The origin of this All-American has not been recorded. Among his forebears were various forms of water dogs and spaniels which accompanied immigrants and settlers. Originally, the breed was called the Brown American Water Spaniel.

Development occurred in the late 1800s, basically along the great Mississippi flyway, where the waterfowl migrated north and south each year. He was used as a jump-shooting retriever especially in northern Minnesota, which is full of small lakes and pot holes (ponds). To get close enough to shoot the ducks feeding at these waterholes, the hunter and his dog had to crawl the last 50 or so yards. The hunter then "jumped" the ducks and shot, the brown spaniel retrieved them whether they fell on land or in water. His small size also made him an easy dog to tote in a skiff for hunting in open water or from a blind. The natural camouflage of his brown jacket matches the fall flora. He hunts small game as well.