The Portuguese Water Dog is a hardy, muscular, medium-sized dog. The coat varies from flat, wavy, shiny type to a thick, open curl, to a tight curl. Two coat clips are used: One clip with the face and rear shaved, and the working retriever or pet clip where the dog is scissored so the coat appears to be about an inch long all over. The single-layered, non-shedding, virtually hypo-allergenic coat comes in black, white or brown, parti-color (white with dark spots), black or brown with white markings, or even silver fox or gray.
The body is slightly longer than it is tall; solid and sturdy. The topline should be straight and level. The brisket should reach the elbows, and chest should be broad. The head is large and broad on top with a pronounced stop occiput. The top of the skull should appear rounded. The heart-shaped ears hang down beside the head, but should not hang beyond the lower jaw. The eyes are dark and the teeth meet in a scissors or level bite. The tail starts out thick near the body, then tapers. The legs are very straight, strong and parallel. It has more webbing between the toes than many other breeds, which aids in swimming.
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