Ava Williams
Shoulder height: 40 – 50 cm
Weight: 14 – 22 kg
Age: 10 – 14 years
Color: white, black, brown, single color, or white spotted
Use: Companion dog, the family dog, sports dog
The Spanish Water Dog is a medium-sized, spirited dog that needs a lot of work and exercise. Willing to learn and eager to work, the dog is easy to train with a little consistency.
Origin and history
Like its French colleague – the Barbet – the Spanish Water Dog is one of the oldest European water dog breeds. The dog’s homeland is Andalusia, where it has been kept for centuries as a herding dog, and as an assistant to water game hunters and fishermen. One theory says that it originally came to Spain with Turkish traders and their flocks of sheep, which is why it is also called the Turkish dog in its homeland. The international recognition by the FCI did not come until 1999.
Appearance
The Spanish Water Dog is a medium-sized, rustic, and well-proportioned dog with a long build. It has an elongated head with expressive brown eyes and triangular lop ears. The tail is of medium length – there are also congenital bobtails.
A special breed characteristic of the Spanish Water Dog is its curly, woolly coat, which is particularly well adapted to the change from wet to dry in the swampy regions of Andalusia. From a certain length, the fur can also form villi, but it does not require any complex care. The Spanish Water Dog is one of the non-shedding dog breeds.
The color of the coat can be solid white, black or brown (of all shades), or two-tone white and black or white and brown.
Nature
The Spanish Water Dog is a loyal, hardworking, and obedient companion. It is very capable of learning, willingly subordinates itself, and has exceptionally good comprehension. In Spain, the water dog is still used today as a herding dog and helper for fishermen and hunters, but it also does excellent service as a rescue dog or drug sniffer dog.
The Spanish Water Dog is extremely fond of water and an excellent swimmer. The spirited outdoorsman loves to be busy and exercise outdoors and is best suited to sporty, adventurous, and nature-loving people. With its willingness to work and docility, the sociable water dog also makes dog beginners happy. With loving consistency, it is easy to train and easily adapts to all circumstances. Provided it is challenged according to its nature, for example in dog sports activities such as agility, flyball, track work, or water work.
The easy-care, curly coat brings a lot of dirt into the house but hardly sheds at all. It can also be shortened for home use.