House training is one of the most stressful parts of bringing a new puppy into your household. You need to get this first part right from day one as you establish your relationship with your dog.

You will need to make sure that the pup understands from day one that it is not acceptable to make a mess indoors. Agree the basic set of commands with your family that will be used for your new Springer. This will avoid confusion in the pup and make training easier and quicker. The first words (besides his name) you will be using when you bring him home will probably be along the lines of "Good Boy", "No" and "Bad Boy". Obviously, younger puppies take time to develop control and the pup will tend relieve itself often and anywhere in the first few days as it gets used to a new environment, new people and lack of a mother. Tell-tale signs of an oncoming splurge are sniffing and circling.

As soon as you see these signs then straight away take the dog gently outside to an area you have set aside for him to mess. Once his job is over, praise him well. You will get annoyed from time to time when you get caught unawares by him, but try not to show it; things will get better in a couple of weeks.

If he does get caught out indoors and you only see it later, then it's too late to scold him as he will not be able to link the earlier splurge with your current anger. Some owners put their dog's nose in the splurge as a reminder, but I don't believe in this approach.

In winter, you will not want the pup to get chilled. Just a quick out and in again and don't forget the praise. Always reinforce good behaviour with praise.

You, too, need to get into a routine with him, so take the pup out to his place in the yard:

* When he wakes up in the morning

* After he has slept

* After he has eaten

* Any other time you see him circling and sniffing

In the early days he will not get through the whole night without needing to go. Put some old newspapers around his basket. You can gradually move the papers so that he starts to head for the door when the urge comes on. Then, he will learn to associate the door with going outside to do his work.

Springer spaniels are really smart and he will soon learn to use the same place outside if you consistently lead him to his spot.

Get the children to help in cleaning up too, as they will learn to share the responsibility of caring for the pup and the importance of hygiene.

Check your local pet shop and think about getting a dedicated bin for pup waste disposal - most good pet shops have these.

As the weeks pass, it will get easier as he begins to understand you and what is required, then you should be able to stop carrying him outside and just let him follow you. He'll start to make for the door when he needs to go.

Springers are intelligent, and don't like to be in their own mess; your patience and persistence with him will pay dividends as he learns.

Before too long he will get used to the routine and save it up for his walk. Then, you will have to go prepared with plastic bags which you just slip over your hand and close over the droppings, a double knot and into the disposal. Easy, clean and your pup is housetrained!

Training Springer Spaniels should be great fun if you know the secrets. 'Fetching' is one of their very strong natural traits, so you are just shaping their behaviour. The retrieve we are teaching here is not the full gundog retrieve.

The training is best done by one person in the family, preferably the dog's ultimate master. When the training is complete then the Springer will be able to work with other family members with the same set of commands, but during training it is best if only one person is involved.

By the age of four months, you should be able to gain and hold your dog's attention and basic commands such as 'Sit' and 'Come' should be working most of the time. Also, your dog should by now be able to recognise when he has done something wrong and you use the words 'Bad Boy' or similar. Springers want to fetch and are eager to please. This makes them easy to train. You will have noticed your pup carrying his dog toys, and from an early age you can encourage him to release his toy into your hand avoiding tug of war. Then praise him. Then return his toy. This behaviour should be encouraged and praised. There are tricks for training this 'easy' release.

You do need him to understand that there are things he can carry and things he is not allowed to carry. This will minimise later problems in training the retrieve.

You may have an old stuffed sock or glove that you set aside for training the fetch - ideally three or four articles to provide variety. Sticks are not good as they encourage a 'hard' mouth. These training dummies should be kept separate for training and your pup should not be allowed to play with them - keeping them separate gives them special meaning. Encourage him to carry whilst walking at your side, and then to Sit with the sock on his mouth and to come on command, with the sock.

Before you move out into the field, teach the pup to release gently. This is done by telling him to sit and then whilst facing him with eye contact, stroke him on the forehead and under the chin; bring both hands forward along his cheeks whilst saying 'good boy', 'give'. Praise him and return the sock. Don't forget to vary the dummies.

Your pup should now be able to pick up the sock or glove, carry it, come on command, deliver it to your hand and give.

