ORIGIN
: Portugal.
DATE
OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORGINAL VALID
STANDARD
: 04.11.2008.
UTILIZATION
: Assistance with fishing and
retrieving as well as companion dog.
F.C.I.
CLASSIFICATION
:
Group 8 Retrievers, Flushing Dogs,
Water Dogs.
Section 3 Water dogs.
Without working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY
: In ancient times, the
Portuguese Water Dog could be found
throughout the entire Portuguese coast.
Thereafter, due to continuous changes in
fishing methods, the breed was located
mainly in the Algarve region
which is now considered as its original
birthplace. Its presence on the
Portuguese coast is probably very remote
and thus the Portuguese Water Dog should
be considered as an autochthonous
Portuguese breed.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
: A dog of medium
proportions, bracoïd tending to
rectilinear to slight convex.
Harmonious in shape, balanced, strong
and well muscled. Considerable
development of the muscles due to
constant swimming.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS
: Of almost square shape,
with the length of body approximately
equal to height at the withers.
The
ratio of the height at the withers to
the depth of the chest is 2:1; the ratio
of length of skull to muzzle
is 4:3.
BEHAVIOUR/TEMPERAMENT
: Exceptionally
intelligent, it understands and obeys
easily and happily any order given by
its owner. An animal with impetuous
disposition, wilful, courageous, sober
and resistant to fatigue. It has a
severe, penetrating and attentive
expression, as well as remarkable visual
and scent faculties.
An
excellent and resistant swimmer and
diver, it is the inseparable companion
of the fisherman for whom it performs a
multitude of tasks, both in fishing and
in guarding and protecting its boat and
property. While fishing, it will
willingly jump to sea to retrieve
escaped fish, diving if necessary and
likewise if a net breaks or a cable
becomes loose. It is also used as a
liaison between boats and shore or
vice-versa, even at great distances.
HEAD
: Well proportioned,
strong and broad. Parallel longitudinal
axes of the skull and muzzle.
CRANIAL REGION
:
Skull
: Seen in profile it is slightly longer
than the muzzle (4:3). Its curvature is
more accentuated at the back and the
occipital protuberance is pronounced.
Seen from the front the parietal bones
are rounded with a slight depression in
the middle; the front is slightly
hollow, the frontal furrow extends to
two thirds of the parietal bones and the
superciliary arches are prominent.
Stop
: Well defined and slightly behind the
inner corners of the eyes.
FACIAL REGION
:
Nose
: Wide, with well open and pigmented
nostrils. Black in black, white and pied
animals. In brown specimens the nose is
the same colour as the coat, but never
marbled.
Muzzle
: Straight, broader at the base than at
the extremity.
Lips
: Thick, especially in front. Commissure
not prominent. Mucous membranes (palate,
under the tongue and gums) deeply
pigmented in black, deep brown in brown
dogs.
Jaws/Teeth
: Strong, healthy teeth, not visible
when mouth is closed. Strong and well
developed canines. Scissor bite or
pincer bite.
Eyes
: Medium sized; noticeable and rounded
in shape; set well apart and slightly
slanted. The iris is black or brown and
the lids are thin and black edged, brown
in brown dogs. Unapparent conjunctive.
Ears
: Set above the eye line, held against
the head, slightly raised from the rear
and heart-shaped. Thin in texture,
their extremity never reaches below the
throat.
NECK
: Straight, short,
rounded, well muscled, well set and
carried high; connecting to the body in
an harmonious transition. Without ruff
or dewlap.
BODY
:
Top
line
: Straight; level.
Withers
: Wide and not prominent.
Back
:
Straight, short, broad and well muscled.
Loin
:
Short and well connected to the croup.
Croup
: Well proportioned, slightly sloping
with symmetrical and non apparent hip
bones.
Chest
: Wide and deep. Its lower edge should
reach the elbow. The ribs are long and
well sprung, providing great respiratory
capacity.
Underline & belly
: Gracefully shaped and reduced in
volume.
TAIL
: Natural, of medium
set-on, thick at its base, tapering
towards the end. Should not reach below
the hock. When attentive curls in a
ring, not reaching beyond the middle of
the loin. It is a useful aid for
swimming and diving.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS
: Strong and straight. Upright.
