Water dogs are a type of gun dog bred to flush and retrieve game from water, often serving the waterfowl hunter. Strong swimming desire is a characteristic of these dogs. Some of the oldest dog breeds are water dogs. The term was originally water spaniels (a misnomer, as not all are spaniels). With the advent of kennel clubs many "water spaniels" were accepted under the names including the designation retriever rather than spaniel.
Water dogs have curly, sometimes corded coats. Most water dog breeds are easy to train and are sociable.
Although there is some overlap with dogs considered to be retrievers, the following breeds are considered water dogs (listed in alphabetical order):
- American Water Spaniel
- Barbet
- Boykin Spaniel
- Cantabrian Water Dog
- Chesapeake Bay Retriever
- Curly Coated Retriever
- English Water Spaniel, extinct
- Epagneul Pont-Audemer
- Flat-Coated Retriever
- Golden Retriever
- Irish Water Spaniel
- Labrador Retriever
- Lagotto Romagnolo (a.k.a. Italian Water Dog)
- Münsterländer (Large and Small)
- Nova Scotia Duck Toller
- Otterhound
- Portuguese Water Dog
- Spanish Water Dog
- Standard Poodle
- Newfoundland
- St. John's water dog, extinct
- Tweed Water Spaniel, extinct
- Wetterhoun
Famous quotes containing the words water and/or dog:
“By constant dripping, water hollows stone,
A signet-ring from use alone grows thin,
And the curved plowshare by soft earth is worn.”
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)
“The man of genius, like a dog with a bone, or the slave who has swallowed a diamond, or a patient with the gravel, sits afar and retired, off the road, hangs out no sign of refreshment for man and beast, but says, by all possible hints and signs, I wish to be alone,—good-by,—fare-well. But the Landlord can afford to live without privacy.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)