We move now to the throw. This is best done in open space without too many distractions. If your yard or garden is big enough then that is good as it is all known territory to him. Your Springer should be told to sit by your side (remember firm voice and eye contact). Hold his collar whilst you throw a glove or stuffed sock a short distance. Restrain him briefly by the collar then say 'Fetch', with an excited tone, as you release him. When he returns then tell him to sit and go through the 'Give' procedure.

With some Springers it may be necessary to use the command 'Wait' whilst restraining them.

He should be understanding your enthusiasm for the fetch, and gradually after sufficient repetitions over a few days and various dummies, you should be able to move away from the collar restraint, as he starts to realise that he will be able to go and fetch, but only on your command.

The whole cycle of retrieval should now be working and you should both be enjoying it.

Train him further by teaching him the names of the articles and getting him to retrieve a specific article by name - be it sock, ball or glove. As with all training, don't repeat the exercises more than four or five times a day, as your Springer will get bored and lose interest.

Having owned both English and Welsh Springer Spaniels, then I guess I am biased. If you are looking for a dog, whether a rescue dog or a puppy, then here are a handful of reasons why either of these two breeds is the best for you, whether you have a young family or you are just looking a loyal companion. If you want want a fun dog to get you out into the fresh air and countryside, then a Springer is a dog for you. So, yes, this springer spaniel advice is biased, but you could do a lot worse than take it! Reason #1 - History Equals Refinement

Springer spaniels are part of the Gundog group and we can trace their history back at least ten centuries. This means that they are highly developed, but without any of the bad inbreeding traits that you see in some other dogs.

Reason #2 - Ancient Breeding means Variety

Given their history and time for refinement, there are several spaniel lines to choose from, within which we have the Springers. The Kennel Club of England recognises two distinct pedigrees of Springer Spaniel: The English Springer and the Welsh Springer spaniel. They are closely related, yet quite distinct. The English Springer is much more widespread than the Welsh Springer.

Reason #3 - They are Popular and this Means Choice

Because these dogs are so popular, then there are many breeders. Therefore you will have plenty of breeders to choose from, and plenty of choice of puppy. You are very likely to find a breeder quite close to you, without having to travel for hours as you might have to for a rare breed.

Reason #4 - Popularity Equals Health

These two aspects are quite closely entwined - these dogs are popular because they are generally healthy. This is thought to be because they date back so far and have been such a successful breed that the breeding stock and bloodlines are quite widespread, reducing the effects of inbreeding. When a genetic problem does become apparent (such as with canine fucosidosis in the 1990's) then there is plenty of stock to enable the condition to be bred out of the problem line.

Reason #5 - Moderate Feeding Costs

They are medium sized and can be fed for around $7-$9 a week (£5-£7), and because they do not need professional trimming and grooming you save on cost here too. Their general good health means that on average the veterinary costs are low too.

Reason #6 - Effective Guard Dogs

They are not tiny and will not be ignored by intruders - an adult English Springer weighs 50 lbs - imagine being hit by that at a run. They will warn of strangers but without being too aggressive. And, because they are so loyal, they will defend their family staunchly.

Reason #7 - Travel

Their medium body size means that they fit comfortably into the average family small or mid-sized auto, without needing an SUV or truck to carry them around. They are small enough to travel easily on the railroad as well.

Reason #8 - Coat

Unlike say, a border collie, they do not shed hair heavily - they are considered to be medium shedders. So, your home does not get too much dog hair lying around; also of course, because their hair is only medium length then it is relatively easy to keep them well groomed.

Reason # 8 - Terrific Personality

These dogs (and I have owned both English and Welsh Springers) are great fun, full of vitality, but also loving and affectionate. They love to play games and to retrieve, particularly when water is involved.

Reason # 9 - Choice of Colour

The English Springer has two distinct colour lines - liver and white, and black and white; both may have tan markings in addition. In the USA you also find Blue roan. The Welsh Springer has only one colouring - red and white. Does it seem light-hearted to talk about colour choice? Well, it can be important to some owners.

Reason # 10 - They Need Plenty of Exercise

Yes, that is a good reason, because it ensures that you and your family will get plenty of exercise too, and a lot of fun into the bargain.

I have stopped at ten reasons, but I could give you more, such as them being intelligent, eager to learn and easy to train. All in all, this adds up to a very strong recommendation of these dogs.