A Little Information About the AWS

A look back

The American Water Spaniel is one of only a few breeds developed in the United States with a history that is cloaked in mystery. Sometimes said to have been on the first ships to discover North America or to have been developed by Native American's before the white man learned of its great abilities; the truth can never be known.

The standard belief of today is that the breed originated in the 1800's, about the time of the Civil War, and probably in the area of the Wolf and Fox River valleys of Wisconsin. No, it is not possible to know for certain as to whether or not this is true but it is as good a starting point as any and Wisconsin has long been one of the breed's bastions. The setting, a haven for market hunters in the late 1800s and early 1900s, also allows for the recognized development of the AWS as a market hunter’s dog. These men worked from small boats, skiffs, or canoes and needed a smaller dog that took up little room on their travels. The AWS certainly fit that need while it also possessed a good nose, sufficient coat, and tenacious spirit.

What breeds went into the development of the AWS is still in question today. Writing in the 1920s, Doc Pfeifer, the breed's foremost promoter and founder, said that he believed it to be a combination of the Curly Coated Retriever and the Field Spaniel. Later, around the 1930s, he seems to have changed his mind and was now saying it was probably a cross between the Curly Coated Retriever and the Flat Coated Retriever. Today most accounts say that the breed is a mixture of the extinct English Water Spaniel, Curly Coated Retriever, and Irish Water Spaniel. Some even profess that there has been a little Chesapeake Bay Retriever thrown in for good measure. At this point, some 150 or so years later, it really does not matter. The breed is what it is and with it’s acceptance into the stud books of the United Kennel Club (1920), Field Dog Stud Book (1929), and the American Kennel Club (1940) the progenitors of the breed were set and could not be added to.

The breed experienced the zenith of its popularity around the early to mid-20th century, before World War II. From that point on, its popularity began wane and today its enthusiasts are doing their best to hold steady or grow its following. While there was a time, not so long ago, when a person could easily learn of the number of individual AWS and AWS litters registered each year with the AKC, those numbers are now held in near secret by the breed’s AKC parent club. Still, with a little sleuthing it is possible to get a general idea of the breed’s population in North America. It appears that there are generally far less than 200 dogs registered with the AKC each year: down from nearly twice that many just about twenty years ago. With an average lifespan of 12 to 14 years, the total population of the breed is somewhere in the area of about 2,500 to maybe 3,000 registered dogs. The cause of the decline is likely about as elusive as is the breed’s ancestry, with some people believing it is a lack of publicity, others minimal showcasing of the breed, and still others who blame it on breed politics. What is certain is that the breed’s enthusiasts are quite set on maintaining the breed and working toward saving it from extinction.

Some breed characteristics

The American Water Spaniel is a friendly outgoing breed that loves to be the center of attention. While some tend to be a bit allusive upon first meeting a stranger most greet with tail wagging, mouth barking in glee, and legs bouncing in pure excitement.

As an intelligent breed they take well to training although they may not do as well with rote training drills as some of the other breeds. Variety in the training process usually keeps the breed from becoming bored and makes things a bit more interesting for the trainer as well. As a breed that likes to please, the AWS trains quickly but requires constant and consistent training to hone the skills needed or desired in many of today's hunting dogs. 

The breed has been described as a barker and certainly this can be the case. In fact, it is not unusual to hear an AWS bark while chasing a rabbit in the field or when sent on a retrieve. Training can help to curb this tendency but, if you have one of the more vocal AWS, it will take some effort to reduce this behavior.

It is better to house an AWS with the rest of the family rather than keep it housed outside in a pen or backyard. This is a breed that will excel when given the proper attention and allowed to be a part of the family. Professional trainers, breeders, guides, and the like that know how to raise a dog in a kennel environment and consistently work with such a dog can achieve success with an AWS raised in this manner, but the average owner is best off to raise the dog in the home as a member of the family.

In the field

The American Water Spaniel is an all-around hunting dog capable of spending a day in the field or sitting patiently in a duck blind. As a hunting dog the AWS has the energy needed to put pheasant, grouse, or rabbit before the gun and the ability to sit quietly in a duck blind waiting for the next flight to come in. As a retriever the American Water Spaniel is more suited to working marshes, rivers, small lakes, and potholes for waterfowl. The breed marks fallen game well and normally retrieves with great enthusiasm.

When hunting in the uplands the AWS shows the power of its exceptional nose with many representatives of the breed demonstrating the ability to scent game out of gun range. Such a nose makes the breed especially adept at locating a downed bird or chasing down a running pheasant. While the breed's manner of flushing is soft verses hard it will, nevertheless, get the birds in the air and give the gunner some great shooting opportunities.

A dog's ability as a hunting companion is not built on instinct alone though. Owners need to recognize that the better dog - the one that more consistently puts birds in the game bag - is the one that is trained to exhibit a degree of control whether working as a retrieving or flushing dog.

Is it a Spaniel or a Retriever?

It is probably best not to ask this question around a mixed group of AWS owners. It is the one topic that can stir up great disagreement and that has caused a lot of animosity among enthusiasts. So, there is probably never going to be a definitive answer to this question, nor does there need to be. The breed has a long history of working as either or both a spaniel and a retriever. So, to say that the breed is one or the other seems to do its historical nature a bit of a disservice. Even today, you will find that many, if not most, AWS are used as both a flushing dog (spaniel) and a retrieving dog (retriever). No matter how you choose to use your AWS in the field, as a spaniel, a retriever, or a combination of the two, the AWS will likely meet and beat your expectations. If you like your dog to be tenacious, swift afoot, questing the field and woods in front of you in search of birds to put up before your gun, trust that the heart of a spaniel lies within the AWS. Likewise, if you want your dog to train rather easily, be eager to please, intelligent, and rather sweet tempered, like many retriever breeds, the AWS may just be what you are looking for… and you can label it however you want.