Spanish Water Dog

The Spanish Water Dog or Perro de Agua Español is a Spanish breed of water dog. It was traditionally used for a variety of tasks: as a herding dog for sheep or cattle; as a gundog to find and retrieve game in marshlands; and as an aid to inshore fishermen on the Cantabrian coast. In the twenty-first century it is kept principally as a companion dog.

Spanish Water Dog
two brown dogs in shallow water
Other names	Perro de Agua Español
Origin	Spain
Traits Height Males 45–50 cm (18–20 in) Females 41–46 cm (16–18 in) Weight Males 18–22 kg (40–49 lb) Females 14–18 kg (31–40 lb)
Kennel club standards Real Sociedad Canina de España standard Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard
Dog (domestic dog)

Three sub-populations of the breed were identified: the Marismeño ('marsh dog') of the Marismas del Guadalquivir at the mouth of the river of the same name; the Serrano ('sierra dog') of southern Andalucia; and the Norteño ('northern dog') of Cantabria and Asturias. This last was recognised in Spanish law in 2012 as a separate breed, the Cantabrian Water Dog.

History

Originally there were three separate populations of SWD in Spain with somewhat different phenotypes and sizes. One of these populations was found in Northern Spain, in Asturias and Cantabria; these dogs were usually smaller and of lighter colour, becoming a new breed on 22 March 2011, the Cantabrian Water Dog. The other group could be found in the marshes of western Andalusia; this type of dogs had coats made of long and thin cords. And finally the largest group came from the southern Andalusian sierras; this type of dogs were the largest and strongest since they were mainly used for herding.

The Perro de Agua Español was recognised by the Real Sociedad Canina de España, the Spanish kennel club, in 1975; it was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1999; and was recognised in Spanish law by Royal Decree in 2001.

Characteristics

Black and white, solid white, brown and white

The Perro de Agua is a medium-sized, athletic, robust dog that is slightly longer than tall. Approximately half are born with natural bobbed (short) tails. Long tailed dogs are usually docked in the US, but undocked tails are not a fault in conformation showing if the dog was bred in a non-docking country.

The head should be strong and carried with elegance. The skull is flat and the top is parallel with the top of the muzzle. The nose, eye-rims and paw pads are the same colour as the darkest part of the coat or darker. The eyes are expressive and set fairly wide apart. They should be hazel, chestnut or dark brown in colour, depending on the coat colour. The ears are set at medium height on the skull, and are triangular.

Solid brown

It has a distinctive curly coat which is woolly in texture and may form cords when long. The coat should not be clipped or groomed for aesthetic purposes. Instead, it should look entirely natural, as though it is not groomed at all. It should never be trimmed, but sheared down at least once a year. SWD puppies are always born with curly hair.

It may be solid black, beige, brown, or white; bicolour where the second colour is white; or particolour . Tri-coloured dogs are strictly prohibited by the currently held (worldwide) standards for the breed as are black and tan or brown and tan colour combinations.

Solid black

It is a medium-sized dog. The approximate measurements are:

• Males
  • Height (at the withers): 44–50 cm (17–20 in)
  • Weight: 18–22 kg (40–49 lb)
• Females
  • Height (at the withers): 40–45 cm (16–18 in)
  • Weight: 14–18 kg (31–40 lb)

Health

Spanish Water Dog

The breed's life expectancy is thought to be about 14 years. Recent health testing has uncovered the following issues:

• Hip dysplasia
• Progressive retinal atrophy (prcd-PRA)
• Hypothyroidism
• Hypoadrenocorticism (also known as Addison's disease)
• Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
• Allergies
• Cataracts
• Congenital hypothyroidism with goitre (CHG)
• Distichia
• Cherry eye
• Neuroaxonal dystrophy