American Water Spaniel. Paul R. Morrison
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“Well, are you coming or what?” The AWS must be given plenty of exercise and duties to remain a delightful companion.
Some AWS owners will tell you that the breed is a “garbage can,” willing to devour anything and everything that enters its mouth. Stories have been told of American Water Spaniels who have eaten various articles of clothing, tennis balls, golf balls, rubber door stops, plastic plates and much more. The breed will seemingly search out and locate the vilest items around the field or yard and promptly make a feast of them. Therefore it is best to train a puppy as to what is a proper chew toy or food item and to teach him the “Leave it” command for when you want something left alone or immediately dropped, if the dog already has it in his mouth.
There have been some breeders and individuals who claim the American Water Spaniel is “hypoallergenic,” making it a safe breed for allergy sufferers to bring into their home. Unfortunately this is not truly the case. The breed sheds hair and produces dander, both of which can be a catalyst to allergic reactions. Despite anecdotal claims that people with allergies are less sensitive to the AWS than to other breeds, it is not recommended that allergy sufferers, especially those with severe allergies, introduce an AWS into their home.
The AWS is probably best described as a moderately shedding dog that constantly loses coat. Most owners do not see the shedding as a nuisance except, perhaps, for the one time each year when many of the dogs will shed their winter coats over a period of a few weeks, leaving behind enough hair to outfit another dog. The coat texture of an AWS is normally fine rather than coarse, and the shed hair does not have a tendency to embed itself into the carpet or other fabric the way the coat of other breeds can. The few problems that do come from shedding can be partially alleviated by regular brushing and bathing when necessary.
IN THE FIELD
The American Water Spaniel has always been an all-around hunting dog and, with luck and support, will remain one for many years to come. As a hunting dog it possesses sufficient energy to work the fields and woodlands for all types of game, ranging from pheasants to grouse and even the occasional rabbit. While it holds an energy level that allows it to go all day in the field, it also maintains the willingness to sit patiently in the blind waiting for the next flight of ducks or geese to swoop in to the decoys. Patience is not a virtue that comes without training, however, and it is the wise owner who begins this training at an early age.
Alex Glam Streeter or “Mad Max” proudly poses for the camera with his hunter.
As a retriever the American Water Spaniel is best suited to work marshes, rivers, small lakes and the like for waterfowl. While more than a few American Water Spaniels have been used to retrieve from the big waters of the Great Lakes and along the ocean shorelines, when a sudden storm develops such water can quickly become too much of a challenge for this medium-sized breed.
The breed is good at marking the location of fallen game, and it will normally do so quickly and with great enthusiasm. It is not unusual to hear hunters tell stories of six or eight birds falling from the sky and their American Water Spaniels sitting patiently, waiting for the command to retrieve. Once sent on the retrieve the dog often successfully gathers each and every bird without further direction from the owner. Despite such stories, though, it is the wise owner who takes the time to thoroughly train the AWS in the proper field manners of retrieving dogs. Teaching the dog to sit quietly as it waits to be sent on its task and instructing it on how to be directed to a downed bird are just a couple of the trained behaviors most owners should work on. Through judicious and consistent training, owners will find that the AWS will perform in the stylized fashion of many of the common retriever breeds.
Historically, the need for a medium-sized field dog that wouldn’t “tip the boat” on a hunt gave rise to the development of the AWS.
When hunting the uplands for pheasants, grouse or rabbit, the AWS makes good use of its exceptional nose. It is not unusual to hear owners brag of their dogs scenting birds well out of gun range. Similarly, it is quite common to hear stories of dogs that tracked wounded game for several yards and then dug it out of cover so dense that the hunter could not see the dog once it entered the cover. Such is the power of the AWS’s nose and the tenacity of the breed’s spirit. Though a flushing breed, the AWS is not what some would describe as a hard-flushing dog. Instead the American Water Spaniel tends to put a bird to flight with more of a soft flush as it moves into the bird judiciously as opposed to recklessly. Once the bird is put to flight the AWS will chase after it unless taught the proper manners of being steady to the flush of the bird or at least heeding the command of its owner to sit.
Field training should begin at an early age with basic obedience and simple retrieves. This is not the time to overdo the work expected of the dog, so short sessions of no more than a 10-or 15-minute duration held 2 or 3 times each day will quickly form a solid basis on which to develop a good working dog. As training progresses the introduction of birds, guns, gunfire, decoys and other typical aspects found while hunting can begin. It is very important that all of these things be introduced in a systematic and positive manner so as to encourage the dog to develop its inherent qualities as a field dog.
For the novice trainer there are many books available to help in getting started with the training process. It is often best to avail yourself of a couple of books to develop an understanding of the various techniques used and to find a program that best fits your needs and personality. There are also numerous training clubs and professional trainers around the country that will assist members in accomplishing the task of creating a good flushing dog or retriever, and new owners will benefit from searching out such groups to assist them with the process. What is most important is that the novice trainer seeks assistance so that the training techniques used are appropriate and will lead to success for both the dog and trainer.
The American Water Spaniel’s webbed feet and all-around field abilities make it a natural and confident water retriever.
SPANIEL OR RETRIEVER
If you find yourself among a number of American Water Spaniel owners and want to effect a strong debate, just ask the question, “Are these spaniels or retrievers?” The answer will vary from owner to owner and probably be centered more upon how each owner uses his dog in the field than on the actual characteristics of the breed.
This has been a long-standing debate among AWS field enthusiasts and is likely the root cause for the delay in classifying the breed with the American Kennel Club. Even the solution to ending the debate over classification involved a compromise of sorts that permitted the two sides of the argument to meet somewhat in the middle with the spaniel supporters gaining AKC classification as a flushing spaniel and the retriever supporters obtaining a requirement that no title is awarded until a dog demonstrates its ability as a retriever in American Water Spaniel Club Retrieving Certificate Tests.
Tangle, owned by Jim McKibben, with one of several ducks retrieved during a morning’s hunt in Wisconsin.
It has long been stated that the chief cause for the debate about “spaniel or retriever” is found in the breed’s name, the American Water Spaniel. If it were not for throwing that word “water” into the name there might never have been this controversy and people may have been more accepting of the breed’s abilities as an all-around hunting dog. It may also have been helpful if there would have been a designation by the American Kennel Club or some other voice of authority defining just what a water spaniel is and what it does so that it could be compared to other types of dogs like retrievers, pointers