Submitted by Pat Oldenburg, President of the American Water Spaniel Club, Inc., and made possible by the hard work and assistance of many incredible club members.

A short note about the American Water Spaniel: Almost everyone who owns an American Water Spaniel (AWS) has had someone approach them and say, “My granddad used to have one of those dogs. Best dog he ever had.” Relatively small in stature (15-18 inches at the shoulder, weighing in at 25-45 pounds), the AWS is a bundle of raw energy, physical ability, mental alertness, and intelligence.

As one of only 20 fully-recognized AKC breeds originating in the United States, the AWS is a breed that was developed by necessity to be, above all, a hunter. The dog was developed in the 19th century as a cold-water duck dog in the Upper Fox and Wolf River Valley near Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Working in large marshes and out of small skiffs and canoes, the hunters felt they needed a dog that was significantly smaller in size than the larger hunting retrievers, but one that was still powerful, sturdy, and capable of handling the harsh weather conditions often encountered in the region, especially during the latter part of the fall migration when the canvasbacks would
come through.

The old-time gunners in the region not only needed a dog that could retrieve waterfowl, they also needed a dog versatile enough to hunt all manner of game, whether feather or fur. For example, once freeze-up occurred, the gunner’s attention often turned to trapping, and here too the AWS was expected to earn their keep by running down and retrieving any muskrats that were encountered on the ice. In addition to their work in the marshes, the Valley and neighboring regions also supported abundant populations of grouse, woodcock, rabbits, and hare, all of which were pursued by the gunners and their little brown dogs.

The exact origins of the AWS are shrouded in unresolved history. Both written material and human memory have not always been reliable sources of information. One of the few things that most people agree on is that the principal ancestry is the now-extinct old English Water Spaniel. One of the theories is that the English Water Spaniel was crossed with the Irish Water Spaniel and the Curly Coated Retriever (per the AKC). Others contend the addition of Irish Water Spaniel stock was a later addition to the breed. Still others point to potential inclusion of some Chesapeake Bay Retriever genes, resulting occasionally in dogs with yellow eyes (a disqualification under the Breed Standard).

Regardless, the American Water Spaniel has been breeding true to form since at least the 1870s. Through the efforts of Dr. F.J. Pfieffer, physician and surgeon in New London, Wisconsin, breeding stock records were collected and a breeding registry was established with the United Kennel Club of Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1920. Down through the years, the breed has been called by a lot of different names: “Brown Spaniel,” “Curly Coated Spaniel,” “Brown Water Spaniel,” “Skiff Spaniel,” “American Brown,” and inappropriately, the “Rattail” (which the dog should not have). In 1938, the AWS was accepted by the Field Dog Stud Book, and in 1940 by the American Kennel Club.

Today, the AWS remains close to its roots—a first-class finder and flusher of upland game and a steady companion in the marsh. A methodical hunter equipped with an excellent nose and strong drive, the AWS is truly an all-purpose dog. Most that are hunted are cross-trained (flushing and non-slip retrieving) to one extent or the other. One can expect the AWS to cover the field at a steady and deliberate pace utilizing a sweeping pattern, and experienced dogs will oftentimes deliberately seek out the cover that will most likely hold birds. The AWS normally employs a soft flush and often hesitates just prior to putting the bird to flight, which can be particularly advantageous to the gunner when working in grouse and woodcock coverts.

When it comes to retrieving from water, protected by their undercoat and somewhat oily coat, the AWS enters the water with entries varying from cautious and deliberate to powerful and bold. The AWS has excellent memory and marking ability, and when properly trained can perform the most challenging blind retrieves.

While an energetic hunter, the AWS has the ability to “dial it back” off the field, and this ability, coupled with the breed’s relatively small stature, make it just the right size and personality for today’s hunter who wants more than just a hunting dog.

Not only versatile in the field, the AWS also shines in the Conformation, Obedience, Rally, and Agility rings. Quick to learn, eager to please, and thriving on attention, these dogs continue to rack up points and praise. The American Warer Spaniel Club, Inc. (AKC parent club) is dedicated to ensuring the AWS remains a truly versatile companion in the field, ring, home, and beyond. As with many clubs, the parent club combines its National Specialty with field events, and in a good year we can have upwards of 70 percent of the dogs in the show ring spending the next several days in the field, proving that form follows function.

This strong showing of ring and field crossover is also supported by the club’s Vaughn W. Brockman Award. Vaughn W. Brockman was instrumental in the improvement of the AWS through both selective breeding and recognizing the importance of good conformation in the hunting dog. The Vaughn W. Brockman Award is earned by those dogs that have earned an AKC breed championship and an American Water Spaniel Club, Inc. Working Dog title or higher.

With the efforts of the American Water Spaniel Club and the many people owning and working this remarkable breed, people in generations to come will be making the same comment and adding, “We’ve got one too, and granddad was right.”

