Characteristics and Temperament

Spanish Water Dogs are a lively, athletic and versatile guarding breed. They are incredibly intelligent, willing working dogs and are easy to train, having the ability to learn quickly and remember for a long time. They are faithful and bold but can be wary of strangers. Their memories are amazing. However, such clever dogs are apt to learn the wrong things as quickly as they do the right ones! They are also adept at training their owners, which can be problematic as many of them are inherently “bossy”, and inclined to take matters into their own hands if they believe themselves to be “in charge”!

People are often drawn to this breed by their curls and their appearance. Spanish Water Dogs are cute – very – in more ways than one! With their curly coats and sparkling eyes they look adorable but in reality they are serious workers in sheepskin coats! They will do anything we can train them to do but they are very sensitive, they do guard and they do like to be in control. They can be independent when working and will often work things out for themselves. They can be quite vocal but as long as this is not encouraged it should not be a problem!

In Spain, they are the ‘all purpose’ dog and can be trained to herd, hunt, dive and guard. In this country they are trained in a variety of disciplines including water work, gundog work, agility, flyball, search work and obedience. They are not couch potatoes!

Spanish Water Dogs make excellent family pets but the whole family must be involved in their training so that they give 110% to everyone. They are, by nature, aloof with strangers and have a strong guarding instinct. This reserved temperament can be mistaken for timidity but this breed will take time to weigh up and accept people they don’t know. Early socialisation is important for puppies and the ideal age for a puppy to go to its new home is from seven to eight weeks of age. The puppy must attend training classes as soon as possible but care should be taken to choose modern, motivational trainers, as these dogs will not respond well to old-fashioned punishment-based training methods. Harsh treatment, choke chains and “firm” voice training will result in a dog that is unable to trust people and therefore unreliable later in life.

The Spanish Water dog is a very primitive breed that has been living in the modern world for a relatively short time. There are aspects of its character and development that can become problematic if the dog is handled roughly or unsympathetically. All puppies go through a ‘first fear imprint period’, which is during the time that they are being socialised, prior to twenty weeks of age. As long as any fearful response to a situation or a person is ignored the puppy will learn that there is nothing to fear and, more importantly, nothing to be gained from showing fear. The critical time with many Spanish is the ‘second fear imprint period’ that usually commences at around nine or ten months, and may last from four to six months. This developmental stage seems to be much more problematic because the breed is so primitive. At this time many previously relaxed dogs suddenly appear to become wary of people or rush around barking and trying to drive people away. If handled correctly, and provided early socialisation and training have been carried out properly, this difficult time will pass and the loveable puppy will grow into a well-balanced dog. Advice should be sought before acquiring a puppy so that the situation is fully understood.

Spanish Water Dogs are particularly agile and can scale or jump substantial heights. They are also very fast. They are beginning to make their mark in many areas, especially agility and flyball. Of course, their ability to work in water is a joy to watch and anyone who is thinking of coming into the breed may have to be prepared to live with a dog that loves to be wet and dirty! Regular swimming helps to keep the coat in the correct condition.

Appearance

The Spanish Water dog is a medium-sized, curly coated, active dog, well known for its all-round working ability especially in water. The dog should be robust for its size and well muscled, slightly longer in the body than height from withers to ground (9:8) with a level top line rising slightly towards the rump due to well-muscled hindquarters.

The head should be well defined and strong with a flat skull, which is a feature of the breed. The length from eye to back of skull should be slightly longer than from tip of nose to eye (3:2). Ears are dropped, v-shaped and slightly rounded at the tip. Eyes are oval-shaped and very expressive, the colour depending on coat colour. The jaw is strong and dentition should be a scissor bite.

The neck should be short and well set into the shoulders, the forequarters are strong, with good angulation of shoulder and forearm, elbows set close to the body and front legs straight and parallel.

The chest should be deep with a good spring of rib indicating an active dog with plenty of heart and lung room. Hindquarters should be moderately angulated and well muscled with hocks well let down. Feet should be tight with strong pads and are webbed.

The breed was customarily docked until April 2007, the dock being medium set and, when attentive, decidedly raised. The undocked tail should taper towards the end and be carried like a scimitar but not curled. It is not unusual for SWDs to be born with a natural ‘bob', short or half tail.

This breed is described as ‘rustic' and the coat is kept in a natural state. The coat should have a woolly texture and grows into curls, which then develop into cords. The cords should be separated by using the fingers only. It should not be brushed or combed.

In Spain, each Spring, the farmers would shear the sheep and do the dogs at the same time. This has been adopted as the correct way of keeping the coat so when the coat reaches the maximum length and is becoming matted it is clipped off. The clip should be even, all over, with no sculpturing or shaping. (ie no pompoms!) For showing purposes the coat should be 1.5 inches to 5 inches in length in tight curls but not matted. If the dog is not being shown it is often clipped off more frequently.

Colours vary and any single colour is acceptable or any single colour with white. Tri-colour and black and tan are not acceptable. Pigmentation, eye colour and nose leather should match the coat colour, being darker in a black dog and paler in a lighter coloured coat.

The breed standard describes the various physical aspects of the breed but the Spanish Water Dog should be lithe and well muscled, particularly at the rear. They should have the ability to cover the ground effortlessly and have a tendency towards single tracking.

On the move the dog should cover the ground effectively and efficiently, giving the appearance of effortlessness and drive.

The overall appearance should be one of athleticism and alertness, a natural looking dog that, although very attractive and eye catching, is bred for its working ability, not its looks.