Irish Water Spaniel

The Irish Water Spaniel is, of course, a native of Ireland. The assumption is that he goes back about 2,000 years, although there are only fragments of proof. Very likely, he is related to the first type of Spaniel that came from the Mediterranean parts of Spain.

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The same Spaniel also was the root from which sprang the Poodle, the extinct English Water Spaniel, and the Portuguese Water Dog. It may be he came to Ireland when Roman vessels were plying the seas between southern Continental Europe and the British Isles. The breed's specialty is work in the water.

You can read about "English Springer Spaniel" here

He could be a good dog for upland game, too, except that the dense solid liver coat, covered with tight crisp ringlets, is not one suitable for prolonged work in thick brush. He is one of America's foundation breeds. When the first regular public studbook was published in America in 1878, the Irish Water Spaniel was already a popular Retriever.

The Irishman always has been a dog of the people, accustomed to small homes rather than large estates. He is a true friend of the family but slow to take up with strangers. In the male, the standard requires that the dog stand between 22 and 24 inches high and weigh from 55 to 65 pounds. Although established in America long ago, the breed's numerical position never has been among the leaders. The top modern standing was fifty-second in 1931.

When the Irish Water Spaniel entered the United States, American sportsmen began breeding larger and longer-legged dogs than the original importations as better suited to American waterfowl conditions.