History and origin

The Spanish Water Dog is a breed of purely Spanish origin with centuries of history tied to work on the Iberian Peninsula. It was traditionally used as an all-round dog — herder and water dog for hunting waterfowl, helper to fishermen and shepherds, and retriever.

Its presence has been documented in Andalusia and other regions for several centuries, being especially popular in the mountains and the Andalusian countryside. Despite being a native Spanish breed, it was not officially recognised by the Royal Canine Society of Spain (RSCE) and the FCI until 1985, which marked a turning point for its breeding and conservation.

If you want to learn more about this breed, you can find the information in my book on it

Characteristics

Even with a standard that is still problematic — there are several versions and it is never quite updated, as I note in the book — the basics to date are as follows
UTILIZATION: Versatile working dog: retriever, herder and water dog.
FCI CLASSIFICATION: Group 8, Section 3 — Water Dogs. Without working trial.
GENERAL APPEARANCE: A medium-sized dog of athletic build, muscular and well proportioned. Its most characteristic feature is its curly or corded (dreadlock) coat of woolly texture.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT: Very intelligent, loyal, obedient and balanced. A tireless worker with great learning ability. An excellent family dog, very affectionate with its own and reserved with strangers without being aggressive.
HEAD: Strong, flat in the skull and with a moderate stop.
EYES: Hazel to dark brown, expressive and intelligent.
EARS: Triangular, medium-high set, drop and of moderate length.
NECK: Muscular, of medium length, without dewlap.
BODY: Compact and well muscled. Broad, deep chest. Straight topline.
TAIL: May be naturally short (bobtail) or of medium length. Set at medium height.
COAT: Curly from birth, of woolly texture, able to form cords (dreadlocks) when left to grow. Never straight or wavy.
COLOURS: Black, white, brown, or bicolour (white with black or white with brown). Never tricolour.
SIZE AND WEIGHT:
Males: 44-50 cm / 18-22 kg.
Females: 40-46 cm / 14-18 kg.

Our dogs

This was the first breed I showed, in its early days, starting from field specimens in the late '80s. We have bred them for over thirty-five years, with great dogs that made an immense contribution to the development of the breed nationally and internationally, and that today may be found in the pedigrees of the best dogs of the breed worldwide. However, I believe the time has come to let them go from active breeding, on the one hand because it is tremendously difficult to be at the top level in several breeds at once, also out of a long-borne disappointment regarding the breed's competitive fortunes at national level, and also for a simple matter of space, which the Corgis are starting to take up at home. At this point I would like someone, preferably abroad, to be willing to inherit our breeding base so that the genealogical work we have developed is not lost, even though, as I said before, there are already many breeders who have integrated it into their lines.

Our dogs have a pedigree RSCE/FCI official. We select breeding dogs with hip and elbow dysplasia screening, PRA eye control and character testing, always committed to the health and type of the breed.

Interested in this breed? Check our Litters or contact us.