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Revised
Standard for the
Portuguese Water Dog |
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The Board of Directors of The American Kennel Club
has approved the following revised Standard for the Portuguese
Water Dog as submitted by the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America,
Inc.:
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 - 21 inches. The ideal is 19 inches.
- Weight - For males, 42 to 60 pounds; for females, 35 - 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 that 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 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
- Temperament - Shy, vicious, or unsound behavior.
- Head - Unimpressive; small in overall size; narrow in topskull;
snippy in muzzle.
- Substance - Light or refined in bone; lacking in muscle.
- Coat - Sparse; naturally short, close-lying hair, partially
or overall; wispy or wiry in texture; brittle; double-coated.
- Tail - Other than as described. Extremely low set. heavy
or droopy in action
- 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.
- Bite - Overshot or undershot.
Approved January 15, 1991
Effective February 27, 1991 |
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Last Updated: February 4, 2006 |
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of America, Inc.
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