American Water Spaniel Dog

The American Water Spaniel is a hardy dog that is muscular and active. His head is in proportion to the body but is fairly long. It has a square looking muzzle. This has a wide nose with large nostrils that are black or can be brown. The teeth are of level bite or scissor bite. The eyes are yellow-brown in colour and can shade down to dark brown. Their eyes are wide and seem to show great personality. Their ears are set at eye level and are covered in curls, long and hanging down. Their legs are of medium length. Their coat colours can vary from liver brown, chocolate. You can get a little white on the toes and chest. Their coat is double and can be curly or wavy. They have a lovely well feathered tail that is thick at the base and runs out to a point. They live for around 15 years. They are 15 to 18 inches in height.

History: The American Water Spaniel dog was developed in America in the 18th century. It has been an all round hunting and farm dog. It is from the areas of Minnesota and Wisconsin, mainly in the great lake area. The breed comes from the Irish water spaniel and Curly-coated retriever. The American water spaniel was the first to be able to retrieve from the water in America. They make a great bird dog, as they have an incredible nose, and they can collect from most terrains, like lakes, swamps woods and rivers. They are excellent at flushing out game. As the name implies they are great swimmers. While it is true this breed is on the decline, the exact numbers are not known due to the wide use of this dog, and they are not always registered. They are the state dog of Wisconsin.

Temperament: The American Water Spaniel dog loves to work; it is easy to train and is quick to learn. It makes a great companion and is a good guard dog. This dog is friendly and good with children, providing that you have a well established leader role. This dog needs firm but quiet and calm training as it is sensitive. Party due to their timidity it is wise to socialize this breed early in life with other dogs to avoid aggression later in life. This dog loves attention. Some are known to snore. If they do not get the mental and physical exercising, they need, they can become barkers, a lot. Furthermore, they can become hyper.

Health issues: The American Water Spaniel dog has little health issues in comparison to other breeds of dogs and skin problems are in some lines of the American water spaniel.

Grooming: There is little work required for the American Water Spaniel breed. You will need to groom this dog twice a week. Use a brush and or a comb. Although this is a water dog do not be fooled into thinking you can bath this breed as often as you wish, this is not the case as if over bathed you can strip out the dog's coats natural oils coursing dry skin. The dog due to the natural oils has a distanced odour, this is natural and should not be bathed out.

Living conditions: The American Water Spaniel dog likes to roam and so need at least an average size garden. They need a lot of exercise so will need long walks daily. They can live in an apartment, but you have to walk them well.