The post The American Water Spaniel – Granddad’s Hunting Companion appeared first on Showsight Magazine.

1. Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live? How many years in dogs? How many years as a breeder? What is your kennel name?
2. What is your “process” for selecting show puppies? Performance puppies?
3. In your opinion, is your breed in good condition overall? Any trends that warrant concern?
4. As a Preservation Breeder, can you share your thoughts on the sport today? How’s the judging these days? What do you think about the number of shows?
5. In your opinion, is social media good for the sport? Is it harmful?
6. What are the biggest challenges facing the dog show community as a whole today and how can these be addressed?
7. What are some of the positive changes you’ve seen in the sport over the past decade?
   

1. My mother, Pam, and I breed American Water Spaniels and English Setters under the kennel name Kei-Rin in Northern Wisconsin. The AWS were bred by my grandparents and great-grandparents, since the 1930s, and when my mom married my dad and wanted to start breeding and showing dogs that could also hunt grouse, they were the obvious choice. Setters came into the picture years later when I wanted a flashy breed for Junior Showmanship. So, my journey in dogs began as a toddler in the whelping box, “helping” my mom with litters from an early age. Before I was five, my mom let me start taking dogs in the show ring. My breeding program has been inherited from my mother and we continue to work together to this day on all decisions.

2. I’ve always tried to avoid picking puppies before eight weeks; however, as the years of experience accumulate you realize you can start making informed decisions many weeks earlier. There is something to be said for the personality dynamics of a litter—there will always be standouts and wallflowers. But we have also seen wallflowers turn into Best in Show winners once they leave the nest, so we try to keep an open mind. We stack pups as early as five weeks and watch them move and interact with us and their littermates from the second they start crawling around. Does someone have a lot of drive for the bird wing? Is someone extra keen on getting our attention? And is someone too stubborn or dominant for a first-time home, etc.? These are all questions we are constantly asking so that we can match a show home with the best structure and the performance home with the best drive. We have never used a formal process, just a lot of observing!

3. Focusing on the American Water Spaniel, breeders of the 1980s and ‘90s worked tirelessly to improve temperaments and health, and we have made great strides in improving the breed. However, we’ve watched the breed get bigger and leggier over the past 20 years, which is a concern of mine. I do not want to see my breed morph to be competitive against larger retrievers in field events. These are dogs that should fit in your canoe or kayak and be able to get through thick underbrush with ease. Some of my best hunting dogs were petite bitches, so the theory that bigger is better is simply misplaced. Twenty years ago, we never saw a yellow eye, and now this disqualification is showing up much more frequently. Unfortunately for us breeders who are working hard to preserve our breed type, we simply do not have many active breeders and even fewer who are in pursuit of correct conformation. When it comes to the Setters, I might be tougher on them because of the larger gene pool. We did a great job of improving fronts but then lost our rears. Movement seems to be all over the board as well. I am not worried about any trends, per se, but I think, as a whole, we can do better as breeders if we focus on finding the right stud for our bitch instead of defaulting to the popular stud of the moment.

4. As a breeder, I know I cannot enter every dog every weekend. I have to be strategic about when I start a dog or I would go broke. Naturally, this means there are more dogs in the breeding pool than seen at shows, but if our only avenue to see these potential stud dogs is at shows, and the majority of us cannot afford to campaign every dog we have, it gets harder and harder to find the right stud dog for my bitch. Thank goodness for social media in this regard! Of course, we’ve seen entries drop as the number of shows skyrocketed. I remember watching Open Classes that were 20-plus deep in Setters in the ‘90s, and now every major takes a concerted effort to build. We’ve always had to work together to make majors in AWS, so allowing championship points for all Group placements should be beneficial for these rare breeds. But as much as we all harp on the number of shows every weekend, the smaller shows sometimes make it easier to win at a higher level, so I won’t complain too much! Competing in the Sporting Group in the Midwest is always challenging because the quality is so deep, so having a lot of shows to attend can make it more fun for the hobbyist looking to win their first Best in Show. As someone who has been showing for well over 30 years, I am always amazed by how many judges I do not know on any given panel. But new is not always bad, and I’ve seen firsthand the dedication many judges give to learning the breeds they are responsible for. I don’t think the judging is any better or worse than it has always been—at the end of the days these are just human beings we are seeking an opinion from.

5. It is nice to be able to connect with judges and handlers as our peers, which was not always possible before social media. Whether its sharing a relatable travel disaster, finding a stud dog, posting an ad for kennel help wanted, or learning a new stripping technique, I would say social media has provided more benefit to our community than harm.

