English Springer Spaniels housetrain well if they are put on a regular schedule and kept in a pen or a crate when unsupervised. By eight weeks old, breeders should be helping puppies choose an appropriate spot to eliminate. At twelve weeks old, most puppies should be capable of holding themselves overnight.
When a puppy is first brought home, take it outdoors to a selected spot and praise the puppy for sniffing there. Every time the puppy is taken outside, bring it to the same spot and praise profusely when it eliminates there. Do not play with the puppy outside until he goes to his spot and at least sniffs around. Also, keep the spot cleaned up. Inside the house, the new puppy should be let out to play no longer than 20 minutes at a time before either being taken outside to its spot or being returned to the pen or crate. Be sure to take your young puppy outside right away with any change in activity such as waking up from a nap or eating a meal. As the puppy gets older and its muscles develop, it will become more reliable and the free time can be gradually lengthened.
English Springer Spaniels can be trained to go to the door and “ask” to go out. Some owners put bells on the door and train their Springers to “ring the bell” when it needs to go out.