Grooming requirements
    The American Water Spaniel needs to have his body brushed every two weeks and his ears brushed daily. Food gets caught in the ears if a spaniel bowl is not used when feeding. This needs to be removed with a slicker brush and a metal comb. Wetting the area will help the debris come out. The body needs to be brushed with a slicker brush in order to keep the coat from matting. The ears must be cleaned often and checked no less than weekly in order to avoid any type of infection. The top one-third of the ear must be shaved in order to allow air to flow to the ear canal.

Health considerations
    The American Water Spaniel has very few health problems. They have a tendency to develop cataracts and are known to have retinal dysplasia.

Breed characteristics and personality
    The American Water Spaniel is enthusiastic about his work, tenacious, obedient, affectionate, and extremely responsive to training. His responsiveness and eagerness to please make him a joy to teach. He has an enthusiastic and merry disposition.
    This dog should sleep indoors and does not do well as a kennel dog. The inherent personality, good temperament, and easy trainability make the American Water Spaniel greatly appreciated as a companion and guard dog as well as a hunter. He is not an especially gentle dog and may be a bit intense for very young children.

Uses
    The American Water Spaniel is a great all-around shooting dog. He's tops in difficult waters, in the woods and over difficult terrain. He is used above all for hunting ducks, pheasant, grouse, quail, chicken and rabbits. He does not point game; he springs it. He leaves little to be desired as a retrieving dog and swims like a seal. He is easily capable of waiting for four or five birds to drop and then quickly bringing them all in.

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