They were described as generally brown, athletic dogs from the area around Berwick-upon-Tweed near the River Tweed and close to the Scottish Borders.

The village of Norham, Northumberland, just south of the River Tweed was noted as being "long famous" for a breed of water spaniel of which were "invariably brown".

[2] In 1816, Richard Lawrence wrote of the origins of the Tweed Water Spaniel, "Along rocky shores and dreadful declivities beyond the junction of the Tweed with the sea of Berwick, water dogs have derived an addition of strength, from the introduction of a cross with the Newfoundland dog, which has rendered them completely adequate to the arduous difficulties and diurnal perils in which they are systematically engaged.

[4][5] Stanley O'Neil, an expert in Flat-coated Retrievers, wrote of the Tweed Water Spaniel in a letter during the late 19th century, "Further up the coast, probably Alnmouth, I saw men netting for salmon.

Whilst my elders discussed the fishing I asked these Northumberland salmon net men whether their dog was a Water-Dog or a Curly, airing my knowledge.

[9] Instances of offspring which were liver-coloured but tan below the knees were noted in Hugh Dalziel's 1897 work British Dogs: Their Varieties, History, Characteristics, Breeding, Management, And Exhibition, although the author speculated this may have been due to Bloodhound ancestry in one of the parents of the litters.

[11] Towards the end of the 19th century, Sir Dudley Coutts Majoribanks, Lord Tweedmouth, was developing a breed which was known at the time as a "yellow Retriever".