- A very rich puce liver, white on chest objectionable
About the Irish Water Spaniel
Origin: Ireland
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 25-31 kg
- Female
- 20-26 kg
- Height
- Male
- 56-61 cm
- Female
- 53-58 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Retrievers - Flushing Dogs - Water Dogs
- Origin
- Ireland
- Also called
- Perro de Agua Irlandes
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Irish Water Spaniel?
The tallest of all spaniels, this large, versatile sporting dog is distinguished by its crisp, curly purplish-brown waterproof coat, distinctive smooth tapered 'rat tail', and characteristic topknot. Bred for retrieving waterfowl from cold Irish waters, combining intelligence with a playful, alert nature.
Irish Water Spaniel history and origins
Ancient Irish breed with modern development in the 1830s primarily by Justin McCarthy. Bred for retrieving waterfowl from cold Irish waters, mentioned in Irish literature as early as 1600s and recognized by AKC in 1884
Irish Water Spaniel appearance and size
Males typically weigh 25-31 kg and stand 56-61 cm at the shoulder; females 20-26 kg and 53-58 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- The Irish Water Spaniel can be easily adapted to suit most forms of shooting he will hunt, often point and retrieve readily from heavy cover. The construction and nature of the breed has traditionally made it the choice of the wildfowler
- Behaviour and temperament
“Proud, combining great intelligence and endurance with a bold and dashing eagerness of temperament, immense stamina and loyalty. A good family dog with a sense of humour but discerning with strangers”
Quoted from FCI standard n°124. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “The Irish Water Spaniel can be easily adapted to suit most forms of shooting he will hunt, often point and retrieve readily from heavy cover. The construction and nature of the breed has traditionally made it the choice of the wildfowler” 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
- —
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Irish Water Spaniel
What you get with the Irish Water Spaniel
- Purpose stated in the standard: “The Irish Water Spaniel can be easily adapted to suit most forms of shooting he will hunt, often point and retrieve readily from heavy cover”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Proud, combining great intelligence and endurance with a bold and dashing eagerness of temperament, immense stamina and…”
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Dense, tight, crisp ringlets, entirely free from woolliness but with a natural oiliness.”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
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 · Irish Water Spaniel
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Dense, tight, crisp ringlets, entirely free from woolliness but with a natural oiliness.
The back and sides of the neck should be covered with curls similar to those on the body, the throat should be smooth, the smooth hair forming a V-shaped patch from the back of the lower jaw to the breastbone.
The forelegs covered with feather, which should be abundant all round though shorter in front.
Below the hocks, the hindlegs must be smooth in front, but feathered behind down to the feet
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°124 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Irish Water Spaniel in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Irish Water Spaniel
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Irish Water 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 Irish Water 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 Irish Water 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.