#4 The first written mentions of them date back to 600 BC.
#5 The Romans called the ancestors of the Portuguese “canis piscator” – “fisherman dog”.
At that time, the Iberian Peninsula was inhabited mainly by peasants who were engaged in raising livestock - cows, sheep, horses, camels, and bulls. Dogs helped guard livestock, performing the functions of herding dogs, which is largely related to the border collie.