Hope you can read one more reply! We had two springers at different times when our kids were growing up. The first was a well trained female puppy and was a great house dog, very good with kids and very smart. The second was a male, older dog when we got him as a pet for our 13 year old son. He was a little more active at first but soon settled into a good house dog. Their ears do need to be watched, both had trouble with infections, periodically. A small price to pay for a loving companion dog. Loved them both.