Irish Water Spaniel puppies

About the Irish Water Spaniel

The Irish Water Spaniel is the tallest of the spaniels, developed in Ireland to retrieve wildfowl from cold water and bog. They are unmistakable: a dense coat of crisp liver ringlets, a topknot of loose curls falling over the forehead, and a smooth tapering rat tail with no feathering at all. They stand 53 to 61 cm and weigh 20.4 to 30.8 kg. The character is clownish with their own people, quietly reserved with strangers, and among the most trainable of the sporting breeds.

They need proper daily exercise, and swimming suits them better than anything else. The coat sheds very little, rated 1 out of 5, which is not the same as being low maintenance: brush at least weekly to the skin and have it trimmed and shaped every couple of months or it turns ragged and matted. Indoors this is a quiet dog, and they rate middling with children, so supervise. Keep on top of the curls, because three months without attention usually ends in a clip off.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Irish Water Spaniel puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. Expect moderate energy, in short bursts separated by long naps. Grooming needs are moderate, so build the brushing habit now while the coat is still short and easy. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Hip and elbow dysplasia, screened by hip and elbow evaluation of breeding stock
• Hypothyroidism and other thyroid disease, detected by a blood test of thyroid hormone levels
• Follicular dysplasia, a coat loss condition diagnosed by a skin biopsy
• Skin allergies, diagnosed by ruling out other causes of itching and by allergy testing
• Adverse reactions to sulfa antibiotics and to ivermectin, which the vet should be warned about before prescribing

Your Irish Water Spaniel puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Irish Water Spaniel.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 20.4 to 30.8 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 36 inch (36 x 24 x 26 in, 91 x 61 x 66 cm) for an adult of up to 30.8 kg; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other large breeds

More on the Irish Water Spaniel

Previous: Irish Terrier · Next: Irish Wolfhound

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Irish Water Spaniel breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/irish-water-spaniel/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Roete002, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.