KENAI
Portuguese Water Dog

The breeds · gun dog · water dog

AKC Working · UKC Gun Dog · FCI standard 37

Portuguese Water Dog.

FCI 37 utilization: assistance with fishing and retrieving as well as companion dog. FCI: while fishing it jumps to sea to retrieve escaped fish, diving if necessary, and when a net breaks or a cable comes loose; used as a liaison between boats and shore, and to guard the boat. AKC: seafaring breed prized by fishermen; retrieved broken nets, herded schools of fish, carried messages between boats and to shore. UKC: primarily used to herd fish into nets, also to take messages boat to boat and retrieve escaping fish and lost objects. RKC: 'herder of fish', retriever of lost nets, said to act as a foghorn by barking in fog; regenerated after the 1950s and 1960s as a family companion. PWDCA: past and present a working breed; aboard Portuguese vessels it retrieved overboard objects, carried messages, swam fishing floats into place and guarded boats, nets and catch in port..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

13YRMedian lifespan11.5 to 14.9, measured on real dogs.
0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
35–60LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 41.9 to 60 lb; breed bitches 35 to 50 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayRKC: up to 1 hour per day.. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 19.7 to 23 in · bitches 16.9 to 21 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1991

Center left blank: AKC and FCI print different ideals (19 in versus 18.1 in).

Weight

dogs 41.9 to 60 lb · bitches 35 to 50 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1991

Span of AKC/UKC and FCI.

Coat

AKC: two coat types, curly (compact cylindrical curls, somewhat lusterless) or wavy (falling in waves, slight sheen); no undercoat; colors black, white, brown tones and black or brown with white. FCI 37: no undercoat; same two varieties; partial clipping is typical. RKC: sheds 'No'.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1991

AKC, UKC and FCI agree on the coat; AKC and UKC accept the Lion Clip and Retriever (Working Retriever) Clip.

Shedding

Shedding 2 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · AKC: profuse, thickly planted single coat of strong hair, no undercoat, mane or ruff; curly or wavy; usually clipped (Lion or Retriever clip). FCI 37: strong hair, no undercoat.

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1991

Derived from the standard's coat (medium-length single coat, no undercoat, routinely clipped = 3). No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

13 years (11.5 to 14.9)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

McMillan et al. 2024 / Dogs Trust table. UK population; small sample (36 deaths) behind a wide interval. Teng 2022 does not include the breed.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

RKC: up to 1 hour per day.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC is a UK registry band, not a study; mapped by the library rule.

Energy

5 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming load

4 of 5 · RKC: grooming every day; coat length medium; does not shed. Wikipedia: trimmed about every two months and brushed every other day. AKC standard: two clips allowed (Lion and Retriever).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'every day' mapped to 4 (daily or regular clipping) by the library rule. AKC page prints coat grooming frequency 4 (AKC band, not mapped).

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 37 utilization: assistance with fishing and retrieving as well as companion dog. FCI: while fishing it jumps to sea to retrieve escaped fish, diving if necessary, and when a net breaks or a cable comes loose; used as a liaison between boats and shore, and to guard the boat. AKC: seafaring breed prized by fishermen; retrieved broken nets, herded schools of fish, carried messages between boats and to shore. UKC: primarily used to herd fish into nets, also to take messages boat to boat and retrieve escaping fish and lost objects. RKC: 'herder of fish', retriever of lost nets, said to act as a foghorn by barking in fog; regenerated after the 1950s and 1960s as a family companion. PWDCA: past and present a working breed; aboard Portuguese vessels it retrieved overboard objects, carried messages, swam fishing floats into place and guarded boats, nets and catch in port.

Breed clubFCI-Standard N° 37, 2008

Registry and breed-club wording. The PWDCA Water Program tests these tasks (Junior Water Dog through Master Water Dog).

Primary game

Not a game dog. The traditional work is fish and tackle: herding fish into nets, retrieving escaped fish, lost nets and gear (FCI, UKC, AKC, RKC). No source read names a quarry species for the modern breed.

Breed clubPortuguese Water Dog Club of America

Stated as the sources state it: a fisherman's dog, not a gundog by function, though the RKC lists it in the Working group and the FCI in Group 8 (retrievers, flushing dogs, water dogs; Section 3 water dogs, without working trial).

Also used on

Wikipedia: service roles (hearing, mobility and seizure-response dogs) and therapy work; PWDCA lists agility, obedience, rally, scenting, tracking and other sports. Not a hunting role.

EditorialWikipedia

Editorial; stated as the sources state it.

Water work

UKC and AKC: swimmer and diver of exceptional ability and stamina; muscular development from constant swimming; tail aids swimming and diving; webbed feet (webbing to the toe tips). PWDCA water trial ladder: Junior Water Dog (retrieving and basic obedience), Apprentice Water Dog (longer retrieves, boat ride, swim, an underwater retrieve), Working Water Dog (works off a boat, jumps from it, blind retrieve at distance; WWDX after three passes), Courier Water Dog (boat-to-boat carries, retrieving from shore, retrieving multiple items in order, placing a net), Master Water Dog. Wikipedia: the lion clip is said to cut the shock of cold water on jumping from boats and to keep the vitals warm while freeing the hindquarters.

Breed clubPortuguese Water Dog Club of America

AKC and UKC standards; PWDCA Water Program page; Wikipedia clip rationale is unsourced there (editorial).

Cold water

4 of 5 · Single coat, no undercoat; bred for Atlantic fishing work (Wikipedia: trawlers to Icelandic cod waters); traditional lion clip covers chest and forequarters, shaves the hindquarters

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1991

Derived: strong water-dog work history and a dense curly or wavy coat, but no insulating undercoat (AKC, FCI), so 4 rather than 5. No measured data.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

12% · 12,086 OFA hip evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 8 2026; 12.0% dysplastic (mild 8.0, moderate 3.6, severe 0.4), 86.7% normal (excellent 16.9, good 59.5, fair 10.4)

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics (rank 111). OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented. RKC also lists BVA/KC hip scoring for UK breeders.

Elbow dysplasia

2% · 5,377 OFA elbow evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 8 2026; 2.0% abnormal (grade 1 1.8, grade 2 0.2, grade 3 0.1), 97.9% normal

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA's own breed statistics (rank 125). OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented.

Most common disorders

RKC breed health lists breeder tests for: prcd-PRA (DNA), GM1 gangliosidosis (DNA), early-onset progressive retinal atrophy (EOPRA, DNA), hip and elbow dysplasia (BVA/KC schemes). Wikipedia names hip dysplasia, cataracts and PRA, distichiasis, and GM1 storage disease (described as almost eliminated by DNA testing).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC lists the tests; it does not give frequencies. Wikipedia is editorial and carries a needs-citations banner.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 5; Mental Stimulation Needs 5; Trainability Level 5; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 4; Good With Young Children 5; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 4; Shedding Level 2; Coat Grooming Frequency 4; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 5; Adaptability Level 5.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

No KENAI kennel lists the Portuguese Water Dog yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 8 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
PWD, Portie, Cao de Agua Portugues, Algarvian Water Dog

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