PetzloverHovawart is originated from Germany but Tweed Water Spaniel is originated from United Kingdom. Hovawart may grow 10 cm / 4 inches higher than Tweed Water Spaniel. Hovawart may weigh 19 kg / 42 pounds more than Tweed Water Spaniel. Both Hovawart and Tweed Water Spaniel has almost same life span. Both Hovawart and Tweed Water Spaniel has almost same litter size. Hovawart requires Low Maintenance. But Tweed Water Spaniel requires Moderate Maintenance
The Hovawart, is a German Black Forest breed developed as a guard dog for large estates in the medieval era. They first appeared in history in the early 13th century as heroes who saved the German son of a castle lord, despite being injured themselves. The boy they saved grew up to be a German legend. He wrote the oldest German code of law that remained from medieval times. In it he names the Hovawarts as a dog that if you are responsible for hurting, stealing or killing it, you must pay for it or replace it. No other dog had this protection.
In the late fifteenth century Hovawarts were featured in Heinrich Mynsinger’s “The Five Noble Breeds”. This guard dog breed was esteemed on a level with the hunting dogs – their health a question of life or death for their owner. In the 1500’s the popularity of the breed began to fade. The GSD or German Shepard Dog began to replace the Hovawarts as the preferred guard dog.
By the early 20th century the breed had almost disappeared but were saved by breed enthusiasts in the early 1900’s. Zoologist Kurt Konig was prominent in this effort and went looking in the Black Forest area for dogs working on farms. Using the dogs, he found on these farms, Konig began a breeding program crossing the them with Newfoundland’s, Kuvazoks, Leonbergers, GSD, an African hunting dogs and Bernese Mountain Dogs.
By 1922 the first litter of these pups was entered officially into the German Breeding Registry. In 1937 the Hovawart was recognized by the German Kennel Club. However, many members of the breed died in World War II as they were used widely by the military and not many were left by 1945. Once again breed enthusiasts came to the rescue forming a Coburg Hovawart club. This club still exists and in 1964, for the second time, the breed was recognized by the German Kennel Club. Other countries also began to take notice of this working breed.
The Hovawart has many skills in addition hunting and guarding. The Hovawart does not work for people, he works with them as he is a very independent thinker. He is also good at search and rescue and tracking. An owner of this breed must be stronger, smarter, more alert, intentional and consistent than his Hovawart. These are not dogs for the faint of heart or first-timers.
The Tweed Water Spaniel is extinct. Fortunately, we have some beautiful dogs that come from this dog. It is involved in bringing about the Golden Retriever. They were athletic dogs from Berwick-upon-Tweed.
It was in 1816 that Richard Lawrence wrote of the origins of the Tweed Water Spaniel which is thought to have come from the Newfoundland dog. It is believed that huntsmen used these dogs to retrieve the ducks and geese they shot. This purebred dog wasn’t recognized by the American Kennel Club or the FCI.
The Hovawart is a proud and majestic dog and his looks match his character. He looks a bit like the Golden Retriever with a powerful and broad forehead. His skull and muzzle are the same length and his nose is black. His oval eyes are a medium to dark brown and his ears are high set and triangular.
Their chests are strong, broad and deep. The breed has strong legs straight in front with round, strong and compact feet. They are heavy boned with dense, long coats that lie flat and have a slight wave to them. The coat can be black and gold, blond or black.
The Tweed Water Spaniel had a curly liver-colored coat with a long feathery tail and medium-sized floppy ears. It is thought that he was a large dog standing at between 50 to 60cm in height and weighing between 25 and 32kg.
The Tweed Water Spaniel, regarded as a moderate shedder, would have required being brushed from time to time.
The Tweed Water Spaniel had so many wonderful characteristics that made him a splendid family pet. He was smart and able to learn basic commands. He was also very playful and would have made a robust, playful friend for children.
They made gentle, loyal companions for their human family and wee able to get on well with other pets in the home. They would have got on well with other pets in the home too and it is believed that they were amicable enough to have been suited as a therapy dog.
They made good watchdogs too, being active and alert, just loving the outdoors. They’re well suited to life in the country or a home with a big garden and wouldn’t like to be cooped up on a small property in the city.
They have a great sense of smell and a well-balanced personality.
They are not indoor dogs and should have a yard to run in. They do not tolerate hot weather well. They do great out in the country.
They are intelligent independent thinkers. They lengths well with positive reinforcement.
Intelligent, courageous and friendly, it seems such a pity that the Tweed Water Spaniel is extinct because he seemed to have been a super dog.
Luckily we have dogs such as the Golden Retriever that remind us of what a good family pet he was.
Though their isolation protected them from genetic health issues for centuries, once they were being rejuvenated and mixed with other breeds some common issues began to show up. These include:
Because this dog is extinct and because no health records were kept, it is assumed that he would have had the same health issues as a Golden Retriever. Typical health issues of this dog would include hip dysplasia, obesity, cardiomyopathy.
This is a preventable disease in dogs, and if dog owners only knew what damage they do by allowing their dogs to become obese. Certainly, obesity shortens a dog’s life.
It is mind-boggling to realize that scientific evidence tells us that fat tissue is biologically active, secreting inflammatory hormones and also putting stress on the dog’s joints. Obese dogs develop an increased risk for cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle characterized by an enlarged heart. The heart doesn’t function properly with the ventricles becoming enlarged. The muscle wall of the heart becomes thinner and this causes the heart to lose the ability to pump blood to the rest of the body.
Fluid can accumulate in the lungs. This can all lead to congestive heart failure. Your dog will battle to breathe, be panting and coughing, have an extended abdomen and may even collapse.
Feed breed specific high quality dry food for puppies. Feed 1-2 cups in 3-4 meals per day
Again Feed breed specific high quality dry food for adults. Feed 2-3 cups per day in 1-2 meals per day.
Points for Good Health – Stamina
The Hovawart needs plenty of exercise. Remember this is a mountain farm dog used to working all the time. Walk or jog with them daily. They can excel at field trials, obedience, search and rescue, agility, flyball, therapy dog, and service dog.
The Tweed Water Spaniel had floppy ears and as a water dog, he may well have had ear infections in his day. One wonders if dog owners of that time were aware of the need to have the inside of the dog's ears clean and dry.
The Tweed Water Spaniel would have needed to have his eyes checked too. Pus in the eyes could indicate the dog wasn’t well.
The Tweed Water Spaniel would have required a lot of exercise and would have loved long walks and hikes. He wouldn’t need an invitation to go swimming and if you threw a stick or ball into the water, he’d be right there, jumping right in.
If you were a person that thrived on an active life this dog would have been for you.
Nobody really knows what the Tweed Water Spaniel would have eaten in the 19th century when he was around. He’s the kind of dog you’d have to be careful with as he could put on weight easily.
If he were around today, you’d give him a high quality commercially manufactured food that was designed for large, active dogs. No doubt in those days, the owners gave the dog scraps off the table.
Today if you wanted to give your dog home-made food, you’d stick to healthy foods such as boiled chicken, brown rice or pasta and some healthy vegetables such as spinach, carrots and sweet potatoes.
Puppies would have required 4 bowls of food a day while the adult dog would require 2 meals a day.