

Springer Spaniel Eye Colour

English springer spaniels have eye colouring ranging from hazel to dark brown, but springer pups have blue eyes (just like human babies) until the colour starts to emerge as they grow.

There’s a good picture which shows the springer pup’s blue eyes here:

http://yowhoop.com/dog/our-7-week-old-springer-spaniel-puppy-img_8173/

 

Copyright © 2010-18 SpringerSpanielAdvice.com