Water dog

This article is about the general dog type. For specific breeds and non-dogs, see Water dog (disambiguation).

The Barbet, one of the oldest breeds of water dogs.

A water dog is a type of gundog bred to flush and retrieve game from water. Water dogs are considered the progenitors of most modern retriever dog breeds. ^[1]

Description

A Portuguese Water Dog with its coat clipped in the classic water dog clip.

Water dogs are usually medium-sized, active dogs; their most distinctive feature are their tight waterproof coats and their strong desire to swim. Traditionally many long haired water dogs breeds have their coats clipped with a bare midriff and hindquarters to assist in swimming by reducing drag, whilst retaining a long coat around their torso to prevent thermal shock when jumping into freezing water. This classic clip is seen to this day in dog shows with some breeds such as Poodles retaining a variation of this clip. Paintings by artists like Francisco Goya and Albrecht Durer in the 15th century depict early Standard Poodles, which were used for retrieving game birds from water. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

History

Water dogs are an ancient type of dog, used by ancient mariners to retrieve objects lost overboard as well as to pass messages between boats, they were known to the Romans who called them "lion dogs" after the distinctive clipping of their coats. Water dogs continued to be seen aboard ships until modern times. They were known to be prevalent in the Spanish Armada and could still be seen through to the 20th century aboard fishing vessels, particularly in the waters around Spain and Portugal. ^{[3] [4]}

In addition to their roles as ships' dogs, in Medieval Europe water dogs were used quite widely by hunters to retrieve ducks from water that had been shot with a bow and arrows, as well as the arrows and bolts that had missed their mark. ^{[3] [4]}

With the invention of modern firearms the need for dogs to retrieve arrows disappeared and many of the European water dogs breeds became predominantly ornamental, such as the poodle, whilst others adapted into modern gundogs, like the Wetterhoun. It is believed that water dogs were used, along with other types, in the breeding of most modern retriever breeds. ^[4]

List of breeds

This is a list of dog breeds usually considered water dogs. ^{[3] [4]}

Breed	Alternate name(s)	Country of origin	Image
American Water Spaniel	American Brown Spaniel & American Brown Water Spaniel	United States
Barbet	French Water Dog	France
Cantabrian Water Dog	Perro de agua cantábrico, Perro de lanas & Merlucero	Spain
English Water Spaniel †	Water Dog & Water Rug	England
Irish Water Spaniel	Whiptail, Shannon Spaniel, Rat Tail Spaniel & Bog Dog	Ireland
Lagotto Romagnolo	Romagna Water Dog & Water Dog of Romagna	Italy
Poodle	Pudelhund & Caniche	France ,   Germany
Portuguese Water Dog	Cão de Água Português & Cão de Água Algarvio	Portugal
Pudelpointer ‡		Germany
Spanish Water Dog	Perro de agua Español	Spain
Tweed Water Spaniel †	Tweed Spaniel & Ladykirk Spaniel	England
Wetterhoun	Otterhoun & Dutch Spaniel	Netherlands

† Extinct breed
‡ Often considered a versatile gundog

References

1. Suburban, Judie Amyot, The. "Judie Amyot: Gone like the Dodo". The Suburban Newspaper. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
2. ali, Rana Haider (17 January 2024). "Moyen Poodle In US: Moyen Meaning, A to Z Guide". Animal Uploads. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
3. Dr. Bruce Fogle, The Encyclopedia of the Dog, New York: DK Publishing, 2009, ISBN   978-0-7566-6004-8.
4. David Hancock, Gundogs: Their Past, Their Performance and Their Prospects, Marlborough: The Crowood Press, 2013, ISBN   978-1-84797-492-1.