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While we know that the Portuguese (Algarve) Water Dog is descended from the legendary herding & terrier dogs of the Asian Steppes, we do not know for sure when they first arrived or who brought them. It may have been the Phoenicians as far back as 1500 B.C., either via their trade ships or when they came as settlers themselves. It could have been the Romans (from the dogs they gained in battles with the Visigoths), when they built many settlements in Portugal during 133 B.C. to 337 A.D. Or, maybe even the Visigoths themselves, when they came to settle in the Iberian peninsula in the 5th century. Or, possibly it was the Moors, who conquered Spain & Portugal in the 8th century, bringing their North African shepherd dogs (who were also descended from the very same Asian dogs the Phoenicians may have left behind). It is most plausible that it was a combination of these theories that the original ancestors of the |
PWD were brought by the Phoenicians or the Romans, and their descendants mixed with a different line of descendants from the same Asian dog ancestor, when later human conquerors came to Portugal. We can also surmise that since the PWDs ancestors came to Portugal early on, some would logically have made their way to other regions, been developed or mixed with regional breeds, further spread out, and then even brought back and integrated into the PWD. Any way we look at the situation, we know that the PWD is at least related to Lagotti, Retrievers, Setters, Poodles, Puli, Sheepdogs, and Barbets but whether as ancestors, descendants, cousins, or a mix of all three is difficult to say with any certainty. As a point of interest, the first well known direct legend of a dog whose description matches that of the PWD we know today, dates back to 1297 and talks of a rough coated, long-haired dog, trimmed in a lion cut, rescuing a drowning sailor from the sea. |
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1. The Phoenicians |
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