The Portuguese Water Dog, a member of the Working group, once existed all along the coast of Portugal where it was taught to act as a courier from ship to ship (or ship to shore). It was also taught to herd stray fish into the fishing nets, and to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets.
PWD's also rode along in bobbing trawlers as they worked their way from the warm Atlantic waters of Portugal to the frigid fishing waters off the coast of Iceland where the fleets caught saltwater codfish to bring home and is a swimmer and diver of exceptional ability and stamina.
This highly intelligent multi-purpose breed is distinguished by two different coat types - either curly or wavy. It maintains an impressive head of considerable breadth and well-proportioned mass and has a ruggedly built, well-knit body, a powerful, thickly based tail, carried gallantly or used purposefully as a rudder.
Watch a PWD in action
Their closest relatives are the Standard Poodle and they have a lot of things in common with that dog breed such as: they both have curly coats, do not shed, and they are both highly intelligent dog breeds.
The PWD needs people and thrives as a member of the family. He will prove himself to be trustworthy and is an energetic dog who loves to be the center of attention.
Country of origin: Portugal Lifespan: 10-14 years Colors: Parti-color, gray, black or brown with white markings, silver fox Known health problems: Hip dysplasia, PRA Famous PWD's: Senator Ted Kennedy owns a Portuguese Water Dog named Splash; Baseball Aquatic Retrieval Korps (BARK members, all PWD's) retrieve home run balls that land in McCovey Cove at San Francisco Giants baseball games
"There are times when even the best manager is like the little boy with the big dog waiting to see where the dog wants to go so he can take him there." - Lee Iacocca
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