Characteristics
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The breed region is circumscribed almost exclusively to the Southern Portugal in the Upper Alentejo Region.
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The Portuguese Water Dog originated from the Portuguese region of the Algarve. From there the breed expanded to all around Portugal's coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and act as couriers from ship to ship, or ship to shore. Portuguese Water Dogs rode in fishing trawlers as they worked their way from the Atlantic waters of Portugal to the waters off the coast of Iceland fishing for cod.
The Lusitano, also known as the Pure Blood Lusitano or PSL, is a Portuguese horse breed, closely related to the Spanish Andalusian horse. Both are sometimes called Iberian horses, as the breeds both developed on the Iberian peninsula, and until the 1960s they were considered one breed, under the Andalusian name. Horses were known to be present on the Iberian Peninsula as far back as 20,000 BC, and by 800 BC the region was renowned for its war horses. The fame of the horses from Lusitania goes back to the Roman Age, which attributed its speed to the influence of the West wind, who was considered capable of fertilizing the mares. When the Muslims invaded Iberia in 711 AD, they brought Barb horses with them that were crossed with the native horses, developing a horse that became useful for war, dressage and bull fighting. In 1966, the Portuguese and Spanish stud books split, and the Portuguese strain of the Iberian horse was named the Lusitano, after the word Lusitania, the ancient Roman name for the region that modern Portugal roughly occupies. There are four main breed lineages within the breed today, and characteristics differ slightly between each line.
The Landseer is a dog that originated in Canada. It is a black and white variety of the Newfoundland that is recognised as an independent breed in continental Europe.
The Sorraia is a rare breed of horse indigenous to the portion of the Iberian peninsula, in the Sorraia River basin, in Portugal. The Sorraia is known for its primitive features, including a convex profile and dun coloring with primitive markings. Concerning its origins, a theory has been advanced by some authors that the Sorraia is a descendant of primitive horses belonging to the naturally occurring wild fauna of Southern Iberia. Studies are currently ongoing to discover the relationship between the Sorraia and various wild horse types, as well as its relationship with other breeds from the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa.
The Estrela Mountain Dog is a large breed of dog from the Estrela Mountains of Portugal bred to guard herds and homesteads. It is "one of the oldest breeds in the Iberian Peninsula."
The Rafeiro do Alentejo is a Portuguese breed of livestock guardian dog. It is named for its area of origin, the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. It is recognised by the Clube Português de Canicultura, and was definitively accepted by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1954.
A Portuguese Pointer, is a breed of dog developed as a gun dog. It is one of several pointing breeds and is mainly used in red-legged partridge hunting.
The Arouquesa is a cattle breed from Portugal. The Arouquesa breed was granted protected geographical status of DOC from the European Commission
The Portuguese Sheepdog is a medium-sized breed of dog of the herding dog type, and is one of the indigenous regional dogs of Portugal. The Portuguese name refers to Serra de Aires, a mountain near Montforte in the Alentejo region. The breed is nicknamed cão macaco for its furry face and lively attitude.
The Pantaneiro is a cattle breed from the Pantanal region of Brazil, where it has been raised for more than three hundred years. It is now considered to be at risk of extinction.
The Alentejana is a cattle breed from Portugal. The Alentejana breed has the protected geographical status of DOC from the European Commission
The Jarmelista is a cattle breed from Continental Portugal, near Serra da Estrela. It is primarily used for beef.
The Garvonesa is a cattle breed originating in Portugal.
The Marinhoa is a cattle breed from Portugal.
The Mertolenga is a cattle breed from Portugal, one of thirteen registered Portuguese breeds, making up around 19 per cent of cattle in that country.
Sunny is a pet dog of the Obama family, the 44th presidential family of the United States. Sunny is a female Portuguese Water Dog, who has been called the younger sister of Bo, who held the title of First Dog of the United States. Sunny was introduced via First Lady Michelle Obama's Twitter account on August 19, 2013.
The Cão de Gado Transmontano or Transmontano Mastiff is a breed of livestock guardian dog from Portugal. It originates in the historical province of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro in north-eastern Portugal, and is a rare breed confined mostly to this area.
The Gaucho Sheepdog (Portuguese: Ovelheiro gaúcho) is a dog breed that originated in the Gaucho Pampas, Brazil. The breed is not recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), but it has been recognized by the CBKC, a Brazilian kennel club affiliated with FCI. Dogs of this breed are often characterized as sturdy and agile, which makes them suitable for herding activities. The Gaucho sheepdog is widely used for herding sheep and other livestock, especially in the southern region of Brazil.
Pampas Deerhound is a Brazilian breed of hunting dog; it is also found in Argentina and Uruguay. It is common in Brazil, where it was first recognized by a national kennel club. The dogs were used to track, capture, and hunt deer, and thus earned the name Pampas Deerhound. It is still a widely preferred hunting companion to track other animals, such as wild boars.