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HISTORY & BREED CHARACTERISTICS
To quote from an old book on dogs, "Once you have observed the form & presence of an Irish Water Spaniel, you will never forget the impression made on your mind by the appearance of this sporting gun dog. Although the Irish dog's body & legs are covered with short & well-formed ringlets, his face & tail are devoid of a profusion of hair." IWSs have many unforgettable characteristics, which, put together, make a truly unique dog. They are readily identifiable by their smooth rat-like tails (they're also known as Rat-Tailed Spaniels), topknots of long, loose curls, brown coats of longish ringlets of hair, beards growing at the base of their throats, sideburns framing their faces, & naturally clean-shaven throats, & faces. The IWS presents a picture of a smart, upstanding, powerfully built but not leggy dog, which combines great intelligence & rugged endurance with a bold, dashing eagerness of temperament. This is a breed of ancient lineage. Water spaniels are mentioned as far back as the Roman era, by Shakespeare & by subsequent writers. In modern history, a dog show class has been provided for them from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Dublin sportsman Justin McCarthy is considered one of the most significant early breeders of IWSs as he was instrumental in setting a distinct, repeatable breed type. His celebrated dog, "Boatswain," was one of the first pure-type & best know of all IWSs.
TEMPERAMENT & PERSONALITY
Characteristic of most sporting dogs, the Irish Water Spaniel is essentially an active, willing & energetic companion. Because the IWS & many of his sporting brethren are purpose-bred retrievers, they instinctively want to please. While there certainly are differences, there is more similarity between an IWS & a Golden, Lab, or Chessie than with a Rottweiler, Afghan, or Airedale. In general, IWSs will be less effusively friendly with total strangers than Goldens, & not as easygoing or tolerant as Labs, but each dog is an individual, & generalizations are especially unwise in this breed. IWSs are definitely Irish in temperament, & both shy & somewhat sharp individuals are not unheard of. Some can be very wary of strangers, & not every IWS can be trusted to get along with other pets. The IWS is not a breed that can be forgotten in the backyard - they need to be family members & benefit from a great deal of early & continuing socialization & training. Socialization is particularly important when an enthusiastic IWS is expected to coexist with children. IWSs are strong-willed, curious individuals. They have unimaginable creative talents that can try the patience of a saint. Their intensity can be both charming & infuriating. They are a "thinking" breed with a streak of blarney thrown in for good measure. In Irish mythology it's said that Princess Paen wanted to teach a leprechaun a lesson, & put him inside an IWS pup for a year. When it came time for the leprechaun's release, he promised the dog that a bit of him would remain forever in the dog & its descendants.
WATCHDOGS
The Irish Water Spaniel was not bred to be a watchdog, & should not be expected to do the job of a good Doberman or German Shepherd. Any of the retrieving breeds will intervene decisively & effectively if a direct assault is made on their master. An IWS is probably more likely to take exception to a burglar entering his unoccupied house than would a tail-wagging, face-licking Golden. With his amber to hazel eyes, the direct confrontational stare of an Irisher can be quite intimidating. Because of his rarity, hence unfamiliarity, the IWS would give pause to an intruder wishing to predict the dog's probable behavior. They are, however, devoted one family dogs who will tend to protect their people & themselves. They are generally not excessive "sport" barkers, but they will let you know in no uncertain terms if there's a stranger about.
OBEDIENCE & OTHER PERFORMANCE SPORTS
Golden Retrievers & Border Collies are the top breeds at the highest levels of obedience competition - but in the hands of a smart trainer, a good Irisher should be able to give them a hard-fought challenge. The IWS has a reputation for being a clown, which is, more accurately, a rationalization of not so subtle disobedient defiance that a competent trainer should be able to overcome & direct, assuming that the trainer is both smarter & more determined than the dog. IWSs are smart, capable dogs who will usually do everything that you ask of them, but who will always add their own particular flair to their performance. They can be incredible con artists who are more than capable of fooling a novice trainer. It can be a challenge learning to distinguish between the dog honestly not understanding what you want him to do, & the dog wanting you to think that he doesn't understand what you want him to do. But again with a knowledgeable, determined trainer, everything is possible. Because of their inclinations, IWS are best trained with positive motivational methods (food, toys, & praise) rather than with a heavy-handed disciplinary approach. To the breed's credit, the first sporting dog to ever obtain an AKC obedience title was an IWS, & the breed has had four Obedience Trial Champions of record. They also compete successfully in fieldwork, freestyle, agility, tracking, rally-style obedience & flyball, as well as anything else that piques their interest. They've also worked as therapy & assistance dogs.
