Dog Breed Guide

Portuguese Water Dog

Profile

Size

Medium

Country of origin

Portugal

Origin

Ancient

Bred for

Fishermen's helper (retrieving nets, carrying messages between boats)

Height

male 50 - 57cm (20 - 22in), female 43 - 52cm (17 - 20in)

Weight

male 19 - 25kg (42 - 55lb), female 16 - 22kg (35 - 49lb)

Life span

11 - 13 years

A sturdy, muscular medium-sized dog with either tight curls or a loosely wavy coat. It has large webbed feet and is a superb swimmer. Colors are black, brown and white, or these mixed with white. The traditional style for the breed is the "lion clip," with the hindquarters and back legs shaved short and a plume left at the tip of the tail.

Bright and active, the Portie loves to play with its family, especially children. It is smart and enjoys working with its owner, so it takes to training well.

It needs a great deal of exercise, and a place where it can play in the water is ideal. It sheds little, but its coat keeps growing, so it needs regular grooming.

Good to know

For centuries these dogs worked at sea with the fishermen of the Algarve in southern Portugal. They herded schools of fish into nets, swam to retrieve lost tackle and torn nets, and even carried messages from boat to boat and from boat to shore. In Portuguese the breed is called Cão de Água, "water dog."

The modernization of fishing brought it close to extinction in the 20th century, but enthusiasts saved it.

It became world famous when the family of US President Barack Obama chose the breed. Because their elder daughter was allergic to dogs, they chose a low-shedding breed, and Bo arrived at the White House in 2009, followed by Sunny in 2013. However, there is said to be no scientific evidence that any dog breed is truly hypoallergenic.