Spaniel Training Foundations

Spaniel training works best when the foundations are right. These dogs are intelligent, sensitive, and highly motivated by scent, movement, and rewards — which means they learn quickly, but they also rehearse unwanted habits quickly if the plan is unclear.

This page is your starting point for building calm, reliable behaviour through simple routines, consistent reinforcement, and realistic expectations.

Use the guides below to set up the basics before you move on to recall, lead walking, off-lead work, and gundog skills.

Key guides in this section

Start here: spaniel training basics and approach

Calm focus and workable sessions

Training High-Energy Dogs: How to Calm, Focus, and…

Puppy foundations (before you add distractions)

First skills every spaniel should learn

Related training hubs

What “foundations” actually means

Training foundations are the skills and conditions that make all other training easier:

A clear marker (yes/click) and reward system
A predictable routine your spaniel can understand
Consistency across the household
Low-distraction practice before real-world proofing
Calmness and impulse control as a daily habit
The ability to focus briefly, even around tempting smells

If you skip these, you can still train behaviours, but they will be fragile and unreliable outdoors.

Start here: a simple foundation plan

If you want a clear order of operations, follow this:

Choose your rewards (food, toy, praise) and keep them consistent
Introduce a marker word (“yes”) to tell your dog the exact moment they got it right
Build engagement (eye contact, following you, choosing you over distractions)
Teach a calm “settle” routine at home (short, daily practice)
Train in micro-sessions (30–90 seconds) and stop while it’s working
Add one distraction at a time (distance first, then duration, then distraction)
Proof outdoors gradually (new places, smells, people, dogs)
Maintain skills with regular short refreshers

The most important principles for spaniels

1) Reinforce what you want — not what you hope will happen

Spaniels do what works. If pulling gets them to smells, pulling will strengthen. If calm behaviour earns access, calm behaviour grows. Foundations are about making the right behaviour consistently worthwhile.

2) Training is a system, not a single command

A reliable recall, for example, depends on:

reward history
calmness
engagement
consistent cues
proofing
So foundations focus on the system, not one trick at a time.

3) Keep arousal in check

Many spaniel “training problems” are actually arousal problems. A dog who is over-tired, over-excited, or under-rested will struggle to learn and will make worse decisions. Build calm into your daily routine.

➡️ Related: see Calmness & Impulse Control
/spaniel-training/impulse-control/

4) Train the dog you have

Some spaniels are bold and fast; others are cautious and sensitive. Your job is to choose a pace and approach that keeps learning positive and confidence growing.

Common mistakes that slow progress

Avoid these and training becomes dramatically easier:

Training in high distraction too soon (parks, fields, busy walks)
Repeating cues (“come, come, come…”) which teaches your dog to ignore the first cue
Unclear rewards (rewarding sometimes, not rewarding other times for the same behaviour)
Too-long sessions that create frustration or boredom
Using the lead only to control instead of teaching the dog how to move with you
Training only on walks rather than in short planned sessions at home

Key guides in this section

Below are the training topics that build the strongest foundations. Start with the ones that match your current situation.

Foundations for puppies

Puppy training basics (start here)
House training and toilet routine
Early socialisation and confidence building

➡️ Go to: Puppy Training
/spaniel-training/puppy-training/
And: Spaniel Puppies
/spaniel-puppies/

Building engagement and focus

Getting your spaniel to choose you
Building motivation without over-excitement
Reward timing and marker training

Early obedience and everyday manners

Sit, down, stay, leave it
Polite greetings and handling
“Place” and home routines

➡️ Go to: Basic Commands & Manners
/spaniel-training/basic-commands/

Loose lead foundations

Preventing pulling from day one
Teaching proximity and check-ins
Moving away from distractions calmly

➡️ Go to: Loose Lead Walking
/spaniel-training/lead-walking/

Recall foundations

Making recall valuable
Building recall without confrontation
Whistle recall basics and consistency

➡️ Go to: Recall & Whistle Training
/spaniel-training/recall/

Calmness and impulse control

Teaching your spaniel to settle
Building patience around food, doors, and excitement
Helping your dog switch off

➡️ Go to: Calmness & Impulse Control
/spaniel-training/impulse-control/

A simple weekly structure that works

Spaniel training doesn’t need to be complicated. A practical rhythm looks like this:

Daily: 2–5 minutes of foundations (engagement + calm)
3x per week: 10–15 minutes skill session (lead / recall / basic cues)
Weekly: one “proofing walk” where you practise skills around mild distractions
Ongoing: rewards for calm behaviour in real life (access to smells, doors, freedom)

Where to go next

Choose the next hub based on what you need most right now:

Recall not reliable? Start with /spaniel-training/recall/
Pulling on walks? Go to /spaniel-training/lead-walking/
Too excitable or reactive? Visit /spaniel-training/impulse-control/
Want gundog foundations? Start at /spaniel-training/gundog-training/
Not sure where to begin? Use /spaniel-training/puppy-training/ for young dogs