05/07/2026
Aah - but they are fabulous dogs! 😍
The spaniel brain is a marvelous thing. It is a finely tuned, (highly caffeinated) supercomputer dedicated entirely to one grand mission: If it moves - chase it...If it flies, it must be intercepted. And if it runs, oh boy, the hunt is on.
To a spaniel, the world isn't made of geography.. it’s made of triggers.
Trying to control that hardwired instinct to chase can feel less like dog training and more like trying to reason with a furry, rocket-launched gr***de.
If you are currently trying to convince/ beg/ plead with your spaniel that not everything in the universe requires a high-speed pursuit, welcome to the club.
Here is a look at the typical hit-list of a spaniel on a mission, and how you can survive them
1. Birds in Flight
To a spaniel, a bird taking flight is a personal invitation. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pheasant rising majestically from the heather or an unimpressed seagull at the beach, the reaction is the same. The ears fly back, the eyes go wide, and they launch.
The trouble with birds is that they have the audacity to fly upwards, leaving your spaniel running underneath them, staring at the sky, completely oblivious to the barbed-wire fence or muddy ditch they are about to plow into.
You cannot outrun a flying pheasant, and neither can your dog.
You have to make stopping just as thrilling as chasing. ...This is where a rock-solid, lightning-fast "sit to flush" comes in.
The second that bird lifts, the whistle blows, Bird goes up, dog sits down.
2. The Invisible Enemy: Ground Scent
This is the one that makes you look entirely unhinged to passersby.
Your dog enters a patch of heavy cover, their tail shifts into helicopter mode (a speed so fast it violates the laws of physics), and suddenly they are gone. They aren't chasing an animal; they are chasing a smell.
You are left shouting into a bush, while your dog is three fields away, high on the olfactory equivalent of espresso, tracking a rabbit that passed through yesterday morning.
A spaniel on a scent trail enters a hypnotic trance. Your voice simply bounces off their ears.
You have to own the scent.
Instead of fighting the nose, channel it. Walk with them in hunting zones, using a whistle turn to keep them sweeping left and right within a manageable radius. If they drop their nose and start to accelerate like a drag racer, whistle them back before they hit the point of no return.
You aren't stopping the hunt; you're just directing it.
3. Deer
Deer are the ultimate test of any dog owner's sanity. One minute you're enjoying a peaceful woodland stroll, and the next, a white tail flashes through the trees.
For a spaniel, this is the jackpot. It’s big, it’s fast, and it smells incredible.
The adrenaline spike is so immediate that your dog’s brain completely detaches from their body.
You could offer them a whole roast beef at that moment, and they wouldn't look at you.
Prevention is your best friend here. If you know there are deer about, the long line or the lead goes on.
Build a "stop whistle" that is so deeply ingrained, so utterly reflexive, that their legs sit down before their brain even processes why.
Practice this in zero-distraction environments thousands of times. It needs to be muscle memory. When the whistle blows, the brakes go on automatically.
4. Litter Blowing in the Wind
And finally, we have the budget-friendly version of the chase, an empty crisp packet or an old receipt tumbling down the pavement.
While a retriever might look at a blowing piece of litter with mild curiosity, a spaniel sees a mortal enemy trying to escape.
They will stalk a discarded Walkers bag with the intensity of a lion on the Serengeti, before executing a flawless, dramatic pounce on a piece of greasy greaseproof paper.
It’s embarrassing, yes. But it’s also proof of just how hardwired that movement-trigger is.
Use these moments as free, low-stakes training opportunities. When the leaf or the rubbish blows past, use your leave -it cue If they can learn to ignore a dancing Walkers packet, they're one step closer to ignoring a rabbit.
The biggest mistake we can make with a spaniel is trying to crush their desire to hunt. You can’t build a sports car and then get mad when it can go fast.
Instead of fighting the instinct, hijack it.
Spaniels chase because it feels good and gives them a massive hit of dopamine. To counter that, we have to become the source of the best games, the best rewards, and the most fun.
Make yourself the centre of their universe. Introduce placeboards for steadiness, use directional retrieves to let them hunt on your terms, and turn self-control into a game they want to win.
Keep your sense of humour intact, and remember: a steady spaniel isn’t one that has lost its fire, it’s just one that knows the best fun happens when they team up with you.
📷 A J Beattie - Gunshots
Gundog Photographer Carluke
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