French Spaniel puppies

About the French Spaniel

The French Spaniel is one of the older continental pointing breeds, a tall, setter like gundog from France used to find and retrieve game across mixed country. It is a medium to large dog with a flat to slightly wavy white coat marked in brown, long feathered ears and an unhurried look about it. French Spaniels are notably soft and sociable, close to their people, easy with other dogs, and they rate at the top of the scale with children.

This is a high energy hunting dog that wants long walks, running, swimming or field work every day, plus training games to occupy the mind. The coat is straightforward, a weekly brush and a bath when needed, with ear checks to keep wax and debris down. Handle it gently, because pressure and shouting shut this breed down completely. The mistake owners make is buying a calm looking spaniel and then discovering how much country work it actually needs.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a French Spaniel puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Acral mutilation syndrome, an inherited nerve disorder detectable by DNA test
• Hip dysplasia, screened by x-ray evaluation of breeding stock
• Ear infections in the long drop ears, caught by regular ear checks

From French Spaniel breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/french-spaniel/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Your French Spaniel puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a French Spaniel.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 22.7 to 27.2 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Other large breeds

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