The breeds · side by side
for a small boat
Boykin Spaniel or American Water Spaniel.
Two small water spaniels built for a jon boat and a southern swamp. Size in the boat, the coat in cold water, and early-season heat are the practical lines; both are hard to find and the pages say so.
Every value below shows its source and how sure we are. Breed sets the odds; the parents set the dog. Nothing here is a prediction about one dog.
What the question turns on
Height at the shoulder
dogs 16.8 in (15.5 to 18) · bitches 15.3 in (14 to 16.5)
16.5 in (15 to 18)
Weight
dogs 35 lb (30 to 40) · bitches 30 lb (25 to 35)
dogs 37.5 lb (30 to 45) · bitches 32.5 lb (25 to 40)
Water work
Water is core to the breed's test life: every BSS upland stake includes a water series, and the BSS Retriever Hunt Test is built around marked water retrieves, water blinds and boat or blind delivery
'American Water Spaniels enjoy the water ... although they may not always have the splashiest entry, once in the water they will swim with absolute determination to retrieve'; bred to work from a skiff
Cold water
3 of 5 · Medium, often single coat; bred for South Carolina swamp retrieving, not late-season northern water
4 of 5 · Dense undercoat specified for protection against weather and water; 'bred to retrieve from skiff or canoes'; will 'spend countless hours retrieving from a skiff or from a riverbank' (AWSC)
Heat tolerance
3 of 5 · Medium-length, typically single coat with light feathering
3 of 5 · Medium-length curly or marcelled double coat
The rest, read the same way
Coat
Flat to slightly wavy to curly, medium length; typically a single coat but may have undercoat; light fringe or feathering on ears, chest, legs and belly; a 'wash and wear' coat
Marcel (uniform waves) to closely curled; undercoat required 'to provide sufficient density to be of protection against weather, water or punishing cover'; moderate feathering on the legs; solid liver, brown or dark chocolate
Shedding
Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Shedding 1 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)
Exercise need
The standard asks for 'hard muscled working condition' and 'great eagerness and energy for the hunt yet controllable in the field'
Needs daily outlets: field or obedience training, runs, swimming or play; an AWS without them 'may develop inappropriate behaviors'
Energy
AKC Energy Level 4 of 5 (between 'Moderate' and 'High Energy')
AKC Energy Level 3 of 5 ('Moderate'); the AWSC: 'active dogs that will do best when given the opportunity to work off some of their energy'
Grooming load
2 of 5 · AKC Coat Grooming Frequency 3 of 5 ('Weekly' on the AKC scale of 1 Monthly / 3 Weekly / 5 Daily)
2 of 5 · AKC Coat Grooming Frequency 3 of 5 ('Weekly'); Shedding Level 1 of 5
Grooming
Weekly brushing (AKC band 3 of 5); the standard calls the coat 'wash and wear' and allows trimming, never shaving
'Relatively low maintenance' but 'will require a bit of grooming' (AWSC); weekly brushing (AKC band 3 of 5)
Role
Flushing spaniel and retriever: 'primarily a working gun dog', built lighter and smaller than the big retrievers to fit the section boats of the Wateree River; 'the little brown dog that doesn't rock the boat'
'An all-around hunting dog, bred to retrieve from skiff or canoes and work ground with relative ease': a dual-purpose waterfowl retriever and upland flushing dog
Primary game
Ducks and wild turkeys (the breed was bred by South Carolina hunters for the Wateree River Swamp); today run on upland birds as well
Waterfowl from skiff or riverbank, and upland birds flushed in cover ('hunt, flush, and retrieve game of all kinds')
Also used on
Pheasant, quail and chukar in the BSS upland stakes (pigeons allowed in Novice); mallard ducks or upland game birds in the water series
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Range
Close (within gun range)
Close ('stay close to the gun on hunts')
Search pattern
Hunts at a suitable gun range 'showing a fine spaniel pattern'; must work neither too close nor too far from the handler; intelligent use of wind and terrain
Fast-working with high prey drive but methodical: learns where game is likely to hold and concentrates there; stays close to the gun; a hard flush, often with a brief hesitation before putting the bird up
Field trial standard
BSS Upland Hunt Test (Novice, Intermediate, Open): find, flush and retrieve; Open dogs must flush with intent and be absolutely steady to wing and shot on land and water. BSS Retriever Hunt Test: marked land and water retrieves, blinds (Open: double land, double water, a blind, a walk-up), delivery to hand, into a boat or blind
Not recorded for this breed yet.
Hip dysplasia
25.3% · 6,918 OFA hip evaluations to date: 73.0% normal (5.3% excellent, 47.9% good, 19.7% fair), 25.3% dysplastic (15.5% mild, 8.5% moderate, 1.4% severe); rank 33 of OFA breeds
7.8% · 987 OFA hip evaluations to date: 91.4% normal (13.3% excellent, 61.2% good, 16.9% fair), 7.8% dysplastic (4.9% mild, 2.6% moderate, 0.3% severe); rank 152
Elbow dysplasia
2.7% · 2,167 OFA elbow evaluations to date: 97.2% normal, 2.7% abnormal (2.4% grade 1, 0.3% grade 2, 0% grade 3)
2.2% · 138 OFA elbow evaluations to date: 97.1% normal, 2.2% abnormal (1.4% grade 1, 0.7% grade 2)
Most common disorders
Hip dysplasia, juvenile cataracts, patellar luxation, Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA) and Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC) are the conditions the parent club lists as most frequent. The BSS checklist adds degenerative myelopathy and pulmonic stenosis screening. Minor et al. 2011 confirmed DNM1 (EIC) carriers and affected, collapsing homozygotes in Boykin Spaniels
The parent club and OFA name three dominant health issues for CHIC: hip dysplasia, eye disease (cataracts, retinal problems, glaucoma) and heart disease (murmurs, valve malfunction)
What to ask a breeder for
Clearances
- Cardiac exam for pulmonic stenosis (12 months or older; optional for CHIC) · US
- Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA/CH) DNA test · US
- Exercise-Induced Collapse (EIC) DNA test · US
- Eye examination by a board-certified ACVO veterinary ophthalmologist, normal results registered with OFA · US
- Hip evaluation (24 months or older) · US
- Patellar luxation evaluation (12 months or older) · US
- Elbow evaluation (optional for CHIC) · US
- Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) DNA test (CHIC requirement since Feb 23 2018) · US
- CHIC certification (hips, eyes, heart plus permanent ID) · US
- Cardiac exam (basic within a year of breeding, or advanced once at 1 year or older) · US
- Eye examination by a board-certified ophthalmologist within a year of breeding, to 8 years · US
- Hip evaluation (2 years or older, 'Normal') · US
The health clearances each breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.
The selector
Which one, for your life?
A few minutes of honest answers: the birds, the ground, the water, the house, the week. The selector ranks both of these against what you said, explains every rank, and shows exactly where the one you came in wanting lands.
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