While I have to say that Seren and Sophie are two of the gentlest dogs I think I've ever encountered - and I speak (?type) as someone who has spent her entire thirty-something years sharing living space with dogs - there was a period of time where Seren (my springer... Sophie, his litter-mate, owns my parents) became slightly aggressive.

For a few months, he would growl nastily at my toddler. Especially when my son was going near places that Seren deemed to be his (his crate - which was a fair one, because it's his bedroom, so to speak -, the sofa and anywhere near the bottom of the stairs). Obviously, this was a concern as I didn't want Seren to actually attack my child, or for my son to develop a fear of dogs because the previously placid and docile Seren was suddenly being stroppy towards him.

I spoke to the vet about the problem, decided to bring forward Seren's "snip-snip" op (our vet is one of those who prefers to wait until the dog has finished canine puberty, for some reason!), and started to work on getting Seren to associate my son with good things. This meant that my son became responsible for fetching Seren's daily treats and the lead whenever we were going out, and under huge supervision from myself, in actually giving the biscuits to him. Having Seren "done" and the association work did wonders. It didn't solve the problem overnight, and it required an awful lot of patience, but it did work. And it was worth the extra effort. Now his moniker is Soppy Seren, because he's back to his placid, docile, uber-loving self... and absolutely best buddies with my toddler, who adores him equally in return.

I am so sorry that you have had to rehouse your Springer - but some dogs simply don't "gel" with the people who open up their homes to them. And you have to do what is best for the dog, too, at the end of the day. I know that if Seren had been unable to accept my son, much as it would have broken my heart to do so, I would have had to find another home for him. If you do decide to get another Springer, and decide on a dog instead of a bitch, my advice would be to have him "done" and be prepared to work on the stroppy adolescent dog stage. It could just be that Floyd's previous owner let him rule the roost when he was working out his pack strategy, and he couldn't fathom the fact that you and your husband were above him in the hierarchy.

And I should add, too, that not all Springers get stroppy. Sophie certainly didn't - even though she was and always has been the more dominant of the two.