Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs American Water Spaniel?

Anyone have experience hunting with one of these dogs? Thanks.

Yes, I hunted with one for 14yrs and when I replace my GWHP it will be with an AWS. Mine was very intelligent, there was very few crates, kennels or leashes she couldn't figure out how to escape from to be with me. It got to the point where the other club member would refer to her as "Houdini" and my hunting partners do to her posesiveness of me referred to her as the "Alligator".

She would never give up on a retrieve and he harder it got the more pissed she got. She won the upland hunting competition at the AWS National Specialty one year and came very close a couple years later.

She passed the AKC spaniel hunt test at the senior level the first try as a demo dog before they were certified to run in the tests.

At six she suffered a major spine infection and the massive doses of meds caused nerve and brain damage, her right eye no longer worked and they said she'd never be in the field again. A year later she learned to work around her disabillities and returned to the field. At 10 she lost her hearing and learned to respond to the vibration mode on her collar to take hand signals and how to keep track of me in the field as she could no longer hear where I was at.

When I was young I hunted with my fathers friends and around the campfire at night stories always turned to AWS of their pasts. After owning one most of the stories I tell of hunting trips are about the things MY AWS did.

They aren't little labs repetition bores them, once they learn it, it doesn't need to be drilled, they will figure out what needs to be done and will get it done. Don't expect straight lines if there is a faster/easier way to get the retrieve done, and it will get done.

Yes, I love the "Little Browns Spaniels"

No experience with the AWS but I did have a Boykin spaniel which is very similar. By far the best dog I've ever owned and great on upland birds, especially pheasants, and waterfowl. Great house dog, field dog, and friend.

I bred and trained AWS when I was in graduate school and working for the
Ag Experiment Station in Texas. Everything that Erich said is right on. After I moved to Kansas, I continued to hunt with them for waterfowl and prairie chickens.

They are smart, sensitive dogs and very trainable, but every one that I had was actually a bit neurotic. Each one has its quirks--that's for sure. For waterfowl hunting, I actually preferred them rather than Labs. For upland hunting, the Lab's short coat and ability to barge through heavy cover gave them the edge. One retrieve in cockleburs meant a half-hour of combing and clipping with the AWS.

I owned two Boykins over a 17 year period. They were often misidentified as American Water Spaniels and I was never even close to being offended.A good AWS is hard to beat as an all purpose gun dog and family pet.

I too had an AWS. Female lived 15 years. She was the perfect size to put in the back of my cub. I used her for grouse and ptarmigan. She was a natural partner in that she kept a cone of operation of about 90 degrees in front of me and stayed within about 25 yds. When hunting in willows she maintained this style even when I could not see her. The birds would come out of the waist high willows, if I downed one she would get it even though I couldn't see her. Very oily coat, sweet and gentle.