The personality is ever-bright, it easily substitutes ball retrieving for bird retrieving, and will swim with agility in any aquatic environment. It is excellent with children (better, some say, than its cousin Cocker Spaniel) and is an instinctive swimmer. They do require daily exercise and weekly grooming to keep the coat matting under control.The breed is a definite working dog with ideal retriever instincts, enthusiasm, and endurance. They say that the Boykin is the dog that doesn't rock the boat. Ideally, at around 35 pounds, the Boykin will not upset a canoe or smaller boat while hunting marsh and flooded timber.
This is a southern-bred dog,so big water in colder climes like the Chesapeake Bay and north are not appropriate for this breed when used as a duck hunting dog unless the dog's coat is weather conditioned and has a neoprene jacket available. They make excellent upland hunters that naturally quarter and flush game within gun range.
