Pont-Audemer Spaniel

The Pont-Audemer Spaniel, or Epagneul de Pont-Audemer, is a rare French gundog associated with the marshes and river country of Normandy. It is a pointing spaniel that also retrieves, especially in wet cover where waterfowl work shaped its reputation. The breed has a curly or wavy liver-brown coat, often with white or roan areas, low ears covered in curls, and a woolly topknot on the skull. Historical accounts link it to local French spaniels and water dogs, but the modern population is small and carefully maintained.

This is primarily a working sporting dog, so it needs more than casual strolls. Training for hunting, retrieving, swimming, or advanced scent games gives the breed a clear purpose and helps channel its playful, sometimes clownish temperament. Coat care is moderate rather than decorative: curls can mat, ears need drying after water work, and burrs should be removed from feathering. Because Pont-Audemer Spaniels are uncommon, prospective owners may wait for litters and should value health, hunting aptitude, and genetic diversity over unusual appearance. In active homes they can be close, comic household dogs, but careful placement matters because the population is so small.