According to the AKC, the American Water Spaniel was the first breed developed in the US as an all around hunter that could retrieve from boats. Had it not also been strong enough to bring a duck or goose back to the boat, we doubt the breed would have come to be as respected among hunters as it became.  Word gets around hunters.

Among its breeders, however, the American Water Spaniel was a happily kept secret. Until it was recognized by the UKC in 1920, the Field Dog Stud Book in 1938, and AKC in 1940, the breed was rarely shown because owners wanted to preserve the breed’s reputation as a expert hunting dog. In fact, until 2005, the spaniels remained unclassified as a hunting breed, neither spaniel or retriever. As a rule, this wouldn’t have been a problem expect that the dogs weren’t permitted to participate in any AKC hunt tests or field trial, and as a result, proud hunter/owners grew frustrated at the lack of opportunity to show off their breed in action in the field.

By the time of recognition, there were some 3,000 American Water Spaniels in the country with a majority in the Midwest. Because the AKC no longer shares registration statistics, current numbers are unknown to us. Hopefully, the breed enjoys healthy numbers.

American Water Spaniel by Tracy Roland. Find and support this artist here.