Irish Water Spaniel Breed Standard
Sporting Group

General Appearance
The Irish Water Spaniel presents a picture of a smart, upstanding strongly built sporting dog. Great intelligence is combined with rugged endurance and a bold, dashing eagerness of temperament. Distinguishing characteristics are a topknot of long, loose curls, a body covered with a dense, crisply curled liver colored coat, contrasted by a smooth face and a smooth "rat" tail.

Size, Proportion, Substance
Strongly built and well boned, the Irish Water Spaniel is a dog of medium length, slightly rectangular in appearance. He is well balanced and shows no legginess or coarseness. Dogs 22 to 24 inches, bitches 21 to 23 inches, measured at the highest point of the shoulder. Dogs 55 to 65 pounds, bitches 45 to 58 pounds.

Head

The head is cleanly chiseled, not cheeky, and should not present a short, wedge shaped appearance. The skull is rather large and high in the dome, with a prominent occiput and a gradual stop. The muzzle is square and rather long, with a deep mouth opening and lips fine in texture. The nose large and liver in color. Teeth strong and regular with a scissors or level bite. The hair on the face is short and smooth, except for a beard which grows in a narrow line at the back of the jaw. Topknot--A characteristic of the breed, consists of long, loose curls growing down into a well-defined peak between the eyes and falling like a shawl over the tops of the ears and occiput. Trimming of this breed characteristic in an exaggerated manner is highly objectionable. Eyes--Medium in size, slightly almond shaped with tight eyelids. Eyes are hazel in color, preferably of a dark shade. The expression is keenly alert, intelligent, direct and quizzical. Ears--Long, lobular, set low, with leathers reaching about to the end of the nose when extended forward, and abundantly covered with long curls, extending two or more inches below the tips of the leathers.

Neck, Topline, Body
The neck is long, arching, strong and muscular; smoothly set into cleanly sloping shoulders. Topline--Strong and level, or slightly higher in the rear; never descending, or showing sag or roach. Body--The body is of medium length, slightly rectangular. Chest deep, with brisket extending to the elbows. Ribs well sprung and carried well back. Immediately behind the shoulders ribs are flattened enough to allow free movement of the forelegs, becoming rounder behind. Loin short, wide and muscular. The body should not present a tucked-up appearance.

Forequarters
The entire front gives the impression of strength without heaviness. Shoulders are sloping and clean. Forelegs well boned, muscular, medium in length; with sufficient length of upper arm to ensure efficient reach. Elbows close set. Forefeet are large, thick and somewhat spreading; well clothed with hair both over and between the toes.

Hindquarters
Sound hindquarters are of great importance to provide swimming power and drive. They should be as high or slightly higher than the shoulders, powerful and muscular, with well developed upper and second thighs. Hips wide, stifles moderately bent, hocks low set and moderately bent. Rear angulation is moderate, and balance of front and rear angulation is of paramount importance. Rear feet are large, thick and somewhat spreading; well clothed with hair. Tail should be set on low enough to give a rather rounded appearance to the hindquarters and should be carried nearly level with the back.

Tail
The so-called "rat tail" is a striking characteristic of the breed. At the root it is thick and covered for two or three inches with short curls. It tapers to a fine point at the end; and from the root curls is covered with short, smooth hair so as to look as if it had been clipped. The tail should not be long enough to reach the hock joint.

Coat
Proper double coat is of vital importance to protect the dog while working. The neck, back, sides, and rear are densely covered with tight, crisp ringlets, with the hair longer underneath the ribs. Forelegs are well covered with abundant curls or waves. The hind legs should also be abundantly covered by hair falling in curls or waves, except that the hair should be short and smooth on the front of the legs below the hocks. The hair on the throat is very short and smooth, forming a V-shaped patch. All curled areas should be clearly defined by curls of sufficient length to form a sharp contrast with the smooth coat on face, throat, tail, and rear legs below the hocks. Fore and hind feet should be well clothed with hair both over and between the toes. Dogs may be shown in natural coat or trimmed. However, no dog should be groomed or trimmed so excessively as to obscure the curl or texture of the coat.

Color
Solid liver. With the exception of graying due to age, white hair or markings objectionable.

Gait
The Irish Water Spaniel moves with a smooth, free, ground covering action that, when viewed from the side, exhibits balanced reach and drive. True and precise coming and going. When walking or standing, the legs are perpendicular to the ground, toeing neither in nor out.

Temperament
Very alert and inquisitive, the Irish Water Spaniel is often reserved with strangers. However, aggressive behavior or excessive shyness should be penalized. A stable temperament is essential in a hunting dog.

Faults
The foregoing description is that of the ideal Irish Water Spaniel in hard working condition. Any deviation from the above described dog must be penalized to the extent of the deviation, keeping in mind the importance of the various features toward the basic original purpose of the breed.

