08/09/2025
Spaniels are machines fit for purpose ..and you need to drive them.
One small companion dog breed is not the same as a small dog from working origins.
Dogs are also not a blank canvas ready to be a product only of a 'good' or 'bad owner'
Dogs are a unique collection of personality, temperament, instincts, drives, genetics, traits that have been hardwired down so many generations (hundreds of years) of selective breeding.. they have experiences (or a lack of experiences) that shape their responses, they have individual likes and dislikes ..then they have training or a lack of training ..
Without training, there are still behaviours - their natural canine behaviours and their natural breed behaviours.
As your puppy develops he'll be practicing those skills, searching, seeking, tracking, stalking, chasing, capturing, grabbing, biting, shaking, controlling the movement of others, consuming, caching, guarding..
It's cute at first ..chasing leaves and falling blossom, 'killing' a toy, etc.
At the onset of maturity, however he will feel the need to follow his natural instincts and hone them ..as an adult he will perform these skills with more effort (and he'll perfect them)
If you have a working dog breed dog with strong inherited drives and instincts, I'm afraid a couple of street walks, a local park, and a licking mat are not going to hit the mark ..possibly even frustrate him more.
You won't stop instincts ..but you can match the drive your dog has for those instincts with control.. and by practicing together you'll have the control and the dog will get to do what comes naturally.. sounds like a good compromise to me.
It's not a fix - nothing was broken, your dog is a great representation of what the breed was bred for. It's a hobby.. a sport and as such it's not something that that you do and it's done..your dog will always have the drive and instincts, are you prepared to match them for as long as needed.
