The Portuguese Water Dog is a breed of working dog as classified by the American Kennel Club. Portuguese Water Dogs are originally from the Portuguese region of the Algarve, from where the breed expanded to all around Portugal's coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as couriers from ship to ship, or ship to shore. Portuguese Water Dogs rode in bobbing fishing trawlers as they worked their way from the warm Atlantic waters of Portugal to the frigid fishing waters off the coast of Iceland where the fleets caught cod... to bring home. Portuguese Water Dogs were often taken with sailors during the Portuguese discoveries. In Portugal, the breed is called Cão de Água . In its native land, the dog is also known as the Algarvian Water Dog , or Portuguese Fishing Dog . Cão de Água de Pêlo Ondulado is the name given to the wavy-haired variety, and Cão de Água de Pêlo Encaracolado is the name for the curly-coated variety.
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| Breed Group: | Working Group |
| Place of Origin: | Portugal |
| Also Known As: | PWD, Water Dog, Cão de Água Português, Portie |