Here we will attempt to detail all the history of the origin and development of the modern Portuguese Water Dog.

On our layman's tour, we'll untangle fiction from fact through a portion of very fascinting ancient history. The Portuguese Water Dog's story kindles the imagination and challenges the memory of any scholar of canine history.

Without the Portuguese Water Dog in their ancestries, there would be no modern Poodle, no Irish Water Spaniel, no Kerry Blue Terrier, no Labrador Retriever, no Curly Coated Retriever, and no Newfoundland... perhaps no Puli. The fisherman's dog left his mark on all these breeds in various ways. Each is linked with each other, however subtly.

So that we may enjoy these links and fully appreciate the canine genetic camaraderie, we'll trace the background from which the modern Portuguese Water Dog evolved

Ancient Influences

Picture Asia, the one continent which was in immediate contact with every ocean and with every other continent. Picture the wild central Asian steppes (the Kirghiz area of Russia). Here, near the chinese border were vast, grassy, treeless tracts, with scattered mountains, valleys, lakes and rivers relieving the Spartan landscape. The region is characterized by extreme termperatures. The Tien Shien Highlands, the Pamir Mountains, the Karagiye Depression, the Ural Sea and Lake Balkhash lie here. These are terrains and waters guaranteed to nourish ruggedness.

The early people who lived here were hunters in the Old Stone Age (Mesolithic). They were gatherers in the New Stone Age (Neolithic). They lived from the land, eating its grains. Eventually, they began raising grain of their own and made their clothing from sheep's wool. Sheep were raised strictly for wool and cattle were raised for food. Depending upon the territory in which they lived, they also raised camels or horses.

Archeological findings indicate they reared herding dogs. Isolated from the rest of the world, full of courage and ferocity, the herding dogs were highly interbred within each ancestral clan. Some of these dogs developed into a definite type like the Portuguese Water Dog.

The perpetual tugs of wars resulted in frequent migration. The conquered, not waiting to count on miricles from the gods, took their animals and fled the stepes for the far corners of the world. The victors of the conflicts - Cimmerians (700-600 B.C.), Cimbri (100 B.C.), Goths (100-200 A.D.) - carried away herding dogs as well as other animals and people, as spoils of war. They spread these in all directions as they pillaged along the early roadways of the world. Before the captives finally settled in their new cultures, some had made incredible migrations.

Some Interesting Theories of Ancestry

One theory is that some of the rugged Asian herding dogs were captured by the fierce Berbers. The Berbers spread slowly across North Africa to Morocco. Their descendants, the Moors, arrived in Portugal in the eigth century A.D., bringing dogs with them.

Another theory suggests that some of the dogs left the Asian steppes with the Goths, a confederation of Germanic tribes. The Goths divided. Those that went west were the Ostrogoths and their dogs became the German pudel or pudelin. The Goths that traveled south to fight the Romans were the Visigoths and their dogs developed into the Lion Dog. In 400 A.D., when the Visigoths invaded Spain and Portugal (then known only as Iberia), the dogs found their homeland.

These theories vividly explain how the Poodle and even the Puli developed from the rugged herding dog. At one time the Poodle was a shaggy-coated dog, as is one variety of the Portuguese Water Dog. The Portuguese Water Dog and the Puli share a common heritage, although the latter is smaller and has a double rather than single coat.

There's another possibility. Some of the long-coated race of water dogs could have grown up with the prehistoric civilizations of shellfish eaters in Spain and Portugal. These people were known as Iberians. They migrated from lands which now belong to southwestern Germany. Swarming over the Pyrenees, circulating over the whole of western Europe, they established bases in Iberia (Portugal), as well as in Ireland, Wales and Brittany. The Irish Water Spaniel is believed to be a descendant of the Portuguese Water Dog. Certainly, in past times the breed existed in fishing villages everywhere along the coast of Portugal. In a technique passed down by the ancient Romans, he was taught to herd fish into a net. He retrieved lost tackle, broken nets, and acted as a courier from boat to boat and from boat to shore. He rode in the bobbing trawlers as fishermen worked their way tot the cold fishing waters off the coasts of Iceland and Newfoundland, standing in the bow barking during periods of fog, thereby alerting other boats of the position of his boat.

In the sacred books of the Zend-Avesta (seventh century), the water dog was said to be the most valueld of all dogs, including even the shepherd dog. The great god, Ahura-Mazda, gave him the qualities of a saint for his exceptional abilities.

