Boykin Spaniel vs English Springer Spaniel

A Boykin Spaniel
Photo: Luke Faraone
An English Springer Spaniel
Photo: Kruming

Side by side

Boykin Spaniel
English Springer Spaniel
Adult weight
Males 14–18 kg (30–40 lb); females 11–16 kg (25–35 lb) (breed club figure)1
Males 22–25 kg (49–55 lb); females 18–22 kg (40–49 lb) (breed club figure)2
Height
Males 39.4–45.7 cm; females 35.6–41.9 cm (breed club figure)1
Males 48.3–53.3 cm; females 45.7–50.8 cm3
Lifespan
No sourced figure
Median 13.5 years4
Fully grown
11 months, both sexes5
10 months, both sexes5
Group
Sporting (AKC)
Retrievers & water dogs6
Coat
No sourced figure
Coat with feathering6
Shedding
No sourced figure
Sheds through the year
Grooming
No sourced figure
Brushing a few times a week
Exercise
No sourced figure
Plenty
Health
No sourced figure
Insulin-secreting pancreatic tumour (more likely); Elbow joint disease (more likely)7,8
Class
Field
Field

Which suits you

Size
The English Springer Spaniel is larger on average: about 22 kg (48 lb) as an adult, against 15 kg (32 lb) for the Boykin Spaniel.
Temperament
They differ most on intelligence (Boykin Spaniel: learns readily, likes games; English Springer Spaniel: needs daily brain work).
Alike
Both are rated the same on activity: needs lots of exercise.
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
Take the breed matcher

What they're like

Boykin Spaniel
Sporting · Medium

In temperament the Boykin is friendly, eager to please and energetic. It is a keen, hard-working dog in the field and affectionate at home, and it is usually sociable with people and other dogs.

English Springer Spaniel
Retrievers & water dogs · Medium

In temperament it is friendly, eager to please and busy, and it thrives when it has work to do.

The Boykin Spaniel page →The English Springer Spaniel page →

Breed traits

Day to day
Boykin Spaniel
English Springer Spaniel
Activity
Needs lots of exercise
Needs lots of exercise
Intelligence
Differs
Learns readily, likes games
Needs daily brain work
Handler demand
Needs steady training
Needs steady training
With people
Boykin Spaniel
English Springer Spaniel
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Bonded to its family
Bonded to its family
Independence
Keen to work with you
Keen to work with you
Around the home
Boykin Spaniel
English Springer Spaniel
Sensitivity
Average
Average
Voice
Barks to alert, then settles
Barks to alert, then settles
Prey drive
Chases; needs managing
Chases; needs managing
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour9. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home10,11.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The English Springer Spaniel grows to the heavier adult, about 22 kg against the Boykin Spaniel's 15 kg.
Boykin Spaniel
English Springer Spaniel
01020302m4m6m9m12m18m
01020302m3m4m6m9m12m18m

More comparisons

Compare the Boykin Spaniel with
English Cocker Spaniel vs English Springer SpanielBrittany vs English Springer SpanielEnglish Setter vs English Springer SpanielEnglish Springer Spaniel vs Golden RetrieverEnglish Springer Spaniel vs Field SpanielClumber Spaniel vs English Springer SpanielAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·