If you own a springer spaniel, and you’ve noticed that they seem to be getting more spots every time you look, you may wonder, “Is this normal?” Do springer spaniels get more spots? Why, yes, in fact, they do get more spots, and in the following article, you’ll find out why. Don’t worry! They will never have as many spots as a Dalmatian!
When Do Springer Spaniels Get Their Spots?
As a puppy your springer spaniel may not have many spots, as they grow more spots will appear, mostly around the legs, tho they will get some on the body also. Older dogs don’t often get many new spots.
SPOT, PATCHES, AND FRECKLES, OH MY!
So, you’ve had your springer to the groomer, and you get home and look clearly, blink, and then panic! Where did all those spots come from? Don’t hyperventilate! It’s perfectly normal for your springer to get new spots from time to time.
Some may have been there and were just covered up with excess fur. The spots will show up on their skin first and then grow in with new fur.
Many dogs have spots. Larger spots are sometimes called patches, and smaller ones, usually found on the face, freckles. Spaniels also often have ticking or “flecks” on their coat’s white areas, which are other names for spots.
The springer spaniel is in good company because other dogs also have spots, patches, freckles, ticking, or “flecks,” whichever word you prefer. Other breeds with spots are the cocker spaniel, English bulldog, Great Dane, border collie, and English setter, to name a few.
Where Do Springer Spaniel Spots Come From?
Believe it or not, as just an embryo, your springer began to create his spots. While growing inside his mother, pigment cells traveled to your pup’s spinal cord and then were dispersed to other areas of his growing body. Wherever they settled, this specific pigment determined the color deposited there.
Oxford dictionary states that pigment is “any substance whose presence in the tissues or cells of animals or plants colors them.” So, if pigment gives your springer spaniel their colors, what about if they also have white in their coat? White is not a color; it has no pigment; therefore, any areas on your pup that are white have not had any pigment travel to that area.
Now, you’re wondering about how your pup had spots when they were born and how they can get more. They can get spots at any time because those cells that are pigmented can prolong their division and migration from the spinal cord throughout your spaniel’s life but at a gradual rate.
Being very unique, every springer spaniel will have different amounts of spots, some with many and some with few. Their genetic make-up or genes will play a significant role in determining color, spots, freckles, patches, etc.
Different environmental factors can also play a part when a spaniel is an embryo in the movement of those pigment cells; This could be determined by chemicals or even solar radiation from the sun’s rays.
Spots and Pigment
Another bit of confusion to throw your way is about all of the black, brown, and liver spots. What you actually consider as spots on your pup, the colored areas, are not technically spots. The unpigmented white areas are, in reality, the real spots. Sorry to burst your bubble!
A parti-colored dog is one that has white areas and is often referred to as a piebald. These white areas have no pigment or melanin, as it is often called, and white is really not considered a color.
Often, because of breeding and most times a dog’s genes, dogs that are all or mostly white do not have enough melanin to travel through their body. This is why they can’t be a completely black dog or brown dog or only one color. They don’t have enough melanin to go around.
Springer spaniels come in a few different colors or pigments that can appear in patches or like a sprinkling color. The most common combination of colors are: liver and white, white, black and tan, and black and white. These can be present with varying amounts of each color. I did include white, but it still is not really a color.
If you’re wondering just how many more spots your springer may add to their coat, the clue may be right on their skin. When brushing them, take a look underneath all of that fur. You will see the spots on their skin before it is visible in the fur.
Final Thoughts
Whatever unique colors, your favorite springer pal is, don’t get excited when they acquire extra “spots.” Do springer spaniels get more spots? They sure do! Mystery solved!
