Collection: Personalised Portuguese Water Dog Gifts

Once a dog highly prized by Portuguese fishermen because of its ability to retrieve fishing nets from the water and help herd fish towards the boats, the Portuguese Water Dog is not really known outside its native Portugal. However, President Obama rather famously had two Portuguese Water Dogs in the White House during his presidency named Bo and Sunny and this raised the profile of the breed hugely.

Nicknamed Porties, the breed still remains quite rare; only 36 Portuguese Water Dogs were entered at Crufts in 2013. They are a breed that sheds little so are often classified as a hypoallergenic dog which has made them more popular.

Noted for their webbed feet, the Portuguese Water Dog has been used for centuries by Portuguese fishermen to assist them at sea. Their geographical point of origin seems to be The Algarve from where they spread along the Portuguese coastline. The exact roots of the breed are unknown but some believe they are related to Poodles and Kerry Blue Terriers.

In the early 20th century, the breed almost vanished as fishing techniques changed and boats were modernised. A breed enthusiast, Vasco Bensuade, stepped in to save the day and a breed club was formed and a breed standard developed.

Slowly the dog appeared in both the UK and the States and in 1972, The Portuguese Water Dog Club of America was formed even though there were only about a dozen of these dogs in the US. By 1982, their numbers had risen massively to 650 and in 1983, the breed was officially recognised and is regularly in the top third of the most popular breeds in the States.

Friendly and happy are just two of the positive words you can use to describe a Portie, a few others might include easy to train and loyal. However, this breed is pretty high energy so needs an active home and lifestyle with plenty of mental and physical stimulation.