Legend tells us that Zoroaster, the famed Persian prophet of the sixth century B.C., punished those who harmed a water dog.

In 1927, a monk reportedly described the Portuguese Water Dog that rescued a dying sailor from the sea: "The dog was of black coat, the hair long and rough, cut to the rib and with a tail tuft. This tuft was white as were the feet and nose."

Water Dogs and the Armada

There's also a popular theory that numbers of the dog sailed with the Spanish Armada in 1588, serving as messenger dogs between ships. Some of the ships of the Armada were in fact Portuguese since Portugal was ruled by Spain at the time. About 4,000 of the fleet's more than 28,000 men were Portuguese. When their masters were defeated and some of the ships in the fleet were left to flounder, dogs supposedly swam ashore. This theory suggests that the Portuguese Water Dogs bequethed some of their character and looks to such breeds as the Kerry Blue Terrier, Curly-Coated Retriever and Irish Water Spaniel.

Clifford Hubbard, who wrote Working Dogs of the World (1947), told a Portuguese author, Margarida Ribeiro, that the water dog was taken from Portugal to Spain during its occupation of Portugal (1580-1640). "As the dogs filtered into Spain," wrote Margarida Ribeiro in a story about the Portuguese Water Dog, "they went to the streets where their robustness was immediately recognized. They were put at the service of the different ships in the invincible Spanish fleet, especially trained as life-saving dogs."

Josephine Z. Rine in The World of Dogs (1965) picks this theory up in her history of the Poodle. "The Poodle is descended from one of the water spaniels developed in 16th century Spain, where he was known as the Water Dog, the Rough-haired Water Dog and the Rough-haired Water Spaniel."

King Phillip II of Spain had lists drawn up of every statistic of his ill-fated Armada. According to these lists, every one of the mainly unseaworthy 130 ships were crammed full of men and supplies. The convicts and slaves for oarsmen, plus a minimum of 300 soldiers, plus officers and their servants, gunners, priests, etc. Listed among the detailed inventories were horses and mules. These were aboard to later support the Spanish "conquerors" over the conquered English soil. But when the battle had been lost and the remnants of the Armada turned tail to sail home, the Spaniards when hard at sea, "to save water, which was the worst worry of all...threw overboard the horses and mules they had bought for the land artillery...A merchant ship that crossed the armada's track reported the sea full of animals, still swimming." Author David Howarth, who wrote The Voyage of the Armada, in which this text appears, conducted the bulk of his research at the castle of Simancas, Spain, where King Phillip established his archives. In all of these surviving documents, there is no suggestion of Caes de Aqua (Portuguese Water Dogs) being carried on the Armada. Looking at the matter logically, it is inconceivable that dogs, who require both care and food, would be allowed to take up space and time on these crowded ships. The hardships for humans aboard were unbearable. And the fleet did little cleaning up after themselves. Death from uneatable food and undrinkable water, from filth and infectious disease was rampant. Who would want to take care of and clean up after dogs on this disastrous undertaking? Oddly enough, listed in the fleet's statistics were four small Portuguese galleys, oared. So the theory is possible! Still, most of the wild Irish, Scottish and English tribes living along the shorelines who first rescued and then often killed many of the scattered survivors, seldom had food enough for themselves. It's unlikely they would have allowed dogs that landed on their shores to remain alive. They would have eaten them.

The History of The Portuguese Water Dog

The Portuguese Water Dog (PWD) was developed along the coast of Portugal by fishermen to aid them in their work. For centuries these dogs were taught to herd fish into nets, to retrieve lost tackle, to act as courier for ship to ship or ship to shore, carrying messages in pouches, and occasionally rescuing a fisherman from the sea. Thus they are powerful swimmers and truly at home in the water.

Interest in the breed in the U.S. began in 1958. In 1972, 16 people involved with the breed formed the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America, and at that time there were only 12 PWDs in the U.S. By 1982 the number had grown to over 650. In 1981 the American Kennel Club admitted the Portuguese Water Dog to the Miscellaneous Class and as of January 1, 1984 the PWD became eligible to compete in the show ring as a member of the Working Group.

The Portuguese Water Dog is a fun loving, robust, strong and sturdy dog. He has that "let's do it" attitude of a good working dog. His strong "want to please" outlook makes him a willing and ready companion. He is very adaptable to most any situation. He is a devoted companion and family member and he is very affectionate and loyal to "his people". He can be demanding of attention if ignored for too long a period. He can also be stubborn but this persistence and tenacity can be channeled with training and is essential in a working dog. His natural intelligence does require consistency when training. PWDs usually adore the company of other dogs, especially other PWDs.