6. It’s not just the dog show community facing this challenge, but we must find ways to transition from the old guard to the new. I am active in several clubs, and I am purposefully inactive in several others, and what I see consistently is resistance from the older generation to work with the new generation. Fear of change is always the culprit, in my experience. This often comes from a good place—wanting to ensure the success for generations to come. But what I hear time and time again from people around my same age is that they refuse to get “sucked into the drama,” so they sit on the sidelines. Community involvement is dwindling in many areas of society beyond dog shows, but that doesn’t give us a free pass. Maybe we need to incentivize clubs to encourage the younger generation to take on roles—our own version of the YP40 groups we see in Corporate America. (Young Professionals Under 40, for those of you blessed to not be involved in the corporate world.) Another obvious challenge to the sport is local regulations against breeders. Very few breeders are in a position to keep multiple offspring from litters to ensure they chose the right one to carry on, sometimes because of financial restrictions but also sometimes because of dog limits. Breeders are the backbone of the sport.

7. I think the NOHS has given owner-handlers a platform to shine and a reason to seek improvement and growth. Love it or hate it, I think it’s been a net-positive. I have seen a lot more success in rare breeds in the Group rings; the recognition from judges at that level only helps to encourage participation. Thanks to social media, our sport has been able to rally around victims and support one another more than ever before. There is also, finally, awareness around predatory behavior that has plagued the sport for decades.

The post Kayla Kozak | Kei-Rin American Water Spaniels & English Setters appeared first on Showsight Magazine.

I live in western Minnesota and hunt a variety of species. My dogs and I primarily pursue ducks, geese, pheasants, and grouse. We also try to take a trip further from home occasionally, the most recent being a trip to Wyoming for a sage grouse hunt.

My dogs need to be versatile, tough, and driven. They need to be steady, non-slip retrievers, but they also need to cover ground in the uplands. And they need an excellent nose and good marking ability (the ability to spot and remember the location of a fallen bird). I like dogs with grit, willing and able to continue working hard when conditions are tough and birds are few. I also like a dog with personality. A companion that can lighten the mood on long days—whether hunting or otherwise—is worth its weight in gold.

I knew I needed a dog with a good coat. Hunting here involves icy water and wet snow for much of the season. (There are many fine hunting breeds that needed to be ruled out from the get-go for this reason.) I also put a lot of weight into overall breed health. I wanted a dog that was unlikely to suffer from hereditary health issues, and one that was likely to live a long, happy life.

During my search, I was living in an apartment. Although several larger Sporting breeds intrigued me, I couldn’t get one at the time without having to move. Besides, the smaller breeds that I’d hunted with in the past had always gotten the job done, without taking up quite as much space in a car or a duck boat.

After carefully considering nearly every AKC Sporting breed (and ignoring countless statistics lessons), I had my short list. I visited breeders of several Sporting breeds, and all would have been good choices. What I really think settled it for me was James Spencer’s description of the AWS in his book, HUP! Training Flushing Spaniels the American Way. In the book, Mr. Spencer shares several colorful stories of the breed, and descriptions of the breed’s hunting abilities. In his closing remarks, he laments that the breed is not more popular and states, “Too bad, for no other breed can do so many things the American hunter needs done.” I’ve always been a sucker for an underdog, I guess.

And so, I was eventually able to bring home my first AWS, a male whom I call “Pike.” Pike has since been followed by several others, each of whom display the traits listed above. Developed in Wisconsin, the AWS was a hunting dog from the start. Bred to serve a variety of purposes, this catch-as-catch-can hunter found game, flushed it for the hunter, and retrieved. They were able to retrieve from a small boat without upsetting it, and they had the coat and grit required to tolerate Wisconsin’s often harsh conditions. To my reading, the AWS breed standard is a little less prescriptive than many, with emphasis on how the dog’s structure enables it to do its job. This, to me, helps explain the fact that many of the most accomplished conformation show dogs in the breed also carry top-end hunt titles. The entire standard encourages function through form, and rewards capability.

My males are on the top-end of the breed size standard, around 45 pounds and 18 inches tall. They are powerful dogs with substantial bone and muscle for their size. My females are more feminine, weighing around 35 pounds, but solidly built and very capable. They hunt with intensity. Some breeds may display a bit more “flash,” but the AWS attracts the eye with desire and drive.

In my area, my dogs have hunted just about every legal species in every type of cover you can imagine. They have retrieved birds in ponds, lakes, and rivers (frozen or otherwise). They have tracked, blood-trailed, and air-scented game. We’ve hunted from blinds and boats, but we’ve also tucked into weedy patches next to stock-water tanks, or perched on top of muskrat lodges. From 90-degree temperatures on September dove hunts to below zero days on late season ducks and pheasants, I have yet to be disappointed.

When seeking a breed to serve as an all-around hunting dog and companion, there are many choices. In my opinion, all of them are good. But none are better than the American Water Spaniel.

The post The Best Hunting Dog & Companion | American Water Spaniel appeared first on Showsight Magazine.