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Breeder Details

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Irish Water Spaniel

A description of the ideal dog of each recognized breed, to serve as an ideal against which dogs are judged at shows, originally laid down by a parent breed club and accepted officially by national or international bodies.

Average sizes and life expectancy of the breed.

Height

21-24 inches

Weight

45-68 pounds

Life Expectancy

12-13 years

About the Breed

The tallest of the AKC's spaniels, the Irish Water Spaniel is instantly recognizable by its crisply curled coat and tapering 'rat tail.' Among the champion swimmers of dogdom, the alert and inquisitive IWS is hardworking and brave in the field, and playfully affectionate at home. This tallest of AKC spaniels, standing 21 to 24 inches at the shoulder and weighing 55 to 65 pounds, straddles the line between 'medium' and 'large' dogs on our scale of size. Among its distinguishing characteristics are a crisply curled, liver-colored, waterproof coat; a tapered 'rat tail'; and a cleanly chiseled head crowned with a topknot of long, loose curls. The IWS moves with a smooth ground-covering gait, enabling him to put in a long day's work in the field.

Breed Traits & Characteristics

  • FAMILY LIFE
  • PHYSICAL
  • SOCIAL
  • PERSONALITY
  • ALL TRAITS

AFFECTIONATE WITH FAMILY

    How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

    How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

GOOD WITH YOUNG CHILDREN

    A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs..

SHEDDING LEVEL

    How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

COAT TYPE

    Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

COAT GROOMING FREQUENCY

    How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

COAT LENGTH

    How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

DROOLING LEVEL

    How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

OPENNESS TO STRANGERS

    How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

WATCHDOG/PROTECTIVE NATURE

    A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

PLAYFULNESS LEVEL

    How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

ADAPTABILITY LEVEL

    How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

TRAINABILITY LEVEL

    How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

BARKING LEVEL

    How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

ENERGY LEVEL

    The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

MENTAL STIMULATION NEEDS

    How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

What To Expect When Caring For an Irish Water Spaniel

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

The Irish Water Spaniel is often called the clown of the spaniel family, possibly due to the peak of curly hair between the eyes.

The Irish Water Spaniel is the tallest of the spaniels.

The coat of the Irish Water Spaniel is naturally water-repellent.

The cut and trim of the Irish Water Spaniel's coat reflects the breed's purpose and is not merely decorative.

Irish Water Spaniels in the late 1100's were known as Shannon Spaniels, Rat-Tail Spaniels or Whip-Tail Spaniels.