It began with one male: Lord Augusta, stud-book number 1834 L, from Staufenberg in Upper Bavaria. Around the turn of the century, he marked the start of pure breeding in the German Spaniel (Deutscher Wachtelhund). The FCI standard also says for whom: this dog is bred exclusively by hunters for hunters.
| FCI | Group 8 (Retrievers, Flushing Dogs and Water Dogs), Section 2 Flushing Dogs, Standard No. 104, with working trial |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Size (height at the withers) | Males 48 to 54 cm, females 45 to 52 cm |
| Weight | around 18 to 25 kg according to size, females slightly lighter than males |
| Life expectancy | no reliable study figure found (N/A) |
| Coat | strong, close-fitting long hair with dense undercoat, usually wavy, occasionally curly (astrakhan) or flat; well-feathered legs and tail, often a neck ruff, belly well covered |
| Colours in the standard | two colour varieties: solid brown, less often red, frequently with white or roan chest and toe markings; brown or red roan, also piebald and tiger-marked; red tan possible in both varieties; black disqualifies |
Brown and brown roan: two lines by design
Brown roan entered breeding through the female “Baby auf der Schanze 1838 L”. Rudolf Frieß, who shaped the breed for decades, kept the colour varieties separate to avoid inbreeding damage from the narrow foundation stock. Brown dogs were considered short-ranging hunters, roans persistent wide-ranging trackers. That distinction no longer holds, but separation as a blood reserve remains.
What a flushing dog does in woodland
It searches independently in dense cover, drives game while giving voice on the trail and works reliably tracking wounded animals. The standard describes a fine nose, enthusiasm for retrieving and water, and sharpness towards game and predators. Pointing was never a breeding aim. Without hunting grounds, the dog lacks exactly what it was built for.
Friendly, trainable and full of passion
Lively and intensely passionate about hunting, yet friendly, confident in its surroundings and highly trainable: that is the standard. Gun-shy or aggressive dogs are disqualified. Outdoors, the nose quickly takes command. Related flushing dogs in the encyclopedia include the English Springer Spaniel and the Cocker Spaniel.
Curls, ears and tail
The wavy long coat mats around ears, neck and legs without combing once or twice a week. Look inside the ears after every woodland day: the standard faults overly narrow ear canals because they predispose to inflammation, and treats skin changes such as atopy as a serious fault. It permits docking by no more than one third; where prohibited, the tail stays long. In Germany, docking is generally prohibited under Section 6 of the German Animal Welfare Act. Exceptions apply only in individual cases.
What studies show about health
The British longevity study lists it as German Spaniel without analysing it (McMillan et al. 2024). Hereditary phosphofructokinase deficiency has been described, causing anaemia, dark urine and poor performance after exertion (Hillström et al. 2011); a test exists for the underlying gene variant (Inal Gultekin et al. 2012). In Swedish X-ray screening, 12,3 per cent of 1.852 German Spaniels had hip grades C to E, and 10,5 per cent of 1.760 dogs had an elbow finding (Engdahl et al. 2026).
A German Spaniel suits you if
you hunt, need a flushing dog for woodland and water and want to train it thoroughly. Children at home pose no problem when its outdoor work needs are met.
When it is less suitable
Without hunting and hunting grounds, meeting its passion is difficult. If you want a pretty, curly brown family dog, a hunter-bred flushing dog is the wrong choice.
Check whether a working gundog fits your life with the breed quiz and in greater depth with our book “Welcher Hund passt WIRKLICH zu dir?” (book in German). For the first days with a puppy, there is the free Puppy Starter Pack. Capture your German Spaniel as a poster in a wooden frame or a digital artwork .
Further reading
- Cocker Spaniel: cheerful, nose-led and prone to ear trouble
- Dog pulling on the lead: 5 mistakes almost everyone makes
- The socialisation period: why “as much as possible” is the wrong advice
Sources, accessed on 20.10.2026: FCI-Standard Nr. 104 Deutscher Wachtelhund (fci.be, German version dated 12.03.1999, valid standard published 24.07.1996, original language German); McMillan KM et al., Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death, Scientific Reports 2024; Hillström A et al., Hereditary phosphofructokinase deficiency in wachtelhunds, Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 2011; Inal Gultekin G et al., Missense mutation in PFKM associated with muscle-type phosphofructokinase deficiency in the Wachtelhund dog, Molecular and Cellular Probes 2012; Engdahl K et al., Prevalence of hip and elbow dysplasia in young adult dogs in Sweden, Veterinary Record 2026.
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