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WHAT IS A STANDARD?

All of the breeds currently recognized by the American Kennel Club for registration have a standard. The standard is written by the breed’s parent club. The standard portrays what would be the ideal representative of the breed. The standard is not the representation of any actual dog, but simply a theory. The breed standard authorized by the American Kennel Club is used as a measuring stick by which AKC judges evaluate dogs at shows.

MEETING THE IDEAL

The American Kennel Club defines a standard as: “A description of the ideal dog of each recognized breed, to serve as an ideal against which dogs are judged at shows.” This “blueprint” is drawn up by the breed’s recognized parent club, approved by a majority of its membership and then submitted to the AKC for approval.

The AKC states that “An understanding of any breed must begin with its standard. This applies to all dogs, not just those intended for showing.” The picture that the standard draws of the dog’s type, gait, temperament and structure is the guiding image used by breeders as they plan their programs.

In a typical dog show, a judge will evaluate every competitor that is shown under him or her. The dog that most closely resembles the standard in the judge’s determination is the dog that is placed first in the class. Not every judge will agree on which dog or dogs are best. That’s what makes conformation competition exciting and appealing to the show dog aficionado. Each show features a different judging panel and completely different opinion as to which dogs best conform to the standard. The breed standard is the “blueprint” of the breed, the ideal for which every breeder strives.

The breed standard can be a very valuable asset for the novice and experienced dog owner, dog breeder and show judge. Any person interested in buying a puppy or adult PWD should study the breed standard thoroughly. It is a valuable guideline in determining the physical and temperamental qualities that make up the Portuguese Water Dog, and some of the less desirable features (or faults) that you should be aware of before buying, even if selecting a pet-only dog. Although the perfect dog portrayed in the breed standard will likely never exist, it is in your best interest to attempt to obtain or breed a dog that closely resembles it.

THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB BREED STANDARD FOR THE PORTUGUESE WATER DOG

General Appearance: Known for centuries along Portugal’s coast, this seafaring breed was prized by fishermen for a spirited, yet obedient nature, and a robust, medium build that allowed for a full day’s work in and out of the water. The Portuguese Water Dog is a swimmer and diver of exceptional ability and stamina, who aided his master at sea by retrieving broken nets, herding schools of fish, and carrying messages between boats and to shore. He is a loyal companion and alert guard. This highly intelligent utilitarian breed is distinguished by two coat types, either curly or wavy; an impressive head of considerable breadth and well proportioned mass; a ruggedly built, well-knit body; and a powerful, thickly based tail, carried gallantly or used purposefully as a rudder. The Portuguese Water Dog provides an indelible impression of strength, spirit, and soundness.

“Spirited” and “attentive” are two adjectives from the breed standard that are aptly shown on this PWD’s face.

Size, Proportion, Substance:

Size—Height at the withers—Males, 20 to 23 inches. The ideal is 22 inches. Females, 17 to 21 inches. The ideal is 19 inches. Weight—For males, 42 to 60 pounds; for females, 35 to 50 pounds. Proportion—Off square; slightly longer than tall when measured from prosternum to rearmost point of the buttocks, and from withers to ground. Substance—Strong, substantial bone; well developed, neither refined nor coarse, and a solidly built, muscular body.

Head study—curly coat, retriever clip, showing correct substance, type and structure.

Dog in profile—wavy coat, lion clip. A self-colored dog showing correct type, proportion, structure and substance.

Head: An essential characteristic; distinctively large, well proportioned and with exceptional breadth of topskull. Expression—Steady, penetrating, and attentive. Eyes—Medium in size; set well apart, and a bit obliquely. Roundish and neither prominent nor sunken. Black or various tones of brown in color. Darker eyes are preferred. Eye rims fully pigmented with black edges in black, black and white, or white dogs; brown edges in brown dogs. Haws are dark and not apparent. Ears—Set well above the line of the eye. Leather is heart shaped and thin. Except for a small opening at the back, ears are held nicely against the head. Tips should not reach below the lower jaw. Skull—In profile, it is slightly longer than the muzzle, its curvature more accentuated at the back than in the front. When viewed head-on, the top of the skull is very broad and appears domed, with a slight depression in the middle. The forehead is prominent, and has a central furrow, extending two-thirds of the distance from stop to occiput. The occiput is well defined. Stop—Well defined. Muzzle—Substantial; wider at the base than at the nose. Jaws—Strong and neither over nor undershot. Nose—Broad, well flared nostrils. Fully pigmented; black in dogs with black, black and white, or white coats; various tones of brown in dogs with brown coats. Lips—Thick, especially in front; no flew. Lips and mucous membranes of the roof of the mouth, under tongue, and gums are quite black, or well ticked with black in dogs with black, black and white, or white coats; various tones of brown in dogs with brown coats. Bite—Scissors or level. Teeth—Not visible when the mouth is closed. Canines strongly developed.