Approved June 12, 1990
Effective August 1, 1990

[简介] 爱尔兰水猎犬是一种漂亮的、结构坚固的运动犬，非常聪明，结合了耐力和胆大的性格，活跃、热情的气质。独特的特征在于顶髻上长而松散的卷毛，身躯上覆盖着浓密、清晰的肝色卷毛，与他平滑的脸部及平滑的“老鼠”尾巴形成鲜明的对照。

 [体型] 结构有力，骨量充足，爱尔兰水猎犬长度适中，略呈矩形外观。他非常匀称，不会显得腿很细长或很粗糙。雄性肩高约在22~24英寸；雌性肩高约在21~23英寸。雄性体重约为55~65磅；雌性体重约为45~58磅。

 [头部] 头部轮廓整洁，没有“厚脸皮”，也不显得很短，呈楔形。脑袋稍大，顶部圆拱，后枕骨突出，止部逐渐过渡。口吻呈四方形，且稍长。嘴巴开口较深，嘴唇质地细腻。鼻镜大，肝色。牙齿结实而整齐，剪状咬和或钳状咬和。脸部的毛发短而平顺。除了胡须是生长在下巴后面的一条窄线上。顶髻：这个品种独特的特征，长而下坠，松散的卷毛向下生长，在眼睛中间形成清晰的“鸭舌”，并象披肩一样垂下来，围绕着耳朵上端及后枕骨。以夸张的方式修剪这各品种独特的特征是非常讨厌的。眼睛：中等大小，略呈杏仁形，眼睑紧密。眼睛颜色为榛色，越深越好。表情敏锐、警惕、聪明、直率而好奇。耳朵：长、叶子状，位置低，耳廓向前伸展的话，可以延伸到鼻尖，覆盖着长长的卷毛，能延伸到耳廓下1~2英寸。

 [颈部、背线、身躯] 颈部长，圆拱，结实而肌肉发达，平滑地融入整洁而倾斜的肩胛。背线：结实而水平，可能后端略高，决不能向下倾斜，也不能显得松弛或拱起。身躯：身躯长度适中，略有棱角。胸部深，胸底延伸到肘部。肋骨支撑良好，且向后。肩胛后面的肋骨立即变平，允许前肢能自由运动，随后逐渐变圆。腰部短、宽且肌肉发达，身躯没有明显的上提。

 [前躯] 整个前躯给人的印象是非常有力，但不沉重。肩胛倾斜而整洁。前肢骨量充足，肌肉发达，中等长度；上臂有充分的长度，保证能有效的伸展。肘部位置贴近身躯。足爪大，厚实且略微张开，脚趾上和中间都覆盖有毛发。

 [后躯] 健康的后躯是非常重要的，需要在游泳或行走中提供强大的驱动力。高于或略高于肩胛，强大而肌肉发达，第一节大腿和第二节大腿非常发达。臀部宽，膝关节适度弯曲，飞节位置低，且适度弯曲。后躯角度适中，前后躯角度平衡是至关重要的。后足爪大、厚实、略微张开；覆盖着毛发。尾巴位置低，足够使后躯形成圆形外观，位置举到与背部齐平的位置。

[尾巴] 尾巴是所谓的“老鼠尾”，是这个品种独特的特征。根部粗，隐藏着2~3英寸的短短的卷。尾巴呈锥形，尖端细腻。从根部出发，尾巴卷隐藏在短而平顺的毛发中，使他看起来象被剪短了。尾巴的长度不应该能延伸到飞节。

 [被毛] 适当的双层被毛，在工作中能起到保护作用，是至关重要的。颈部、后背、两侧、及后面，都隐藏在浓厚、紧密而清晰的卷毛中，肋骨下的毛发稍长。前肢上覆盖着丰富的卷毛或波浪状的毛发。后腿上也覆盖着丰富的卷毛或波浪状的毛发，除了后腿飞节下方的前面，毛发短而平滑。喉咙处的毛发非常短，且平滑，形成V字形区域。所有的卷毛区域都整洁而清晰，有足够的长度，与被毛平滑的脸部、喉咙、尾巴及后腿飞节以下部位形成鲜明的对比。前后足爪上都有毛发覆盖，脚趾间和脚趾上都有毛发。他可以显示其自然的被毛，也可以修剪过。无论如何，能不能将毛发过分修饰或修剪，使卷曲的被毛质地变的不明显。

 [颜色] 纯肝色。除非是年老而产生的灰白色，白色毛发或斑纹属于缺陷。

 [步态] 爱尔兰水猎犬的动作平顺、舒展。从侧面观察，伸展和驱动显得协调。能精确而准确的笔直过来或离去。不论是行走中还是站立时，腿部垂直于地面，脚趾既不向内弯，也不向外翻。

 [气质] 非常警惕且好奇。爱尔兰水猎犬通常对陌生人有所保留。无论如何，好斗的行为或过分羞怯属于缺陷。气质稳定，对一个猎犬而言，是基本要求。

[缺陷] 前面所描述的爱尔兰水猎犬可以在艰苦的条件下工作。任何背离上面描述的地方都属于缺陷，并需要根据背离的长度进行扣分，保持该品种最初的基本用途所必须的外貌特征是非常重要的。

 标准通过日期：1990年6月12日

标准执行日期：1990年8月1日

 原作： 酋长

来源： 转译自AKC

本文引用地址：http://www.petwe.com/article/2006/0726/article_801.html