These doggies are extremely friendly and happy doggies who absolutely adore their hoomans They are also very intelligent which makes training them a fairly simple task. Additionally, the breed are very high-energy and so will need to live with a family who already lead an active lifestyle, that they can join in with. However, they aren't the best breed for first time owners as they require specific handling and training of people who have had experience with these doggies. Additionally, they need lots of mental and physical stimulation in order to remain happy and engaged doggies. Overall though, they make lovely family pets!

Portuguese Water Dog, the name says it all. These wonderful dogs originate from Portugal, where they were bred to help fishermen who would work between the Atlantic coast of Portugal and fishing grounds in Newfoundland. Their job would be to deliver messages between boats, driving the fish into the nets and retrieving lost items that have fallen into the water. They have various names, including Portuguese Fishing Dog and, commonly in their homeland, Cao de Agua, which translates into dog of the water.

This breed is thought to be a descendant of the well known Poodle, which is another popular dog breed that was also bred as a water retriever, but was instead created in Germany. Although the Portuguese Water Dogs were very skilled at their job, these dogs came close to becoming extinct in the early 20th century, as the fishing industry was becoming more modernised and began to replace the dogs with machinery. It was thanks to Vasco Bensaude, who was a lover of the breed, that the Portuguese Water Dog is still around today. Other fans of the breed began writing breed standards and formed a club that was exclusive to the breed, and eventually these dogs began to make their appearance in dog shows. Skip forward several decades, and the Portuguese Water Dog is seen in England and the United States.