Water Dogs and the Portuguese Waterdog

Water Dogs - Great Swimmers

The breeds known as water dogs include the:



- Labrador/Retriever
- Spaniel
- Portuguese Water dog
- French Water Dog(Barbet)
- Spanish Water Dog



Water dogs are in the News because the Obama family has chosen one for their pet.



Playful Portuguese Water Dog Puppies







The water dogs which are best known in the US, and the United Kingdom are Labrador retrievers, and spaniels. There is no UK breed called a specifically an American, UK or English waterdog but the spaniels probably come closest. On the Barbet breed web site it is recorded that, from 'The Pictorial Museum of Animated Nature' by Charles Knight (London: 1844), "The water-spaniel is extremely useful to persons engaged in the pursuit of water-fowl; it swims well, is very hardy, and is an excellent retriever".



The Water Dogs would also in some countries, we are told, act as couriers, carrying messages between ships and from ship to shore, and would dive into the sea to retrieve broken fishing nets and equipment that had gone overboard. Often they would have to dive under water to retrieve submerged articles.



The Portuguese Water dogs are typical of the water dog breed family. They are generally happy dogs, and sometimes in the case of the Barbet called laid-back, but the PWD needs to stay busy or it will get bored. You should have plenty of toys for it to play with and you may want to consider crate training when you are not at home. Generally healthy, some can develop hip dysplasia and eye problems such as cataracts. However, in spite of their thick, wavy coats, Portuguese Water Dogs are fairly easy to groom, needing only regular brushing and clipping.



Portuguese Water Dogs are very playful, obedient, and easy to train, plus they really enjoy retrieving games of any sort. They are medium-sized, usually described a “spirited but obedient”. They make a good dog for modern day boat owners. PWDs have a body that is slightly longer than tall, the top line is straight and level and the brisket reaches the elbows. Sometimes called 'Porties', they have a broad chest and large head with a rounded skull, and heart-shaped ears that shouldn't hang past their lower jaw.



They were, in times gone by, used for various duties while on board. The most used was their ability to retrieve nets and lost articles at sea, but some say that they were also good at herding fish to the nets. Another use was to get them barking in the fog to alert other boats of their location.



Portuguese Water Dogs are intelligent, rugged, robust, and love to work in and out of the water. They are exceptional swimmers and divers with great stamina.



As energetic, lively canines the Portuguese Water Dog adjusts well to almost any lifestyle. They need physical exercise and they love to swim.



If intending to show them please note that they are a very tightly controlled breed in the US, but for the whole breed that is good as we doubt there are very many, if any, puppy farms involving the breed.



Portuguese water dogs are medium sized, strong swimmers and active energetic family pets. in fact they can make very good family pets with their cheerful attitude.



PWD's can have either a wavy or curly coat. Some people call this a tousled coat, and it requires regular brushing, and also clipping and trimming. But don't expect your pet PWD to look like the show dogs you've seen in books or on TV, unless you are trained to do this or the trimmer you employ knows the technique.



They are a hypoallergenic breed making this a perfect choice for the Obama family.



They can come in black, black and white, brown, or brown and white. PWDs are very intelligent and obedient with those who work with them; but they are also self-willed, and not a breed for everyone!



Those who are considering a Portuguese Water Dog should talk with the breeder about their plans for training and being active with the dog, to make sure the breed is a good fit with your lifestyle.



So to summarize, Portuguese Water Dogs are a good indication of the dogs which represent this category of breed. They are very loving, independent and intelligent dogs. They love attention while being glued to their master's side. Portuguese water dogs are known to be great family pets.



Steve Evans is constantly amused and delighted by what he reads and hears about the joy so many Water Dog Breeds like Poodles bring to people, which also moves him to write great articles for his web site the Dog Breeds Blog.

What are Mixed Dog Breeds

To Mix is Good!

Before we start let me just declare my view which is that a mixed breed dog can be a wonderful addition to a family. They typically cost much less than the purebreds, and they are usually unique and delightful dogs.



A mixed breed dog is what is commonly known as the mongrel, mutt, or sometimes and rather unkindly I have to say "the Heinz 57". The mutt is in fact a mixture of several dogs and qualifies when bred with more than 2 different breeds in it, otherwise they are called cross-breeds. If you are wondering whether your dog is a purebred you can work on the basis that unless the dog has registration papers, it is safe to assume that the dog is a mixed breed. Even mixed breeds can closely resemble a purebred.



Mixed breed/Mutt Dogs in a Slideshow







So, it follows that mixed-breed dogs vary enormously in size, shape, color and personality, making them almost impossible to classify physically. Historically, all purebred dogs have been selected from a mixed-breed population way back in time…



As we have just said mixed-breed dogs can be any size, weight, or colour, but some colors are more common than others. No matter what their parents' colors were, mixed breeds are often a light-to-medium brown or black, frequently with a white chest and other white markings. Mixed-breed dogs, however, don’t classify except according to height; there is tremendous variation in physical traits such as coat, skeletal structure, gait, ear set, eye shape and color, and so on. When conformation standards are applied to mixed-breed dogs, such as in events run by the MBDCA, the standards are usually general traits of health, soundness of nature, symmetry, and personality.



Anyone who appreciates how genetics works will understand that mixed-breed dogs are more genetically diverse than their pure bred cousins, due to the more haphazard nature of their parents' mating. Happily also, as would have been predicted by Darwin, he offspring of such matings are less likely to express certain genetic disorders because there is a decreased chance that both parents carry the same detrimental recessive alleles.



Purebred dogs are those dogs which are the recognized breeds of the national kennel clubs (for example the American Kennel Club, and the UK Kennel Club), and are of course, more predictable as their personality traits and health issues are more predictable and for certain breeds which have developed a bad reputation are well known.



Purebreds may be less hardy than mixed breeds, both physically and often emotionally, as a result of inbreeding. Inbreeding has become a big issue especially in the UK where Crufts will not be screened by the BBC this year due to a feeling that not all that absolutely could be done to preserve and enhance pure bred genes is being done by the UK Kennel Club.



Purebred dogs will also have to some extent a predictable temperament, if you are looking for a friendly dog with lots of energy then choose a breed which is known for this character trait. That had to be by far the best way to buy a puppy which will result in an adult dog with those traits.



On the downside when you compare the mutt with the purebred recognized breed, the purebred dog is generally more prone to disease and ailments than the mixed breed. This is mainly as we have earlier indicated down to genetics in the breeding. Mixed dog breeding however results in a good deal of the overpopulation among dogs, and most of the dogs you will see looking for owners in any dog rescue centre will normally be the mixed breeds. Each year, millions of homeless pets are killed, and by your choosing to re-home a mixed breed dog you would be taking an animal which is much less likely to gain a new home than a purebred in the next dog pen.



Steve Evans is a dog lover who writes frequently on dog breeds and great subjects such as mixed breeds of dog. He also runs the very active blog site with subjects like the mixed dog-breeds included.