Neck, Topline, Body: Neck—Straight, short, round, and held high. Strongly muscled. No dewlap. Topline—Level and firm. Body—Chest is broad and deep, reaching down to the elbow. Ribs are long and well-sprung to provide optimum lung capacity. Abdomen well held up in a graceful line. Back is broad and well muscled. Loin is short and meets the croup smoothly. Croup is well formed and only slightly inclined with hip bones hardly apparent. Tail—Not docked; thick at the base and tapering; set on slightly below the line of the back; should not reach below the hock. When the dog is attentive the tail is held in a ring, the front of which should not reach forward of the loin. The tail is of great help when swimming and diving.

Forequarters: Shoulders are well inclined and very strongly muscled. Upper arms are strong. Forelegs are strong and straight with long, well muscled forearms. Carpus is heavy-boned, wider in front than at the side. Pasterns are long and strong. Dewclaws may be removed. Feet are round and rather flat. Toes neither knuckled up nor too long. Webbing between the toes is of soft skin, well covered with hair, and reaches the toe tips. Central pad is very thick, others normal. Nails held up slightly off the ground. Black, brown, white, and striped nails are allowed.

Thanks to the efforts of dedicated breeders and fanciers, the Portuguese Water Dog is generally hardy and long-lived—and he’s certainly happy about it!

Hindquarters: Powerful; well balanced with the front assembly. Legs, viewed from the rear, are parallel to each other, straight and very strongly muscled in upper and lower thighs. Buttocks are well developed. Tendons and hocks are strong. Metatarsus long, no dewclaws. Feet similar in all respects to forefeet.

Dog in profile—curly coat, retriever clip. A particolor dog showing correct type, proportion and substance.

Coat: A profuse, thickly planted coat of strong, healthy hair, covering the whole body evenly, except where the forearm meets the brisket and in the groin area, where it is thinner. No undercoat, mane or ruff. There are two varieties of coat: Curly—Compact, cylindrical curls, somewhat lusterless. The hair on the ears is sometimes wavy. Wavy—Falling gently in waves, not curls, and with a slight sheen. No preference will be given to coat type, either curly or wavy.

Clip: Two clips are acceptable: Lion Clip—As soon as the coat grows long, the middle part and hindquarters, as well as the muzzle, are clipped. The hair at the end of the tail is left at full length. Retriever Clip—In order to give a natural appearance and a smooth unbroken line, the entire coat is scissored or clipped to follow the outline of the dog, leaving a short blanket of coat no longer than one inch in length. The hair at the end of the tail is left at full length. No discrimination will be made against the correct presentation of a dog in either Lion Clip or Retriever Clip.

Color: Black, white, and various tones of brown; also combinations of black or brown with white. A white coat does not imply albinism provided nose, mouth, and eyelids are black. In animals with black, white, or black and white coats, the skin is decidedly bluish.

Gait: Short, lively steps when walking. The trot is a forward striding, well balanced movement.

Temperament: An animal of spirited disposition, self-willed, brave, and very resistant to fatigue. A dog of exceptional intelligence and a loyal companion, it obeys its master with facility and apparent pleasure. It is obedient with those who look after it or with those for whom it works.

Summary Statement: The Portuguese Water Dog is spirited yet obedient, robust, and of unexaggerated, functional conformation; sure, substantially boned and muscled, and able to do a full day’s work in and out of the water.

Faults: Any deviation from the described ideal is a fault. However, those inherent characteristics that are imperative for the maintenance of proper type, and therefore cannot be overlooked, are listed as Major Faults.

Major Faults:

1. Temperament—Shy, vicious, or unsound behavior.

2. Head—Unimpressive; small in overall size; narrow in topskull; snipy in muzzle.

3. Substance—Light or refined in bone; lacking in muscle.

4. Coat—Sparse; naturally short, close-lying hair, partially or over all; wispy or wiry in texture; brittle; double-coated.

5. Tail—Other than as described. Extremely low set. Heavy or droopy in action.

6. Pigment—Any deviation from described pigmentation; other than black or various tones of brown eye color; pink or partial pigmentation in nose, lips, eyes, or eye rims.

7. Bite—Overshot or undershot.

Approved January 15, 1991 Effective February 27, 1991