Sammy – 3-4 year old male Springer Cross

Sammy is a 3-4 year old male Springer Cross. He is a handsome loyal boy who needs a loving and experienced home.

Sammy has been with us for 8 weeks, and in that time has been neutered and bounced back straight away.

Sammy was sadly relinquished to Spaniel Aid as his elderly female owner felt he was too strong for her to manage after the recent death of her husband. We were told he guarded his food dish and he had bitten his owner who had tried to retrieve it.

Sammy had also recently started picking up and guarding random things like socks and tissues, but this was felt to be a reaction to his home life change. He lived with his 2 year old son and both dogs were unneutered.

Sammy loves the car, we’ve been on several long trips and he settles down in his crate and doesn’t make a sound. He’s a big lad at 25kg and strong too.

I’ve been working on his leadership training and he’s walking nicely with a figure-of-8 lead. He adores people and loves to be made a fuss of, but sometimes forgets how big and strong he is.

Sammy tries his best to sit, but will jump up if too excited and could easily catch you off balance, so Sammy wouldn’t be suitable for someone with mobility issues.

We let him off the lead-up at the forestry, where he loves having a good run around, but he’s not got a massive prey drive. He runs into the trees but is only gone for about 30 seconds before he pops back out again.

His recall is pretty good – especially if you have treats, he’s VERY food motivated. He’s good with other dogs if introduced slowly.

Now and again he’ll bark at another dog, but most of the time if he’s on the lead he’ll just ignore them.

Sammy could either be an only dog or could live with another calm dog. He’s easily the laziest Springer we’ve ever come across, he’s so laid back and chilled and nothing phases him.

Sammy likes nothing more than sitting on the sofa in a sunbeam. He has no problem with being left for a few hours, he just curls up and goes to sleep.

Sammy loves his crate, it’s his safe place. You will need to have a separate, quiet room for Sammy to sleep in as he likes to put himself to bed at about 7 pm.

In the morning, don’t bother trying to wake him, he’ll just ignore you until about 8 or 9 am. He can get a bit grumbly when he’s tired. He doesn’t mean anything by it, he just wants to be left alone in peace.

Sammy is fully house-trained and had never had an accident indoors. He’s not destructive either. We never shut his crate door, just let him come and go as he pleases.

Sammy guarded his food dish horribly when he first came to us, but we’ve implemented a solid fetch me the dish /drop/treat and after each meal he will bring me his dish without prompting.

Occasionally he’ll swipe a sock or a tea towel, but by implementing this routine, he’s more than happy to exchange for a treat.

Sammy’s new owners will need to agree to continue with this, rather than grabbing the item, which just makes him anxious and stressed.

Sammy is exceptionally bright, so training has been a breeze, he loves learning new things. He does the usual things like sit, stay, down, leave etc and has shown a natural aptitude for agility.

Sammy likes a fuss and a cuddle, but when he’s had enough, he’ll just take himself off somewhere. He’s not your average Velcro dog, he’s pretty independent and will just nap rather than follow you from room to room.

We recently went away in our caravan for a few days and Sammy had a great time. He settled down straight away and was no bother at all. He’s a lovely boy with so much potential and would make a fantastic addition to an experienced, calm family who would be willing to continue his training.