Pont-Audemer Spaniel

The Pont-Audemer Spaniel, or Epagneul Pont-Audemer, is a rare French gundog. It descends from water spaniels and specializes in work in water and marsh, though in the field it has been used more like a setter than a typical spaniel.

History

The breed is said to have been developed in the Pont-Audemer region of France in the nineteenth century. Its exact origin is not known, but the English Water Spaniel and the Irish Water Spaniel are both thought to have contributed. In the early 20th century it was prized for hunting wild duck in water and marsh.

Numbers were never large. So few dogs were left after World War II that in 1949 the president of the French breed club allowed crosses with other breeds, including the Irish Water Spaniel, to reduce the risk of inbreeding. The population stayed small all the same, and in 1980, on the recommendation of the Société Centrale Canine, the club was merged with that of the Picardy Spaniel.

The Pont-Audemer is recognized by the FCI and, in the United States, by the United Kennel Club in its Gundog Group.

Appearance

This is a medium-sized dog weighing 20–27 kg (44–60 lb) and standing about 50–58 cm (20–23 in) at the withers. It has a long, rather pointed muzzle that sets it apart from most American and British sporting breeds.

The coat is curly, or at least very wavy, on the body and short and smooth on the face, with a topknot that can take up to five years to grow in fully. The usual color is brown and white roan; solid brown is also accepted, and either may show reddish-brown “dead leaf” glints. Black or tan markings are faults.

Most have docked tails. An undocked tail is usually feathered like a setter’s, though now and then it is short-haired like the “rat tail” of the Irish Water Spaniel.

Temperament

The Pont-Audemer is hardy and hard-working, and it has the usual spaniel qualities: gentle, affectionate and easy to train. It has a playful streak, and in France it is called le petit clown des marais, the little clown of the marshes.

It is almost always kept as a working gundog and rarely just as a pet. In France it is still used over varied ground, including for rabbit and pheasant.

Care and health

Hair loss (alopecia) has been reported in the breed. It first appears between seven and eighteen months of age and mainly affects the ears and the area around the nose. Biopsies pointed to damage to the root sheath and clumping of pigment in the hair shafts, and tests ruled out hormonal causes.

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