Description: The Irish Water Spaniel breed is the largest of the Spaniel breed. With a large head and a long, square snout, tapering to a large, liver-colored nose. They may have a level bite or a scissors bite. With almond-shaped brown eyes that are slightly small, in proportion.

The Irish Water Spaniel’s ears are set low and are long and close to the head, which is covered in beautiful, loose, curly fur. The chest is narrow, but deep. The Irish Water Spaniel has straight front legs, with slightly higher hindquarters. This breed has webbed feet, which are round in shape and covered in fur.

The Irish Water Spaniel has a low tail. They are 20 to 23 inches tall, weighing 45 to 65 pounds. This breed has a unique coat that is made up of long loose curls on the body and shorter ones on the face and tail. This breed has a dense undercoat that insulates the dog in cold water. This breed also has a bun of curls on top of its head.

History: Justin McCarthy from Dublin in Ireland is the creator of the Irish Water Spaniel. The Irish Spaniel’s gene pool is thought to come from; Poodle and Irish Setter, or a Portuguese Water Dog, and a Poodle or Curly-Coated Retriever and a Poodle. As there is no record, to say for sure how the mix was created for this breed, it may be a combination of any of these dogs. Today, this breed of dog resembles the brown standard poodle. This breed is versatile, being able to work both on land and in water for the hunter.

The Irish Water Spaniel dog has an exceptional ability to swim in the coldest of waters that other dogs simply couldn’t work with. This breed is a soft-mouthed dog. In the 1800s, this dog breed was popular in America for duck hunting. This breed lost popularity. When the easy-care Labrador Retriever became more popular. The Irish Spaniel was recognized by the AKC in 1884 and is considered a rare breed of dog.