History
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.One fact that is known for certain is that at least half of the ships of the Spanish Armada that sailed against England on May 18th 1588 had these dogs on board as lifesavers, and 130 ships sailed. 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.
General Information
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. Breeding dogs should also receive their Optigen testing. Optigen A rating is desired.
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.
Contracts
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.
These guidelines were provided by the Portuguese Water Dog Club of Northern California. For additional information concerning the breed, please refer to the following sources:
The Courier - The bi-monthly publication of the Portuguese Water Dog
Club of America.
Contact:
Terry Cardillino
E-mail Address(es):
cardillino@earthlink.net
Circulation Manager
99 Maple Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830
(203) 661-9347
Book: The Complete Portuguese Water Dog
by Kathryn Braund and Deyanne Miller 288 pages Published by Howell
Book House.
About the Portuguese Water Dog
That the Portuguese Water Dog has been around for a long time is without question, although whether it was always recognizable as the breed of today is less clear. There is documented evidence of the breed being around in the 12th century, or at least of a dog which closely resembled the modern PWD, accompanying a monk of that time. One can read about the documented ancestry of the breed in the published books.
The Portuguese Water Dog has very keenly developed senses. His sense of smell, acute hearing and keen eyesight are suggestive of hunting breeds. His intense loyalty and sensitivity to the atmosphere around, not forgetting a loud and fairly deep bark, which made him useful as a guard on the fisherman’s boat could have stemmed from a guarding breed, although any tendency to fight or to attack is extremely uncharacteristic of the breed. The PWD is tireless and although keen to learn even to the point of enjoying the odd circus trick, he does have a very definite streak of obstinacy. He quite definitely prefers company although shows an ability to remain silent and patient which is not a common trait in a canine.
Extremely robust he will weather the cold and heat and his waterproof coat will shrug off water, snow and dirt. Here we have an All Rounder who has a definite passion for water, diving to the bottom of the pond, or thrusting himself through the waves to retrieve an item. He will make a beeline for water and becomes a different person when it is there. The PWD has only suffered from the reported genetic diseases in the more recent years, diseases that would have been naturally selected out in the past, or bred out selectively if necessary, and he lives in the main to a ripe old age.
Interestingly, all the dogs I have owned have an extremely slow heart rate, even when in what could be claimed as a stressful situation. Rarely suffering from stomach upsets, except when fed too rich a diet, and needing fish oil to keep him in excellent condition, this dog seems to have the ability to scavenge fairly non selectively with little ill effect, except to the sensibilities of his owner.
It has been said that you're never alone with a Portuguese Water Dog and it is true that they are very inquisitive. In fact whatever you're doing they will usually try to 'help' you. They can be demanding as a breed and at times exasperating and will benefit from a reasonable amount of exercise and activities to exercise the mind.
The PWD is the eternal optimist of the dog world and always ready to join in activities and especially games. He mixes well with other breeds of dog and has a seemingly endless supply of energy. But he can be willful and determined, traits that need to be controlled from a young age as without firm direction he may become a hooligan. He is well suited to canine activities such as agility and working trials and although quite capable of obedience exercises to a good standard he is likely to find this work at the higher levels a little stifling for his exuberant nature. He really prefers more physical activities which allow him the freedom to express his personality.
Then there's the coat, as you can see from the photographs, this is a dog with a fair amount of coat to look after. It's not a difficult coat to care for, but does need about one hour a week of grooming to keep it in good order. If you can't face the thought of looking after a long coat you can always keep him trimmed short all over, but if you can't do this yourself you will have to pay a groomer to do it for you, and depending on which part of the country you live in, this can cost from $65 - $75 a visit, multiplied by at least 4 visits to the salon a year. PWD's also eat a fair amount for a dog of their size and these ongoing costs need to be taken into consideration when making a decision about whether this is the right breed for you.
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