The American Water Spaniel is the state dog of Wisconsin, yet is rarely seen in most of the United States (or indeed, the world). Despite his lack of popularity, this small-medium sized hunting spaniel makes a great companion and gun dog alike. The breed is very energetic and happy, enjoying spending time with their owners! In fact, they do best when given activities and exercise to burn off their energy – this is not a lay-about couch potato. In fact, expect to spend a good hour or two a day exercising this breed. If not provided with enough mental and physical stimulation, they can become bored and destructive. For this reason, the AWS is not always recommended for the first-time dog owner.
While happy and exuberant with his owners, the American Water Spaniel tends to be more stand-offish with strangers, but usually is still quite friendly! An AWS with a correct temperament should be confident and bold. When they need to be, they can be downright fearless! With their owners, they are fiercely loyal and even clownish. They love to be the center of attention! Like many breeds, they do much better living with the family indoors rather than being outdoor dogs. The breed is also very playful and tends to get along well with children, although they must be taught not to jump up and knock over very small kids.
Because he was bred to retrieve game from the water (along with other hunting tasks), the AWS is a natural swimmer! He enjoys playing in the pool or the lake, and can even be trained for the various water sports made for dogs. His double coat is waterproof, which keeps him warm and toasty in the water but also means that bathing him will take a bit of extra work. Also, the curlier the coat, the longer it may take him to dry off afterward. For clarification, the AWS comes in two types of coat: curly and “marcel” (wavy). Both coat types require regular grooming although nothing extreme, and neither coat sheds very heavily.
When it comes to training, the AWS is generally willing to please but can, at times, be stubborn. If trained too harshly, they can shut down. It is best to remember that this is an intelligent, yet sensitive breed which needs a good balance of firmness and fairness while being trained. Keep in mind that varying the commands and changing up the training regime is better than using the same routine every single time – the AWS may tend to get bored if he can guess what’s going to happen next. Despite how this may sound, the breed is moderately easy to train overall, and is particularly skilled in retrieval-based commands.
The American Water Spaniel does tend to bark when he feels it is necessary, and he may feel that necessity more often than you do! He particularly likes to bark when he is having a good time, such as while chasing after a rabbit or meeting a new person. This, combined with his activity level and his propensity to chew stuff up if not given enough attention, does not make him the best match for a person living in an apartment. It can be done, but the apartment-dwelling owner must really go out of their way to provide a lot of exercise and training.
These active little spaniels also like to roam and do require being kept inside a fenced yard for their own safety when not being supervised. Watch for evidence of them digging under the fence, as some enjoy unearthing their way out! Although they make great watchdogs, this job is best done with them inside the house rather than outside. Because of their tendency toward separation anxiety, they can get extra frustrated if they are left outside all day long.
The AWS can get along well with other dogs that live in the same household but may tend toward wanting to be the top dog. They may also have a problem with a strange dogs encroaching onto their property. They tend to be very territorial. It is suggested that puppies are thoroughly socialized to other dogs in order to give them the best head-start toward getting along with their own species. This socialization will also help them adapt to other people, places and things – and prevent undue shyness.
Some American Water Spaniels are prone to becoming food possessive, although this is easily avoided by teaching the dog (as a young puppy) that you can take away and then give back their food bowl without it being a big deal. As this breed can tend toward being assertive in general, it is a really good idea to do exercises such as this anyway. This is another reason why obedience and enforcing house rules are a must!
