- The German Spaniel is bred in two colour varieties: • Solid brown, and more seldom also red*, including all occurring reddish shades (like fox or deer red).
- Often with white or ticked markings on chest and toes. • Brown roan, more seldom red* roan
- As basic colour, brown or red* hair is closely mixed with white hair.
- Often with the head brown or red*, as well as with patches or a saddle over the whole back.
- To this colour variety also belong the pied colour patterns with white as basic colour and large brown or red* patches as well as « tiger » pattern where the white basic colour is in addition sprinkled or ticked with clusters of brown or red* hair, even when bred from solid colour parents.
- In both colours, red* markings (« Brand ») over eyes, on muzzle, legs and round vent can occur. * Red = all existing reddish shades (fox, roedeer or deer red)
About the German Spaniel
Origin: Germany
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 20-25 kg
- Height
- Male
- 47-55 cm
- Female
- 44-52 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Retrievers - Flushing Dogs - Water Dogs
- Origin
- Germany
- Also called
- Perdiguero Aleman
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a German Spaniel?
Medium-sized, muscular hunting spaniel known as the Deutscher Wachtelhund in its native Germany, with a dense wavy double coat featuring feathering and strong tracking abilities developed for versatile forest hunting
German Spaniel history and origins
Developed in Germany in the 1890s from older German landrace dogs known as Stöberhund, crossing various spaniels to create a versatile hunting dog capable of tracking, flushing, and retrieving game in dense forests and water. FCI-recognized and bred primarily for hunting ability and versatility rather than appearance.
German Spaniel appearance and size
Males typically stand 47-55 cm at the shoulder and females 44-52 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Flushing Dog, versatile hunting dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“Lively, passionate hunter, friendly, assured, very docile and adaptable, neither nervous nor aggressive. Characteristics of the German Spaniel are: • Possessed of a strong desire to find. • Able to pick up scent, firm in tracking. • Reliable at giving tongue. • A fine nose. • Likes retrieving and work in water. • Sharp with game and vermin. • Working independently but still in a controlled manner when appropriately trained and guided; reliable for tracking wounded game, retrieving lost game and flushing; a versatile gundog especially for woodland with heavy cover and water. The trait to point was not given attention since breeding began”
Quoted from FCI standard n°104. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Flushing Dog, versatile hunting dog” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 4 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the German Spaniel
What you get with the German Spaniel
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Flushing Dog, versatile hunting dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Lively, passionate hunter, friendly, assured, very docile and adaptable, neither nervous nor aggressive”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Frequently frill on neck (jabot). Also well coated on belly.”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · German Spaniel
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Strong, close fitting, mostly wavy, sometimes curly (astrakhan) or smooth long coat, with thick undercoat.
Hair not too long, much less thin or even silky.
On nape, leathers and croup, often curly.
Rearside of legs and tail, well feathered.
Frequently frill on neck (jabot).
Also well coated on belly.
Muzzle and cranial region: Hair short but dense.
The leathers are covered by curls or dense wavy hair which also reaches beyond their inner edge.
Interdigital gaps have dense but not too long hair
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°104 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the German Spaniel down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- Skins problems: Dermatitis, atopy.
- Missing teeth, apart from the lack of one PM1
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Weak temperament, gun-or game-shy.
- Serious mouth faults (over-or undershot, wry mouth).
- Entropion, ectropion.
- Black coat colour
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the German Spaniel in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a German Spaniel
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the German Spaniel on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where German Spaniel owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No German Spaniel breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.