"They're also decent duck hunting dogs in the early and mid-season but they don't have the coat for late-season duck hunting. Goose hunting is another matter. For the most part, geese are too large for a Welsh springer to handle. They are very intelligent and once trained they retain the knowledge well."

Cindy Ford and Shelley Traylor own a Welsh springer that, they say, demanded they hunt with her. "She had so much natural instinct that there was nothing else to do but hunt with her," said Ford. "But I would not recommend this breed to hunters who do not want to take the time to train the dog themselves. Welsh springers usually only work well for their special person. They are not the type that will go out with a group of people and work for everyone. They are very devoted to the people they believe they own, in other words, the person who trains them. They do not do well in an environment such as would occur if they were sent to a professional trainer and put in a kennel."

Trainability
Susan Riese, who with her husband breeds Statesman Welsh springers, said that this is a breed that must have a job or they will get in trouble. "They love to train but it can't be repetitive or they get bored. It has been my experience that the 'hunt' is so deeply embedded in the breed that it is more important to raise a Welsh correctly so that it is successful in the field rather than breeding for it. Fortunately this is a breed that has not developed a split between 'show' and 'field' types. However, there are a few breeders who claim their dogs are hunting dogs but they do not participate in any hunting events to provide proof of their dogs' abilities. As a group, they do not seem to be very concerned about type, health or structure. It is my hope these few breeders will not have any significant impact on the breed."

Randy Capsel added that when training a Welsh springer, it is important to bear in mind that they typically mature more slowly than do English springers or cocker spaniels. While the Welsh enjoys training and working even as a young dog, owners and trainers need to keep in mind that a Welsh springer may lag a few months behind what would be expected of a year-old springer or cocker. "Training has to be adjusted to work with their slower maturing nature. They can handle corrections in training as long as they thoroughly understand what you want them to do and know why they're being corrected. But an overly harsh correction will frequently cause them to shut down for a time as they begin to think too much.

"If you correct them for doing something wrong and they don't completely understand why they're being corrected, they become confused and require a longer time to bounce back than, say, an English springer. They seem to be a thinking dog that once they understand what is expected, may try to do a task their own way. Typically, this is not done as disobedience but rather just attempting to accomplish the task more efficiently."