|
The Portuguese Water Dog is a breed of working dog as classified by the American Kennel Club. Portuguese Water Dogs are originally from the Portuguese region of the Algarve, from where the breed expanded to all around Portugal's coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as couriers from ship to ship, or ship to shore. Portuguese Water Dogs rode in fishing trawlers as they worked their way from the Atlantic waters of Portugal to the waters off the coast of Iceland where the fleets caught cod. In Portugal, the breed is called ''Cão de Água'' (; literally "water dog"). In Portugal, the dog is also known as the Algarvian Water Dog (''Cão de Água Algarvio''), or Portuguese Fishing Dog (''Cão Pescador Português''). ''Cão de Água de Pêlo Ondulado'' is the name given to the wavy-haired variety, and ''Cão de Água de Pêlo Encaracolado'' is the name for the curly-coated variety.〔 The Portuguese Water Dog is a fairly rare breed; only 36 Portuguese Water Dogs were entered for Britain's Crufts competition in 2013.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Crufts 2013 Results )〕 Though some breeders claim they are a hypoallergenic dog breed, there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that hypoallergenic dog breeds exist.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work=VetInfo )〕 Their non-shedding qualities have made them more popular in recent years. The Portuguese Water Dog has recently gained more fame by being the chosen breed of U.S. president Barack Obama, who has two of them, Bo and Sunny. The Obama family chose the breed partly due to its hypoallergenic status. Bo was given to the Obama family as a personal gift from Senator Ted Kennedy. ==Description== The closest relatives of the PWD are widely thought to be the Standard Poodle. Like Poodles and several other water dog breeds, PWDs are intelligent, can have curly coats, have webbed toes for swimming, and do not shed. However, Portuguese Water Dogs are more robustly built, with stout legs, and can have a wavy coat instead of tightly curled. If comparing the structure to that of a Poodle, there are significant differences between the two breeds. The Portuguese Water Dog is built of strong substantial bone; well developed, neither refined nor coarse, and a solidly built, muscular body. The Portuguese Water Dog is off-square, slightly longer than tall when measured from prosternum to rearmost point of the buttocks, and from withers to ground. Portuguese Water Dog eyes are black or various tones of brown, and their coats can be black, brown, black and white or brown and white.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/portuguese-water-dog#coat-color-and-grooming )〕 Male Portuguese Water Dogs usually grow to be about tall, and they weigh between , while the females usually grow to be about tall, and they weigh between . PWDs have a single-layered coat that does not shed〔(Go Pets America: Dogs that do not shed - Retrieved September 7, 2008 )〕 (see Moult), and therefore their presence is tolerated well among many people who suffer from dog allergies. Some call PWDs hypoallergenic dogs, but any person with dog allergies who would like a dog with these qualities should actually spend time with the animals before purchasing, to test whether the dog is truly non-allergenic to them. Most PWDs, especially those shown in conformation shows, are entirely black, black and white, brown, or silver-tipped; it is common to see white chest spots and white paws or legs on black or brown coated dogs. "Parti" or "Irish-marked" coats, with irregular white and black spots, are rare but visually striking. "Parti" dogs are becoming more common in the United States. However, in Portugal the breed standard does not allow more than 30% white markings. Overall, white is the least common Portuguese Water Dog color, while black with white markings on the chin ("milk chin") and chest is the most common color combination. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Portuguese Water Dog」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|