Irish Water Spaniel

Size
Medium (11kg - 27kg)
Exercise
40 min/day
Training
Puppy school only
Time at home
Often alone
Grooming
Frequent
Barking preference
Low
Personality
Independent + affectionate

History

The exact origins of the Irish Water Spaniel are unknown, however, until the mid 19th century there were two types of Water Spaniel native to Ireland. This included the northern type, which had short ears and was liver in colour with white markings, and the southern variety – a solid liver-coloured dog with long ears and a coat of crisp curls. Today’s Irish Water Spaniels are most likely descendants of the southern type.

Appearance

A medium to large size dog with a coat of crisp curls or ringlets covering the entire body, except for the face, throat and tail, the Irish Water Spaniel presents like no other dog. The breed is strongly built with dogs standing at 53-58cm and bitches slightly smaller at 51-56cm. The ribs should be carried well back and well sprung behind the shoulder, giving the breed a distinctive barrel shape.

Finally, the Irish Water Spaniel also possesses one of the most striking topknots in the canine world.

Temperament

The Irish Water Spaniel is often referred to as the clown of the Spaniel family and this should be taken as a term of endearment, not as a slight upon the intelligence of the dog. It is an intelligent, alert and independent dog, loving and devoted to its family. The breed can be aloof with strangers but never aggressive, however, it can also be headstrong and likes to have its own way.

Health

The Irish Water Spaniel has no major health problems in Australia and this reﬂects positively on all the breeders, both past and present, who have ensured that only dogs that are physically sound and of good temperament are used in their breeding programs.

There have been occasional reports of Entropion, but generally the Irish Water Spaniel is a healthy breed with few inherent health issues.

Maintenance

Grooming an Irish Water Spaniel is not diﬃcult. It should be thoroughly combed out at least once a week, preferably twice. If left uncombed the coat will matt and this can lead to skin irritation. Bathing an Irish Water Spaniel should be undertaken regularly and, as with any long-eared breed, particular attention should be paid to the cleaning and drying of the ears.

Trimming an Irish Water Spaniel can seem daunting at ﬁrst, but most breeders are happy to guide new owners through their ﬁrst few attempts.

Suitability

The Irish Water Spaniel is an energetic, active dog that adapts well to most household environments. As a companion, the Irish Water Spaniel needs to be allowed to share as many family activities as possible in order to avoid boredom. Irish Water Spaniels love all activities and have taken part in a range of canine sports including Agility, Flyball and most recently Dock Diving.

As with all breeds, at least one member of the family must be prepared to give enough of their time for feeding, grooming, exercising and training and, for this small investment of your time, your dog will repay you with love, loyalty and years of fun.

Words: Sharon Gahan

Image: Shutterstock.com

In Conclusion

Now you know a little about the Irish Water Spaniel, you may think that this is the dog for you. Before you make a decision, please make contact with the breed club or your State controlling body for purebred dogs. They will be able to give you information about available puppies and also suggest dog shows where you can see the breed and speak to breeders. In this way you will gain a better perspective of the Irish Water Spaniel and its needs, and whether this breed would suit your lifestyle.

Official breed standard as recognized by Dogs NSW (Last Updated: 03 Aug 2008)

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A breed standard is the guideline which describes the ideal characteristics, temperament, and appearance of a breed and ensures that the breed is fit for function with soundness essential. Breeders and judges should at all times be mindful of features which could be detrimental in any way to the health, welfare or soundness of this breed.

General Appearance

Smart, upstanding, strongly built, compact.

Characteristics

Enduring, versatile gundog for all types of shooting particularly in wildfowling.

Temperament

Initially aloof, staunch and affectionate; with an endearing sense of humour and a stable disposition.

Physical Standards

Head and Skull	Head of good size. Skull high in dome; of good length and width allowing adequate brain capacity. Muzzle long, strong, somewhat square with gradual stop. Face smooth, nose large and well developed, dark liver colour, overall an impression of fineness.
Eyes	Comparatively small, almond shaped, medium to dark brown, intelligent and alert.
Ears	Long oval-shaped; set low, hanging close to cheeks.
Mouth	Jaws strong with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. Upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Neck	Strongly set into shoulders, powerful, arching and long enough to carry the head well above level of back.
Forequarters	Shoulders powerful and sloping; chest deep, reasonable width and curvature between forelegs. Forelegs well boned and straight.
Body	Ribs carried well back, so well sprung behind shoulder as to give a barrel-shape. Back short, broad, and level, strongly coupled to hindquarters. Loins deep and wide.
Hindquarters	Powerful; well angulated stifle and low set hock.
Feet	Large round and spreading, well covered with hair over and between toes.
Tail	Short, not reaching to hock joint, straight, thick at root and tapering to a fine point. Low set, straight and below level of back. Three to four inches of tail root covered by close curls which stop abruptly. The remainder bare or covered by short straight, fine hairs.
Gait/Movement	Moves freely and soundly, with reach and drive; characteristic rolling motion accentuated by barrel-shaped rib cage.
Coat	On body, dense, tight, crisp ringlets, free from woolliness. Hair having natural oiliness. Forelegs covered down to feet with curls or ringlets. Abundant all round, though shorter in front. Below hocks, hindlegs should be smooth in front and with curls or ringlets behind down to feet. On skull covering of long curls forming a pronounced top-knot, growing in a well defined peak to a point between the eyes. Ears covered with long twisted curls. Neck covered with curls similar to those on body. Throat smooth, the smooth hair forming a 'V' shaped patch from back of lower jaw to breast bone.
Colour	Rich dark liver with purplish tint or bloom peculiar to the breed and sometimes referred to as puce-liver.
Size	Height: Dogs 53-58 cms (21-23 ins)Bitches 51-56 cms (20-22 ins)

Faults

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog, and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.