FIELD/HUNTING DOGS
The IWS is often considered a dual-purpose hunting dog, as the breed will retrieve upland game as well as waterfowl. IWSs' dense, oily double coat protects the dogs in the coldest water, but some grooming may be necessary at the end of the day to remove the cockleburs & seeds picked up in the field. The excellent vision & marking abilities of the IWS, combined with a keen nose, protective coat, soft mouth, & tenacious attitude make them truly wonderful hunting companions.
COAT & SHEDDING
IWSs are high-maintenance dogs. This breed requires regular consistent grooming & care to maintain healthy coat, ears, teeth & nails. They should be thoroughly combed & brushed to the skin every one to two weeks. As most groomers are unfamiliar with the breed, many IWS owners learn to trim & bathe their dogs themselves. For the show ring, careful & sometimes extensive scissoring is part of the grooming.
For all IWSs a certain amount of regular scissoring is required every six to eight weeks to maintain the overall shape of the dog. Here in Southern California, where cockleburs & foxtails are of more concern than cold weather, it is advisable to keep the coats of dogs that are being trained, run in the field or kept as pets cut quite short for ease of care. Some people consider the IWS to be a non-shedding & non-allergenic breed. This means that, although you probably won't be sneezing from dander, most of the loose, dead hair will not spontaneously fall to the floor, but become tangled in the rest of the coat, eventually forming mats if left unattended. If allergies are a concern, please make sure to meet an IWS in the flesh BEFORE you consider obtaining one! While an IWS' coat may not drop to the floor like that of a Dalmatian or Labrador, it will clump together to form "dust bunnies" in your home. Especially during those periods when the dog is actively molting or renewing his coat, it is essential that he be brushed or combed regularly to remove the dead hair & prevent matting. IWSs tend to go through several coat changes in the process of maturation. Due to hormonal changes unspayed bitches may tend to "blow" coat more frequently than a dog. Exposure to anesthetics also may cause a dog to partially lose its coat. Although the breed standard calls for only one acceptable coat color - puce-liver (that's liver-brown with a purple cast to it) - there is a range of color from a lighter brown to almost black. There is also considerable variation in coat quality, coat texture, & coat quantity in the breed. Coats range from tight, crisp ringlets to wavy to almost straight hair.
HEALTH & LONGEVITY
As with most medium- to large-sized dogs, the two principal health concerns in IWSs are hip dysplasia & thyroid disease. Although it does not guarantee against dysplastic dogs, it is wise to purchase puppies out of sires & dams with OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) registration numbers. Also inquire about thyroid clearances of the sires & dams tested by Michigan State University or another reputable institution. Cancer, epilepsy & entropian are also not unheard of in the breed, again, as in many other purebred dogs. IWSs have shown sensitivity to Sulfa drugs & the worming drug Ivermectin, both of which can & should be replaced by other types of medication. Inoculating IWS for Leptospirosis is NOT recommended. In spite of these concerns, the average life span of an IWS is somewhere in the nine to twelve year range, although longer- & shorter-lived dogs are common. Several IWS breeders are now following a more holistic approach to dog breeding & rearing. This approach includes feeding a biologically/species appropriate raw diet (sometimes referred to as BARF) of raw meats, ground vegetables & fruits, a reduced vaccination schedule or administering homeopathic nosodes, running titers instead of automatically giving booster shots, herb & vitamin supplementation, acupuncture, chiropractic & homeopathy. We have found this to be in the best interest of the dogs especially given the small gene pool of the breed.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE CONSIDERING AN IWS
If you're considering possibly getting an Irish Water Spaniel, below is a list of questions that you'll need to answer honestly both for yourself & for me as a breeder. These are basic questions, but all of them are very important for the health & well being of any dog, especially an IWS.
As you've made it to this page, I suspect you are probably serious about possibly adding an Irish Water Spaniel to your life. Please consider this questionnaire your application for a possible Hooligan pup. Your completing it supplies me with valuable information that will help me make an intelligent choice regarding the best possible puppy for your family.
After receiving this completed questionnaire, I will do my best to respond in a timely manner. If I have any additional questions, I will contact you. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions you may have about me or my dogs. Selling puppies is NOT why I am involved in the world of IWSs. It is rather because of my love of & passion for the breed. My puppies are carefully raised & socialized. I work very hard to breed sound, healthy dogs that conform to the AKC standard for this breed. It is then up to each pups new owner(s) to keep him/her sound & healthy & to nurture him/her to their full potential. My hope is to find lifelong loving homes for the dogs whose lives I have caused to come into being.
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