Fun English Water Spaniel Facts Facts For Kids

The English water spaniel was a medium-sized dog breed found primarily in England. These spaniel dogs were the oldest species and all of them had the same characteristics of a long, feathered coat and keen nose.

The history of the English water spaniel suggests that they were trained by their owners to locate birds in different birds in dense areas and then flush them out. Due to their personality traits of swimming and retrieving, it was fairly easy for these dogs to find the birds in water bodies too.

The English water spaniel was called by many names, such as English water dog, water spaniel, old English water spaniel. This water dog breed was called water rug earlier.

The dog breed is said to have gone extinct in the 1930s. These dog breeds of water spaniels are known for their characteristics of hunting and retrieving and an individual is used primarily as a hunting dog.

The versatility to retrieve and the energy level this English water spaniel possessed was unconditional. Usually, spaniel dog breeds are used as a retriever of waterfowl and upland hunts such as quail and pheasant.

As the American water spaniel has been derived genetically from the English water spaniel, the comparison between these two water dog breeds is natural and we will discuss more on them in the next headings.

The American water spaniel was developed in the 19th century in Wisconsin from different breeds which include the English water spaniel and the Irish water spaniel.

The water dog was later recognized by the American Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club and is considered a rare dog breed.

For more relatable content, check out these American water spaniel facts and English cocker spaniel facts.
 

English Water Spaniel Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an English water spaniel?

The dog breed called English water spaniel were water dogs that were used as hunters in England. They were very similar to the modern dog breed, the American water spaniel.

What class of animal does an English water spaniel belong to?

The water rug was categorized under the class of Mammalia in the kingdom of Animalia. As the dog breed is extinct now, information on the next kin American water spaniel needs to be considered.

How many English water spaniels are there in the world?

English water spaniels are extinct since the beginning of the 20th century.

Where does an English water spaniel live?

As the species is currently extinct, there is not much information about the places these dogs inhabited. As the name suggests, the English water spaniel was primarily found in England. There are traces of this dog's existence in Spain, Roman Province Hispania, Asia, and Europe. Hunting dogs were the prime import during Roman times in England.

English water spaniel dogs were found throughout England.

What is an English water spaniel's habitat?

The history of the English water spaniel predates any paper form, so there is not much information on the dogs. However, there are traces of the dogs in the American water spaniel.

English water spaniels were found near rivers and lakes and the primary quarry of these dogs were ducks. They were all known throughout the country and were quite common. They were considered among the first few species of spaniels and then many modern breeds came into being including the American water spaniel.

The personality traits of the English water spaniel dog breed included the dogs being friendly, loyal and were the best in class for retrieving and hunting game. They were primarily used as hunters in their natural habitat by their owners.

Who do English water spaniels live with?

Like all other spaniels, the socialization period of these dogs is quite short. They are always near humans and even the puppies mix well with people and their children. It is said that puppy grows well together with human children with an everlasting bond formed between them.

How long does an English water spaniel live?

As the English water spaniel is now extinct, there is not much information on this dog breed. Their close relative, the American Water Spaniel lives for an age up to 13-15 years.

How do they reproduce?

As the species is Extinct, information on the reproduction of the English water spaniel is not available. They were earlier bred for flushing out and retrieving waterfowl but later were considered hunting dogs.

They closely resemble the rare American water spaniel. American water spaniels are bred to be hunting dogs and are a very active breed. They probably had six to eight puppies in a breeding year.

What is their conservation status?

The species of English water spaniel is now Extinct. Although they were said to be Extinct since the 1930s, some researchers say there might have been bred even after that.

They went extinct as new breeds of water dogs like the labrador retriever and curly-coated retriever were introduced in the area and owners started losing interest in the English water spaniel. The hunting breed was mostly abandoned in search of a better dog breed.

English Water Spaniel Fun Facts

What do English water spaniels look like?

*This is a photo of an American water spaniel. The English water spaniel is said to be the parent breed of the American water spaniel.

They were considered medium to large in size. They had curly hair on the coat. The fur coat covered most of the body of the dog.

The hair was shorter on the face and feet. The coat was a mixture of brown and white. They had a long and straight muzzle with long legs.

Apart from the brown coat, they were sometimes also considered to be liver and white or black and white. The dog was said to have long ears and tail, a white underbelly, and a brown back. The coat resembled more of a water dog than a normal dog.