Slightly sloping pasterns are
admissible.
Shoulder
: Slanting in profile and transversely.
Strong muscular development.
Upper arm
: Strong and medium in size. Parallel to
the main body line.
Forearm
: Long and strongly muscled.
Carpus (pastern joint)
: Strong bones, broader when seen from
the front than from the side.
Metacarpus (pastern)
: Long and strong.
Forefeet
Rounded and flat with slightly arched
toes of medium length. The webbing,
extending over the whole length of the
toes, is composed of limp tissue and
covered with abundant and long hair.
Black nails are preferred but, according
to coat colour, may also be white,
striped or brown. The nails do not
reach the ground. Hard central pad and
normal thickness in the other pads.
HINDQUARTERS
: Upright and well muscled.
Slightly sloping hocks are admissible.
Buttock
: Strong and well rounded.
Thigh
: Strong and medium in length. Very
well muscled. Stifle joint turned
neither in nor out.
Second thigh
: Long and very well muscled. Turned
neither in nor out. Well slanting from
front to back. All tendons and
ligaments are strong.
Hock
: Strong.
Metatarsus (rear pastern)
: Long. Without dewclaws.
Hind feet
: Identical to the forefeet in all
aspects.
GAIT/MOVEMENT
: Easy movement with
short steps at walk; light cadenced trot
and energetic gallop.
SKIN
: Thick, supple; not very
tight; internal and external mucous
membranes preferably pigmented.
COAT
HAIR
: The whole body is abundantly covered
with strong hair, with no undercoat.
There
are two varieties: one long and wavy and
the other shorter and curly. The first
is slightly shiny and woolly; the latter
is dense, lustreless and forms compact
cylindrical curls. Except for the
underarms and groin the coat is even all
over the skin. On the head it forms a
topknot of wavy hair in the long and
wavy variety and of curly hair in the
curly variety. The hair in the ears is
longer in the long and wavy variety.

COLOUR
: The coat is black or brown of various
shades, or solid white. In black or
brown coats, white is accepted in the
following locations: muzzle, topknot,
neck, forechest, belly, tip of tail and
lower extremities of the limbs, below
the elbows and hocks. The white coat
must not be albino, consequently the
nose, eyelids and inside of the mouth
should be pigmented in black, and brown
in brown dogs.
In
this breed partial clipping of the coat,
when it is too long, is typical. The
hindquarters, the muzzle and part of the
tail are clipped, leaving a plume of
full length hair at the tip of the tail.
HEIGHT AND WEIGHT
:
Height at withers
:
Males: 50 - 57 cm. Ideal
height 54 cm.
Females: 43 - 52 cm. Ideal
height 46 cm.
Weight
:
Males: 19 - 25 kg.
Females: 16 - 22 kg.
FAULTS
: Any departure from the
foregoing points should be considered a
fault and the seriousness with which the
fault should be regarded should be in
exact proportion to its degree and its
effect on the health and welfare of the
dog.
SEVERE FAULTS
:
-
Head
: Too long, narrow,
flat or pointed.
-
Muzzle
: Too tapered or pointed.
-
Eyes
: Light, too protruding or too
sunken.
-
Ears
: Incorrect set, too big, too short
or folded.
-
Tail
: Heavy, dropped in action or raised
perpendicularly.
ELIMINATING FAULTS
:
-
Behaviour
: Aggressive or overly shy.
-
Size
: Over-sized or under-sized
-
Jaws
: Undershot or overshot.
-
Eyes
: Wall eye, uneven in shape or size.
-
Deafness
: Congential or acquired.
-
Tail
: Docked, rudimentary
or non-existent.
-
Feet
: Presence of dewclaws.
-
Coat
: Hair different from the described
types.
-
Colour
: Albinism, marbled nostrils in
whole or in part. Any other colour
than the described type.
Any
dog clearly showing physical or
behavioural abnormalities shall be
disqualified.
N.B.:
Male animals should have two apparently
normal testicles fully descended into
the scrotum.