American Water Spaniel

About the American Water Spaniel

The American Water Spaniel was put together by wildfowlers in the Fox River valley of Wisconsin, who wanted a dog small enough to sit in a skiff yet tough enough to break ice for a duck. It became the state dog of Wisconsin and remains scarce everywhere, Britain very much included.

A tight liver or chocolate jacket of waves or close curls turns water and thorns alike, and dogs stand about 38 to 46 cm and weigh 13 to 20 kg. The breed is smaller than the retrievers it works beside and happier in the house than most of them. Any stud here will come from a tiny pool of British dogs, so ask how many generations of the pedigree were bred in this country and how many were imported.

Because the numbers are so small, the record-keeping behind the screening list matters as much as the list. Hip scores under the BVA/KC scheme and a current eye certificate are the sensible starting point, with patella examination added. Ask what the breed's parent club overseas advises, and ask about the coefficient of inbreeding of the pairing you are proposing rather than about the dog in isolation.

Health & breeding

We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.