Irish Water Spaniel Training

Do you have a Irish Water Spaniel that needs some training help? Natalie from Crazy Kind Calm dog training can help!

With over 900 dogs trained across the Macedon Ranges, Natalie understands the unique personality and needs that come with this wonderful breed.

Irish Water Spaniels are the largest and one of the oldest spaniel breeds — distinctive, curly-coated dogs bred for retrieving in cold water. They're intelligent, energetic, and have a clownish sense of humour, but can be reserved with strangers.

Common Irish Water Spaniel traits and training needs

• High energy — bred for demanding physical work and needs serious daily exercise
• Can be aloof or suspicious with strangers while being playful with family
• Strong water drive — will seek out any body of water, including muddy puddles
• Independent streak — intelligent but can be selective about following instructions
• Mouthy breed that likes to carry and retrieve things
• May be reactive to unfamiliar dogs, especially in new environments

Irish Water Spaniel owners have one of the most distinctive dogs at the park — and one of the cleverest. If yours makes a beeline for every puddle, mud hole, and creek, reserves their enthusiasm for family only, or has a mischievous streak that keeps you guessing — that's the breed. Their intelligence and drive make them excellent training partners when you work with their natural instincts.