Cão de Água Português
| Cão de Água Português (Portuguese Water Dog) |
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| FCI Standard No. 37 | ||
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| Origin : | ||
| Withers height: |
Male 50-57 cm. |
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| Weight: |
Males 19–25 kg, |
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| List of domestic dogs | ||
The Cão de Água Português , also known as the Portuguese Water Dog , is a Portuguese breed recognized by the FCI ( FCI Group 8, Section 3, Standard No. 37 ).
Origin and history
It is possible that water dogs were introduced to Portugal by the Persians in pre-Christian times. The canis turcus was discovered there as early as 600 BC. Mentioned. When the Romans occupied the Iberian Peninsula, there were reports of the canis piscator , a fishing dog. At the same time a dog called canis leo was known in Rome under Emperor Augustus ; a dog that was trimmed like a lion. Today's breed standard was formulated after the dog Leao, who lived in the 1930s. Leao came from a Portuguese fisherman from Albufeira and was owned by Vasco Bensaude.
Today, water dogs have lost their importance in fishing and therefore almost disappeared in the first half of the 20th century. At the beginning of the 1970s there were around 50 registered Cães de Água Português worldwide, and by 2008 there were 10,000. Recently, Portuguese water dogs have been enjoying increasing popularity again. In the VDH , the number of puppies rose from 0 in each of the years 2000 to 2003 to 159 in 2017:
| year | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of puppies | 96 | 90 | 78 | 90 | 60 | 29 | 29 | 39 | 38 | 24 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
description
Medium-sized (up to 57 cm, 25 kg) and massive dog . It is typical of the Cão de Água Português that the whole body is covered with plenty of tough hair without an undercoat. There are two types of hair: wavy long hair and shorter curled hair, single or multi-colored. The monochrome ones are predominantly black, rarely also brown or white in different color intensities. The multi-colored show mixtures of black or brown with white, the proportion of white should not exceed the ratio 1/3. The ears are close to the head and the tail is carried like a sickle over the back. Another characteristic of the breed are the inter-toe skins that help the dogs swim.
In order to protect the lungs and heart from the cold of the water and at the same time to get maximum legroom in the hindquarters, the dogs were shaved from the middle of the back down. This is a relic of the past, but is still held that way today and is called "lion shear ". At European dog shows and competitions, this "working shear" is now mandatory. The physique is robust and strong, the movement calm and controlled. The head is short, rounded with a broad muzzle .
use
The Cão de Água Português is a fishing dog that took on all the tasks a dog could do for the fisherman: he guarded the boat, equipment and catch, he smelled the schools of fish and gave the fishermen a signal to cast the nets, jumped into the water and floated the fish into the net, he escaped fish back into the net, helped haul in the nets and kept the connection from boat to boat and to the mainland. It used to be used all over the coast of Portugal. With the modernization of the fishery he lost his area of responsibility. Today you can find him as a loyal house dog in many countries. Due to his gentle, friendly nature and his willingness to bond with people, he is valued as a child-friendly family dog and is bred by various breeders worldwide. In the United States, the breed is widely used in animal-assisted therapy . Due to the fact that the Cão de Água Português hardly has any hair, it is considered to be one of the dog breeds that seems more suitable for those allergic to animal hair .
Essence
In the breed description of the FCI he is described as follows: Violent temperament, headstrong, proud, frugal and tireless. His gaze: penetrating and attentive. He is exceptionally intelligent and understands and obeys all of his master's commands. He's vigilant, but not a barker. Since he is very eager to learn, he is versatile. So he enjoys sporting activities such as B. agility , obedience or popular sports and training to become a rescue dog. However, training as a Schutzhund is only possible to a limited extent. Due to his good character traits he is also used as a therapy dog in Portugal and America . When dealing with children in particular, most water dogs prove to be extremely considerate with a very high stimulus threshold.
Genetic diseases
There are genetic diseases in the breed, the occurrence of which can be prevented by genetic testing and appropriate breeding measures. These include Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), Storage Disease (GM-1), and Juvenile Dilated Cardiomyopathy (JDCM). Breeding without prior genetic testing carries a high risk of these diseases occurring. The tests are the VDH still not prescribed. At the VDH European Winner Show in May 2009, a leaflet from the 1st interest group for the Cão de Água Português was distributed, in which the breeders pointed out the increasing demand, the rarity of the breed and its genetic problems, as well as the need for responsible breeding strategies.
popularity
A Portuguese water dog named Bo was the so-called "First Dog" of the USA during the presidency of Barack Obama . Obama had promised his two daughters that he would move into the White House . The dog was a gift from Senator Edward Kennedy to the Obama family. In 2012 a second dog of the breed named Sunny was added. As a result of the resulting media presence, the demand for puppies of this breed has risen sharply, so that it could become a fashion dog .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Räber : Encyclopedia of the pedigree dogs. Volume 2: Terriers, running dogs, pointing dogs, retrievers, water dogs, greyhounds. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-440-08235-0 , p. 718: Cao de Agua Portugues: To the history of the water dogs.
- ↑ a b c In love with rare Portuguese. Interview with Silke Hirtz-Schmidt. In: The dog. 5/2008, ISSN 0323-4924 , pp. 24-27.
- ↑ VDH puppy statistics
- ^ Hans-Joachim Swarovsky: BI-Lexicon dog breeds . 2nd, unchanged edition. VEB Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1985, p. 124 .
- ↑ breed information of the first community of interest for the Portuguese Water Dog
- ↑ The dog. 7/2009, p. 3.
- ↑ The White House has a first dog. In: Spiegel Online , April 12, 2009.
- ↑ Second dog moves into the Obamas.
- ↑ "First Dog" increases demand from breeders ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at RP Online (accessed June 3, 2010)
Web links
- Portuguese Water Dog - The Waves of the Sea - within the article there is information about keeping, care and nutrition of the breed
- Breed standard No. 37 of the FCI: Cão de Água Português (PDF)
- Portrait: the Portuguese Water Dog - at the end of the article it is referred to as a persistent rumor that the breed causes fewer reactions in people with allergies to dog hair