As a puppy he can be very clumsy and all legs, but as he matures he becomes quite graceful and agile. This athletic ability combined with his intelligence and his need to please make him a natural for obedience training, tracking, and agility work. His incredible swimming ability coupled with the above traits make him ideal for water work and water trials.

The PWD is of medium build, well-balanced, and well-muscled, males stand 20" - 23", 17"-21" for bitches, and weigh 42-60 lbs (for males), and 35-50 lbs (for bitches). The story goes that this size variation was so that smaller dogs could be used on smaller boats and larger dogs on larger boats. The PWD has a profuse non allergenic, non shedding, water resistant coat, and fully webbed feet, and a very strong tail (used as a rudder when swimming). There are two coat types. The wavy coat is fairly long with waves or loose curls with a slight sheen and is usually silky in texture. The curly coat forms more compact and tighter curls and has a kinkier, lusterless texture

The reputable breeder is interested in producing sound healthy dogs. He has devoted much time in determining which dogs to use to produce the best possible offspring. He is concerned with structure, size, pedigree and disposition - the latter important for continuance of desirable GOOD TEMPERAMENT! He endeavors to produce dogs nearest the accepted STANDARD OF THE BREED as defined by the National Club and approved by the American Kennel Club. The Portuguese Water Dog as all other breeds does have some health problems that we, as breeders, are working to eradicate. These include:

Hip Dysplasia - Canine hip dysplasia is a developmental defect that involves deformation of the hip joint, where a poor fit between the head of the femur and the acetabulum (hip socket) exists. Dogs used for breeding should have their hips x-rayed and certified clear of hip dysplasia by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and have an OFA number issued.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) - PRA is a genetic disease in which the cells of the retina (back of the eye) gradually degenerate, leading to the loss of sight. In this breed the onset of blindness usually but not always occurs after the age of 5. Dogs used for breeding should have their eyes examined by a Board Certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist and certified YEARLY by the Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) and have a CERF number issued. This HAS BEEN DISCOVERED in our breed and every effort is being made to check pedigrees in order to breed away from this disease.

Cataracts - an eye disease either inherited or acquired which also can be detected with an exam by a Board Certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist

Storage Disease (GM-1) - a recessive genetic disorder caused by the lack of an enzyme which allows a build up of toxic substances in the nerve cells. A test has been developed which determines the status of the puppy. An affected puppy will die, a carrier will be normal in all aspects but usually will not be bred. Puppies are usually tested at 7-8 weeks unless both parents are litter(GM-1 N 95L or 99L) or ancestor (GM-1 N95A or N99A) tested normal.

Hairloss - This genetic defect causes the hair follicles of the adult dog to atrophy (follicular dysplasia) and the hair tends to fall out in a symmetrical pattern beginning over the back of the dog. Pedigree analysis may be helpful in predicting its occurrence.

Improper Coats - Occasionally puppies are born with improper coat patterning. The face, fronts of legs, and feet will have short, smooth hair with feathering on the back of the legs. Their appearance will be similar to a flat or curly coated retriever. These puppies are healthy and have all the other good characteristics of the PWD but the coat is considered incorrect for the conformation ring.

Buying Puppies

It is very common with this breed to be placed on a waiting list for a future breeding. Be careful of putting your name on more than 1 or 2 waiting lists. If you put a deposit on a puppy, make sure you understand if any portion or all of the deposit is refundable. Most breeders sell their puppies and dogs with some type of written contract. Contracts can be very basic, little more that a bill of sale or more typically require you to spay or neuter your puppy. Usually, a contract for a show or breedable puppy will require you show the dog or even to give back 1 or 2 puppies from a future breeding. Ask for a sample contract, so you may study the wording and terms carefully. NEVER sign a contract you do not understand or are not completely comfortable with.

Many breeders choose a puppy for the new owners rather than let the buyer choose from all the puppies in the litter. Breeders may ask you many questions about your lifestyle and needs in order to best match personalities and temperaments.

Ask the breeder if your puppy will have been checked by a veterinarian, wormed for internal parasites, vaccinated, and if the litter has been registered with the AKC. The breeder should provide you with this information as well as the registered names and individual registration numbers of the sire (father) and the dam (mother), the date of the puppies birth, the name of the breeder, and the AKC litter registration number.