The American Water Spaniel - Facts You Must Know Before Adopting The American Water Spaniel

By Author: Ricardo Limbardo
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The American Water Spaniel has a hardy, muscular build. They have long, broad skull features with a square, medium-length muzzle. They weigh 25-45 pounds, and 15-18 inches tall.

Coat

The coat of an American Water spaniel is double with an oily, harsh feeling outer coat that is curled to a dense, thick, inner coat that is finer and softer. The hair on the chest, legs, ears, and tail is a little lengthy and more fringed, yet still wavy and curly. May not be uniformly curly, the coat across the back is straighter than the hair on the rump or chest area.

The coat of the American Water Spaniel is chocolate or liver in color may or may not have white patches on the chest area, and white on the toes.

Activity

Requiring a lot of exercise, the American Water Spaniel is not choosy on what type of activity they are doing, as long as they spend their pent up energy. They love playing with their families, and are happy to go on a long walk to the park, or through the neighborhood without leash. It is important though, never to let them jump into the air to catch a ball or a Frisbee, as this ...
... can result to joint problems as the dog matures.

Temperament

The average American Water Spaniel is obedient, persistent, energetic, and loyal. Although they are generally placid with children and other pets, they may become aggressive to dogs they do not know. An ideal family pet, they are very friendly, even to strangers, if properly introduced. They make excellent guard dogs, and tend to bark unceasingly.

Overview

As avid hunters, the American Water Spaniel hunts fur and feather with enthusiasm and excitement. This breed is intelligent, friendly, and willing to please.

Care

Recognized to have an oily coat, the American Water Spaniel requires a thorough brushing twice a week. Bathing should only be done when necessary as it removes the natural oils in their coats, and may dry out the skin.

The American Water Spaniel is generally a healthy breed, but some lines are susceptible to skin problems. This breed of dog needs a great deal of exercise. Their average life span is between 12-15 years, with 4-6 puppies per litter.

Training

The American Water Spaniel is very eager to please, thus making them easy to work with. They are tolerant of repetitious type of training unlike most of the other breeds. Easy to housebreak, they are an ideal breed for crate training techniques. Effort and consistency on the part of the owner may be enough to housetrain this breed in 2-3 weeks.

In training this breed, the handler should never use harsh punishment or a rough tone of voice as they tend to become nervous if negative training methods are used. Positive reinforcement and a great deal of praise should be applied, focusing more on their good traits and ignoring the negative ones.

Character

The typical American Water Spaniel is highly intelligent, trainable, and eager to learn. Although usually used as a working dog, this type of breed may also be an excellent family companion, and a guard dog. They are full of energy, vitality, and are very obedient. Trainers of American Water Spaniel should be understanding and patient, as this breed is very sensitive to harsh handling. Widely known to be great with children, easy-going, and laid back, they can be prone to snapping if improperly reared. This breed is exceptional swimmers, and has the tendency to whine.

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