Portuguese Water Dog AKC Breed Standard

Official Standard of the Portuguese Water Dog

General Appearance: Known for centuries along Portugal’s coast, fishermen prized this seafaring breed 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. JawsStrong 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 heavyboned, 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 pigmentation; 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, 199