The ears were covered in thick curls of fur. They had a long and narrow head. Due to longer fur, they need constant grooming.

There has been a lot of descriptions related to the English water spaniel dog breed. While some researchers have found the English water spaniels to be similar to a collie, many have described them to be a cross between a poodle and an English springer spaniel.

English water spaniels have genetically influenced a lot of new breeds of modern dogs including water dogs like American water spaniels and field spaniels. A new dog breed information has also been seen as the English water spaniels have helped produce the dog, curly coated Retriever too.

The American water spaniel however is double-coated and colored similar with solid liver, brown, or dark chocolate with white on toes and chest. The forehead is covered with short and smooth hair.

How cute are they?

Dogs are always considered cute and are the cutest pets in the world. A puppy is also the most loved animal in the world.

How do they communicate?

Communication among dogs is usually by sound. English water spaniels were loud barkers.

How big is an English water spaniel?

The height of the English water spaniel had a range up to 20 in (50.8 cm). Their close relative American water spaniel is also medium-sized and almost of the same size as our extinct species.  

The height of the American water spaniel dog breed has a range of 15-18 in (38.1-45.7 cm).

How fast can an English water spaniel run?

The speed of an English water spaniel is not available. However, this dog with proper exercise and health could run pretty quick.

A healthy cocker spaniel can run up to a speed of 30 mph (48.3 kph).

How much does an English water spaniel weigh?

The weight of the English water spaniel couldn't be found as the dogs lived a long time back when there were no paper trails.

The weight of the American water spaniels has a range of 25-45 lb (11.3-20.4 kg). The curly coated retriever, one of the mixed dog breeds, weighs around 65-100 lb (29.48-45.35 kg). The weight of this dog is more than the water dogs.

What are the male and female names of the species?

The males and females of the English water spaniel are not given different names.

What would you call a baby English water spaniel?

A baby English water spaniel is called a puppy.

What do they eat?

As there was no dog food available at the time the English water spaniels existed, the diet of the dog is not known. However, they were carnivores and had all kinds of meat for proper health full of nutrients. Diet might not have changed according to the dog's age.

Nowadays, health is taken care of by packaged dog foods.

Are they slobbery?

There is no data to say if the dogs were slobbery. The American water spaniel is known to drool a little.

Would they make a good pet?

The English water spaniel was considered a good pet and used extensively all throughout for retrieving and hunting. They also lived up to the age of 13-15 years which is good for any pet. Due to their resemblance and relation to the American water spaniel and Irish water spaniel, we will discuss them as pets.

This dog breed needs care and affection even when trained to be hunters. They are one of the favorites and are loved by all in a family.

Grooming of the fur of this breed requires constant care. They also need places to run around in the house with frequent exercise and activities. Shaving the ears and trimming the coat can make the dog look neat.

Hanging ears can lead to health issues like infection in the ears. There are many other health issues in the American water spaniel which might have been derived from the English water spaniel. But the presence of the same concerns cannot be proved as there is no data to suggest that English water spaniels had these diseases.

Did you know...

Famous poet Shakespeare referred to English water spaniels in his plays 'Macbeth' and 'Two Gentlemen of Verona' in the 17th century. Usually called a water dog, back in the 17th century, the English water spaniel was also called a water rug.

English water spaniels are were known for their ability to hunt waterfowl and the water dog could dive as well as a duck.

The Irish water spaniel was found after the English water spaniels. There is no dog breed information if these water dogs have been derived from the English water spaniels.

None of the breeds of dogs are fully hypoallergic. Any breed of dog can aggravate allergies, but the smaller size of the English water spaniels reduces the chances of danger.

Due to the long fur on the coat, these dogs needed constant grooming, twice a week.

Are water spaniels good family dogs?

The temperament of these dogs was that they were intelligent, active, friendly, energetic, and trustworthy. They were also very obedient and mixed well with any family. Protection was in their virtue and was probably a very good guard.

Why did the English water spaniel go extinct?

The reason for this dog's extinction is because people lost interest in the English water spaniel. There was simply a lack of effort to save the breed as people started importing different breeds to the country to replace them.

St. John's water dogs from Newfoundland is such a dog that was imported to England to carry out the same duties as the English water spaniels.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals with our English shepherd facts and patas monkey facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our spaniel dog coloring pages.