THE AMERICAN WATER SPANIEL
muskrat lodges. From 90-degree tempera- tures on September dove hunts to below zero days on late season ducks and pheas- ants, I have yet to be disappointed. When seeking a breed to serve as an all-around hunting dog and companion, there are many choices. In my opinion, all of them are good. But none are better than the American Water Spaniel.
Wisconsin’s often harsh conditions. To my reading, the AWS breed standard is a little less prescriptive than many, with empha- sis on how the dog’s structure enables it to do its job. This, to me, helps explain the fact that many of the most accomplished conformation show dogs in the breed also carry top-end hunt titles. The entire stan- dard encourages function through form, and rewards capability. My males are on the top-end of the breed size standard, around 45 pounds and 18 inches tall. They are powerful dogs with substantial bone and muscle for their size. My females are more feminine, weighing around 35 pounds, but solidly built and very capable. They hunt with intensity. Some breeds may display a bit more “flash,” but the AWS attracts the eye with desire and drive. In my area, my dogs have hunted just about every legal species in every type of cover you can imagine. They have retrieved birds in ponds, lakes, and rivers (frozen or otherwise). They have tracked, blood-trailed, and air-scented game. We’ve hunted from blinds and boats, but we’ve also tucked into weedy patches next to stock-water tanks, or perched on top of
After carefully considering nearly every AKC Sporting breed (and ignoring count- less statistics lessons), I had my short list. I visited breeders of several Sporting breeds, and all would have been good choices. What I really think settled it for me was James Spencer’s description of the AWS in his book, HUP! Training Flushing Span- iels the American Way . In the book, Mr. Spencer shares several colorful stories of the breed, and descriptions of the breed’s hunting abilities. In his closing remarks, he laments that the breed is not more popular and states, “Too bad, for no other breed can do so many things the Ameri- can hunter needs done.” I’ve always been a sucker for an underdog, I guess. And so, I was eventually able to bring home my first AWS, a male whom I call “Pike.” Pike has since been followed by several others, each of whom display the traits listed above. Developed in Wis- consin, the AWS was a hunting dog from the start. Bred to serve a variety of purposes, this catch-as-catch-can hunter found game, flushed it for the hunter, and retrieved. They were able to retrieve from a small boat without upsetting it, and they had the coat and grit required to tolerate
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Aaron Field is an ecologist, hunter, and American Water Spaniel enthusiast. He is a member of the American Water Spaniel Club, Inc., and he occasionally breeds AWS under the prefix “Cordgrass.” He and his family live in western Minnesota with their five dogs. When not hunting or training, Aaron enjoys working on improving wildlife habitat on the family’s property.
294 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2021
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