GENERAL APPEARANCE
Shoulder height: 43-57cm (17”-22½”).
Colour: White, black or brown with or Without white.
Coat: Profuse coat with no undercoat. There are two types (1) long with loose waves and a decided sheen (2) shorter cylindrical curls with less sheen.
The dog may be coated all over, or, in a lion clip.
Gait: Light with lively short steps. Head carried up.
A robust and energetic dog built like an athlete with the skull slightly longer than the tapering muzzle. Nose colour must conform to the coat colour. Eyes must not be too close together and the ears which are set above the eyeline are pendant. The short neck runs into widely set withers, a short back and slightly sloping croup. The long tail is carried with a ring at the end, and in the clipped variety with a plume. Fore and hindquarters are very muscular, pasterns upright and feet rather flat and webbed for swimming.
CHARACTERISTICS AND CARE
The ‘Portie’ as this breed is sometimes known, has an inherent love of water and can be trained to retrieve things in the water such as nets, overboard tackle and even herd fish into nets for the Portuguese fishermen.They apply these skills to retrieving on land as well. They are highly intelligent but at times self-willed, so need careful but firm training as a puppy to avoid stubborn streaks developing. Both varieties of coat need care - either trimmed or clipped. In the Lion Clip, the hair is short on the muzzle, loin and abdominal area, hindquarters and tail except for the plume on the tail.
HISTORY
This breed has a long history and the similarity in type and character to the Poodle cannot be ignored. One view is that they arrived in Portugal with the invading Moors in the 8th century, while others feel they arrived with the Goths in the 4th century. Remaining in relative seclusion for centuries they played an integral part of the lives of Portuguese fishermen. In the early 20th century when changes in methods of fishing took place, this breed’s numbers fell dramatically. Fortunately a rich shipping magnate and dog lover took it upon himself in the 1930s to save this breed from extinction.