The breeds · gun dog · retrieving

AKC Sporting · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 124

Irish Water Spaniel.

A strongly built gundog bred for all types of shooting, especially water-fowling; the tallest of the AKC spaniels.

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

10.8YRMedian lifespan10.4 to 11.9, measured on real dogs.

23 / 22INHeightdogs 23, bitches 22. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

45–68LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 61.5 lb (55 to 68); breed bitches 51.5 lb (45 to 58).

2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 23 in (22 to 24) · bitches 22 in (21 to 23)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2009

Centre = midpoint of the printed range.

Weight

dogs 61.5 lb (55 to 68) · bitches 51.5 lb (45 to 58)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2009

Centre = midpoint of the printed range.

Shedding

Shedding 1 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · Dense, tight, crisp curls over the neck, body and legs; smooth face and tail

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2009

Derived: a dense curly coat of medium length is scored as a medium coat (3). The standard does not describe an undercoat; the curl itself holds air and water, which is why the breed is placed with the medium coats rather than the short ones.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

10.8 years (10.4 to 11.9)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

UK dogs. Small n; read with the CI. The shortest median of the gundogs on the table by a wide margin; the Swedish and US club material on cancer is consistent with that.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC exercise band 'More than 2 hours per day' = 150 min by the ruled mapping.

Energy

3 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC grooming band = 3. The AKC standard allows the dog to be shown in natural coat or trimmed; the curly coat is commonly scissored, which would sit higher on the scale, but no registry prints a clipping interval.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

A strongly built gundog bred for all types of shooting, especially water-fowling; the tallest of the AKC spaniels

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2009

Standard's General Appearance; the 'tallest spaniel' line is the AKC breed page.

Primary game

Waterfowl

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 2009

The standard: 'particularly suited to water fowling in difficult marshy terrain'.

Also used on

Upland game birds: 'as adept at finding and retrieving upland game birds as it is at retrieving waterfowl'

Breed clubAKC

AKC's spaniel hunting-test hunting-style document; the breed runs in AKC spaniel hunting tests.

Range

Close to medium: 'will generally maintain a reasonable working distance' and, with its size, 'is capable of covering a large field in short order'

Breed clubAKC

The document gives no yardage; recorded as the hunting-style statement's own words.

Search pattern

Covers ground at a moderate pace, quartering gun to gun if trained to, but a windshield-wiper pattern is not typical; focuses on cover likely to hold birds and uses ground and air scent

Breed clubAKC

Field trial standard

AKC spaniel hunting tests: find and flush within a reasonable working distance, a determined drive to complete the flush (hard or soft flush both acceptable), retrieve to the handler from land and water

Breed clubAKC

No breed-specific trial; the breed is eligible for AKC spaniel hunting tests and AKC retriever hunting tests.

Water work

Excellent markers and water retrievers; eager water entries from deliberate to bold

Breed clubAKC

The standard adds that sound hindquarters are 'of great importance to provide drive and power while swimming'.

Cold water

4 of 5 · A water-fowling specialist: 'proper coat is of vital importance to protect the dog while working' in 'difficult marshy terrain'

DerivedAKC breed standard, 2009

Derived: a dedicated water retriever with a dense protective coat scores 4; the standard does not use the words icy or cold, so the top mark is withheld.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

11.5% · 1,772 OFA hip evaluations, all data as served Oct 5 2026; 11.5% dysplastic (mild 5.6, moderate 5.0, severe 1.0; borderline not counted), 87.5% normal (20.3% excellent)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own current breed statistics (disease statistics data service). Cross-checks: Oberbauer et al. 2017, summed from its S3 Table (code IWS; the code sheet lists that code against both Irish Water Spaniel and Irish Wolfhound, but the summed elbow figure reproduces the paper's printed 'Irish water spaniel' 15.6, so the rows are the spaniel), gives 1,369 evaluations 1974 to 2014 and 11.0% borderline through severe; the OFA table for Jan 1974 to Dec 2013 as reproduced by K9 Carts gives 1,346 and 11.7%. The US parent club says hip dysplasia 'has been drastically reduced' and 29% of recent OFA hips grade Excellent. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock.

Elbow dysplasia

13.6% · 921 OFA elbow evaluations, all data as served Oct 5 2026; 13.6% abnormal (grade I 10.2, grade II 2.7, grade III 0.7)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own current breed statistics (disease statistics data service). Cross-check: Oberbauer et al. 2017 Table 1 prints 'Irish water spaniel' 15.6% (545 evaluations 1992 to 2014 per its S3 Table). The US parent club quotes OFA elbow dysplasia at 18% and calls it 'quite severe' (an earlier OFA snapshot); the UK association says dogs with a combined BVA elbow score above 1 should not be bred. Small n.

Most common disorders

IWSCA 2010 Health Survey: cancer cited most often (32% overall), allergies about 16% (food allergy almost 8%), chronic ear infections 14%, seizures almost 10%, atopic dermatitis 4%; elbow dysplasia 18% in OFA data

Breed clubIrish Water Spaniel Club of America

Club survey; n and method not printed on the page (the club points to its 2010 health and genetics report PDF for detail). No VetCompass paper and the breed is below the 200-dog floor for the UK 2014 survey breed tables. Fewer than three sources behind this value.

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 1; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 1; Coat Grooming Frequency 3; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 5; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

USThyroid evaluationOFA · American Kennel Club, Sporting Group health testing requirements (CHIC)
USOphthalmologist evaluationACVO / OFA CAER · American Kennel Club, Sporting Group health testing requirements (CHIC)
USElbow evaluationOFA · American Kennel Club, Sporting Group health testing requirements (CHIC)
USHip evaluationOFA · American Kennel Club, Sporting Group health testing requirements (CHIC)
USCardiac health (Breeders of Distinction commitment)OFA · Irish Water Spaniel Club of America, Health overview (testing commitments of Breeders of Distinction)

UKHip scoring (combined score no more than the breed mean of 10); elbow scoring (combined score above 1 not bred from); annual eye testingBVA/KC · Irish Water Spaniel Association (UK), Breed health (BVA/KC scheme recommendations)
UKHip, elbow and eye testing (good practice); no breed-specific DNA packageBVA/KC · The Royal Kennel Club, Breeds A to Z: Spaniel (Irish Water)

No KENAI kennel lists the Irish Water Spaniel yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 10 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: IWS, Bog Dog, Rat Tail

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

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Your irish water spaniel, on the record.

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