Information on AKC Portuguese Water Dog Puppies
Portuguese Water Dog Breed Standard
General Appearance
Known for centuries along Portugal's coast, this seafaring breed was prized
by fishermen for a spirited, yet obedient nature, and a robust, medium build
that allowed for a full day's work in and out of the water. The Portuguese Water
Dog is a swimmer and diver of exceptional ability and stamina, who aided his
master at sea by retrieving broken nets, herding schools of fish, and carrying
messages between boats and to shore. He is a loyal companion and alert guard.
This highly intelligent utilitarian breed is distinguished by two coat types,
either curly or wavy; an impressive head of considerable breadth and well proportioned
mass; a ruggedly built, well-knit body; and a powerful, thickly based tail,
carried gallantly or used purposefully as a rudder. The Portuguese Water Dog
provides an indelible impression of strength, spirit, and soundness.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Size--Height at the withers--Males, 20 to 23 inches.
The ideal is 22 inches. Females, 17 to 21 inches. The ideal is 19 inches.
Weight--For males, 42 to 60 pounds; for females, 35 to 50
pounds. Proportion--Off square; slightly longer than tall
when measured from prosternum to rearmost point of the buttocks, and from
withers to ground. Substance--Strong, substantial bone; well
developed, neither refined nor coarse, and a solidly built, muscular body.
Head
An essential characteristic; distinctively large, well proportioned and
with exceptional breadth of topskull. Expression--Steady,
penetrating, and attentive. Eyes-- Medium in size; set well
apart, and a bit obliquely. Roundish and neither prominent nor sunken. Black
or various tones of brown in color. Darker eyes are preferred. Eye rims
fully pigmented with black edges in black, black and white, or white dogs;
brown edges in brown dogs. Haws are dark and not apparent. Ears--Set
well above the line of the eye. Leather is heart shaped and thin. Except
for a small opening at the back, ears are held nicely against the head.
Tips should not reach below the lower jaw.
Skull--In profile, it is slightly longer than the muzzle, its
curvature more accentuated at the back than in the front. When viewed head-on,
the top of the skull is very broad and appears domed, with a slight depression
in the middle. The forehead is prominent, and has a central furrow, extending
two-thirds of the distance from stop to occiput. The occiput is well defined.
Stop--Well defined. Muzzle--Substantial; wider at
the base than at the nose. Jaws--Strong and neither over nor undershot.
Nose--Broad, well flared nostrils. Fully pigmented; black in dogs
with black, black and white, or white coats; various tones of brown in dogs
with brown coats. Lips-- Thick, especially in front; no flew.
Lips and mucous membranes of the roof of the mouth, under tongue, and gums are
quite black, or well ticked with black in dogs with black, black and white,
or white coats; various tones of brown in dogs with brown coats. Bite--Scissors
or level. Teeth--Not visible when the mouth is closed. Canines
strongly developed.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck--Straight, short, round, and held high. Strongly muscled. No dewlap.
Topline--Level and firm. Body--Chest is broad
and deep, reaching down to the elbow. Ribs are long and well-sprung to
provide optimum lung capacity. Abdomen well held up in a graceful line.
Back is broad and well muscled. Loin is short and meets
the croup smoothly. Croup is well formed and only slightly inclined with
hip bones hardly apparent. Tail--Not docked; thick at the base
and tapering; set on slightly below the line of the back; should not reach below
the hock. When the dog is attentive the tail is held in a ring, the front of
which should not reach forward of the loin. The tail is of great help when swimming
and diving.
Forequarters
Shoulders are well inclined and very strongly muscled. Upper arms
are strong. Forelegs are strong and straight with long, well muscled
forearms. Carpus is heavy-boned, wider in front than at the side.
Pasterns are long and strong. Dewclaws may be removed. Feet
are round and rather flat. Toes neither knuckled up nor too long. Webbing
between the toes is of soft skin, well covered with hair, and reaches the
toe tips. Central pad is very thick, others normal. Nails held up slightly
off the ground. Black, brown, white, and striped nails are allowed.
Hindquarters
Powerful; well balanced with the front assembly. Legs, viewed from the
rear, are parallel to each other, straight and very strongly muscled in upper
and lower thighs. Buttocks are well developed. Tendons and hocks
are strong. Metatarsus long, no dewclaws. Feet similar in all
respects to forefeet.
Coat
A profuse, thickly planted coat of strong, healthy hair, covering the whole
body evenly, except where the forearm meets the brisket and in the groin
area, where it is thinner. No undercoat, mane or ruff. There are two
varieties of coat:
Curly--Compact, cylindrical curls, somewhat lusterless. The
hair on the ears is sometimes wavy.
Wavy--Falling gently in waves, not curls, and with a slight
sheen.
No preference will be given to coat type, either curly or wavy.
Clip
Two clips are acceptable:
Lion Clip--As soon as the coat grows long, the middle part and hindquarters,
as well as the muzzle, are clipped. The hair at the end of the tail is left
at full length.
Retriever Clip--In order to give a natural appearance and a smooth
unbroken line, the entire coat is scissored or clipped to follow the outline
of the dog, leaving a short blanket of coat no longer than one inch in length.
The hair at the end of the tail is left at full length.
No discrimination will be made against the correct presentation of a dog
in either Lion Clip or Retriever Clip.
Color
Black, white, and various tones of brown; also combinations of black or brown
with white. A white coat does not imply albinism provided nose, mouth, and eyelids
are black. In animals with black, white, or black and white coats, the skin
is decidedly bluish.
Gait
Short, lively steps when walking. The trot is a forward striding, well balanced
movement.
Temperament
An animal of spirited disposition, self-willed, brave, and very resistant to
fatigue. A dog of exceptional intelligence and a loyal companion, it obeys its
master with facility and apparent pleasure. It is obedient with those who look
after it or with those for whom it works.
Summary Statement
The Portuguese Water Dog is spirited yet obedient, robust, and of unexaggerated,
functional conformation; sure, substantially boned and muscled, and able to
do a full day's work in and out of the water.
Faults
Any deviation from the described ideal is a fault. However, those inherent characteristics
that are imperative for the maintenance of proper type, and therefore cannot
be overlooked, are listed as Major Faults.
Major Faults
1. Temperament--Shy, vicious, or unsound behavior.
2. Head--Unimpressive; small in overall size; narrow in topskull;
snipey in muzzle.
3. Substance--Light or refined in bone; lacking in muscle.
4. Coat--Sparse; naturally short, close-lying hair, partially or
over all; wispy or wiry in texture; brittle; double-coated.
5. Tail--Other than as described. Extremely low set. Heavy or droopy
in action.
6. Pigment--Any deviation from described pigmen- tation; other than
black or various tones of brown eye color; pink or partial pigmentation
in nose, lips, eyes, or eye rims.
7. Bite--Overshot or undershot.
Approved January 15, 1991
Effective February 27, 1991
