How many Puppies can an English Springer Spaniel Have?

If you have an English Springer Spaniel and are considering breeding your dog one key question that will cross your mind is how many puppies you should expect.

On average a Springer Spaniel will have between four and six puppies in a litter, however, this is usually less if it is your dog's first.

While this is the average there are quite a few factors which can influence the number of puppies your Springer will have. It can even be far more. The largest Springer litter was 15 puppies!

The main factors are whether it's the first time having puppies, the size of the mother, the parent's health, and their diets. And we will get into all of this and more in this in-depth guide on how many puppies a Springer Spaniel can have and what can affect the litter size.

Let's get started!

English Springer Spaniel Puppies Per Litter

An English Springer Spaniel will have between 4 and 10 puppies in a litter.

Female Springers have 10 teats which imply that they could support up to 10 puppies, there are even cases recorded of much larger litters. These are quite rare though, generally, it falls closer to the lower end of this scale.

What can Change the Number of Puppies in a Litter?

There are many factors which impact the number of puppies an English Springer Spaniel will have.

The main considerations are if it's the dog's first litter, the health of the parents, the size of the mother, their diet, and if you are breeding dogs of the same breed.

Is it your Springers First Litter?

A dog's first litter of puppies will be smaller than following pregnancies.

If it is your Spaniels first litter you can pretty much guarantee that it will be on the lower end of the scale. Later pregnancies will likely have more puppies.

Your Springer Spaniels Health

Health is an important factor for the size of the litter, but also for deciding if you should breed two dogs in the first place.

If your Springer Spaniel has health problems this will impact the probability of a healthy litter.

There are many hereditary diseases that can be passed along from parents to pups. These are largely avoidable and most breeders will have their dogs checked out prior to mating. Its always worth asking if your getting a new pup.

Size of the Mother

This one should be fairly obvious, I suppose. But the larger your Springer Spaniel is the bigger the litter will likely be. It comes down to how much space the puppies have to grow.

Are Both Parents English Springer Spaniels?

Another factor that can impact the number of puppies a Springer Spaniel could have is if both dogs are the same breed. While the average litter size for Springers is between 4 and 10 these numbers are different for different breeds.

If you were cross-breeding dogs this can add a level of uncertainty to the litter size along with the amount of each dog you end up with.

Diet

Feeding your dog a quality diet will increase her odds of having a larger and healthier litter of Springer puppies.

If you are planning to have puppies running around your house sometime soon make sure your Springer Spaniels diet is perfect. Not that you wouldn't be feeding your dog high-quality food anyway.

How your Dog Became Pregnant

The way your English Springer Spaniel becomes pregnant can also impact the number of puppies.

Dogs who become pregnant through natural means usually have larger litters than those who are by artificial insemination. Typically there are between 15% and 25% fewer pups on average.

Most believe that this is due to some of the sperm dying during the process.

When Should I Breed my Springer Spaniel?

You should wait until your Springer Spaniel is finished developing and has her first season before you consider breeding her.

Dogs mature at different rates so you will need to gauge how well developed your dog is. As a guideline, this typically happens around 18-24 months old.

If you breed your Spaniel sooner you risk causing health problems that will follow your dog for life, or even impact how healthy the litter will be.

To play it safe the best age will be at least two years old. Also once your dog is eight years old it's recommended that you stop breading your Springer.

If you were to start as soon as it was safe to you could have around 3-4 litters from a Springer Spaniel. You should give your dog a break for at least a year after litters too.

Conclusion

So, how many puppies can a English Springer Spaniel have? You can expect anywhere between 4 and 10 with fewer puppies in early litters.

There are many ways you can increase the chances of healthy little Springer Spaniels. Of course, there is a big element of chance to this too.

If you are planning to have a few English Springer Spaniel puppies you should speak to your vet.