The Portuguese Water Dog once existed all along Portugal's coast. They were used to herd fish into the nets, retriever lost tackle or broken nets, and act as a courier from ship to ship or shore to shore.

Some believe that the breed traces as far back as 700 BC to the wild Central-Asian steppes, near the Chinese-Russian border. The early people who lived there raised cattle, sheep, camels, or horses. They also raised dogs to herd the animals.

One theory is that some of the dogs were captured by the fierce Berbers. The Berbers spread slowly across the face of North Africa to Morocco. Their descendants, the Moors, arrived in Portugal in the 8th century, bringing the water dogs with them.

Another theory is that some of the dogs left the Asian Steppes with the Goths, a confederation of German tribes.

These theories explain how the Poodle and the Portuguese Water Dog may have developed from the same gene pool. At one time the Poodle was a longer-coated dog, as is one variety of the Portuguese Water Dog.

Interest in the breed in the United States was in 1958. A couple received a pair from England as part of a trade of rare breeds.

In 1972, there were only twelve of these dogs known in the United States, but by 1982, the number had grown to over 650. They were accepted into the Working Group of the American Kennel Club in 1984.

Males should be 20-23 inches tall and weigh 42-60 pounds. Females should be 17-21 inches tall and weigh 35-50 pounds. Their colors can be black, white, various tones of brown.

Health concerns with the breed include addisons disease, renal dysplasia and hip dysplasia.

When they're puppies, they can be quite a handfull if not properly trained. They love to race around and play and cannot resist jumping in a pond or lake. Water bowls can also be fun for them to play with too.

They do very well with children and other pets, however when they're young they may accidentally knock down small children and elderly people just in casual play. They're very friendly and seem to welcome friendly strangers easily.

The Portuguese Water Dog is one of the dog breeds that are being considered for the Obama family.