About the PWD

About the Portuguese Water Dog

The Portuguese Water Dog, also known as the "Cao de Agua" (Kown-d'ahgwa), is a strong, robust, medium sized dog with a long non shedding coat.

TEMPERAMENT

Energetic
Fun Loving
Highly Intelligent
Quick to learn - Good habits and bad
Good with children
Very tolerant
Usually good with other dogs (non-aggressive)
Usually good with other animals

CHARACTERISTICS

Single, non-moulting coat.
Often tolerated by people with allergies or asthma
High energy drive - not a breed to want to spend the day lying on the couch
Love Water
Have webbed feet to aid swimming
Not natural guards, but will give warning when required
Longlived and healthy - many British PWD live well over 12 years. 15 and 16 years is not uncommon.

TRAINABILITY

Although no longer primarily a fishing dog, in recent years the breed has been successfully trained in various fields, including

Agility
Assistance and Therapy Dogs
Heelwork to Music
Drug Detection
Obedience
Search and Rescue
Water Trials.

REQUIREMENTS FROM THEIR OWNERS

Regular exercise
Regular grooming - at least every other day
Companionship - they have been bred for centuries to live closely with their families

SUMMARY

Size :	Height: dogs: 50-57 cms (191/2-221/2 ins); bitches: 43-52 cms (17-201/2 ins). Weight: dogs: 19-25 kgs (42-55 lbs); bitches: 16-22 kgs (35-48 lbs). They are very powerful for their size	Lion Trim Companion Trim
Coat :	Single (i.e. no undercoat). Two types – wavy and curly. The wavy coat is long, ranging from a slight wave to corkscrew effect. The curly coat appears shorter, and ranges from corkscrew to tight cylindrical curls. The coat needs grooming two or three times a week to prevent matting and remove dead hair.
Clip :	A traditional clip, dog was clipped from ribs to stern to facilitate movement in the water while the hair on the fore-body remained to protect the heart and lungs from frigid waters. The muzzle was clipped, and a tuft of hair left on the tip of the tail to aid in its function as a rudder. For show purposes in Britain and the rest of Europe, the Lion clip is the only acceptable method of presentation. The unclipped areas of the body must be left at full length. For pet purposes, the coat can be clipped short all over, to a length of 1 - 2 inches, with a flag left on the end of the tail.
Colour :	Three solid colours – Black, Brown or White. Black or Brown can also have white markings - it is recommended that the white does not exceed 30%..

HISTORY

This is a very ancient breed, possibly originating in the Persian Gulf in the 6th century B.C. The breed is thought to have arrived in Portugal with the Moors in the 8th Century A.D, where it developed in relative isolation.

One of the earliest accounts of the breed is from 1297AD when a Monk wrote about a water dog

"this dog was of black coat, the hair long and rough, cut to the first rib and with a tail tuft, this was white as were the feet and nose."

Picture 1 : "The water dog for taking birds which hunts in the water" by Dr Calus 1570
Picture 2 : "Hispaniorum aquatice canes apud Calum" (Cirino 1653).

The Cao de Agua was an important and useful crew member on the Portuguese Fishing fleet. The dog had the right to a share of the fish to eat, and one fouth in money of the amount each member of the crew earned.. Their job was to be a helper, courier, guard and retriever. With the increasing mechanisation of the fishing fleets, the breed gradually became redundant, and by the mid 20th century only a few were left working on the Algarve.

Their job included

Riding on the prow of the boat, he would signal the presence of a shoal of fish (or of a shark)
In poor weather and for, he would bark to alert other boats of his boats location, or to warn of danger.
He would dive into the water to help place nets or bring in the catch. Often he would retrieve fish escaping from the net.
He would swim to shore to take back messages or bring back food.
On land he would guard the catch and nets.

They are highly intelligent, strong and athletic dogs who are capable of swimming great distances in rough seas - the Atlantic Ocean in winter is not an easy place to work in !!

A small dedicated group of people decided to help save the breed from extinction, and today the breed is becoming recognised throughout the world for its outstanding qualities
Characteristics.

The modern breed is based on "Leao" (photo left), a working dog on whom the standard is based.

Tavira Algarbiorum
(Born 1937

Leao and sons

Leao
(circa. 1936)

The Breed in Britain

Cartmel The Fisherman The first PWD arrived in Britain in 1954, and were bred for several years. Due to lack of interest in the breed the line eventually died out.

The second attempt at establishing the breed occurred in the late 1980’s, when two breeders imported four dogs. Trish Gilpin (Glenwhin) is still active in the breed, whilst Paddy Holbrook O'Hara (Appleacre) let Pat Jones (Cartmel) have her original imports.

This time there was more interest in the breed and a Breed club was established. A small nucleus of breeders have continued their work, and although the breed is still ‘rare’ in Britain, with an average of 6 litters born a year, a growing band of enthusiasts now appreciate the many qualities of the breed.

Although we are few in numbers, and our gene pool is relatively small, the British bred dogs have proved their worth throughout the world.

Crufts 2007 will be a landmark for the breed when Carla Molinari will award our first set of Challenge Certificates and the breed is eligible for Championship status.

Pices