• Solid
- White, black and chestnut in their different shades. • Bicoloured: White and black or white and brown in their different shades.
- Tricoloured subjects, and black and tan as well as hazelnut and tan dogs
About the Spanish Water Dog
Origin: Spain
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 18-22 kg
- Female
- 14-18 kg
- Height
- Male
- 44-50 cm
- Female
- 40-46 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Retrievers - Flushing Dogs - Water Dogs
- Origin
- Spain
- Also called
- Perro de Agua Espanol
- Known hereditary risks
- 7 documented conditions, with the test for each
About
What is a Spanish Water Dog?
Medium-sized rustic water dog with distinctive curly woolly coat, athletic build, and versatile multi-purpose working ability
Spanish Water Dog history and origins
Ancient all-purpose farm dog from the Iberian Peninsula, used for centuries in Spain for herding livestock, retrieving waterfowl for hunters, and assisting fishermen. Nearly extinct but successfully revived in the 1970s
Spanish Water Dog appearance and size
Males typically weigh 18-22 kg and stand 44-50 cm at the shoulder; females 14-18 kg and 40-46 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Used as shepherd dog, hunting dog and assistant to the fisherman
- Behaviour and temperament
“Faithful, obedient, gay, hard working, watchful and well balanced. Learning ability is outstanding owing to his extraordinary mental grasp; he adapts to all situations and conditions”
Quoted from FCI standard n°336. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Used as shepherd dog, hunting dog and assistant to the fisherman” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 5 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- 7 conditions documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Spanish Water Dog
What you get with the Spanish Water Dog
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Used as shepherd dog, hunting dog and assistant to the fisherman”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Faithful, obedient, gay, hard working, watchful and well balanced”
- Longer-lived than a crossbred dog — median 13.7 years across 238 animals, against 12
What you are taking on
- 4 serious inherited conditions are documented, mainly in eyes and brain & nerves. The health guide tab has the test to ask for on each.
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Clipped subjects are admitted”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death; Spanish Water Dog Club (UK) — Breed Health. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Spanish Water Dog
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Always curly and of a woolly texture.
Curly when short, can form cords when long.
Clipped subjects are admitted
the clipping, always complete and even, must never become an « aesthetic » grooming.
The recommanded maximum length of the hair for shows is 12 cm (15 cm extending the curl) and the minimum is 3 cm to see the quality of the curl.
The puppies always are born with curly hair
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°336 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at withers: males females 44 to 50 cm, 40 to 46 cm. 2 cm maximum deviation are admitted in both sexes whenever the subject maintains balance according to his height at withers. Weight: males females 18 - 22 kg, 14 - 18 kg”
- FCI gives a bound on one side only, so there is no range to state.
Quoted from FCI standard n°336. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Spanish Water Dog down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- Dorso-lumbar region distinctly saddle-backed.
- Limbs incorrect.
- Belly let down or excessively tucked up
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Inferior or superior prognathism.
- Presence of dewclaws.
- Smooth or wavy coat.
- Albinism.
- Spotty or flecked coat, black and tan or chestnut and tan coat.
- Lack of balance in character
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Spanish Water Dog in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Spanish Water Dog
Known hereditary risks for the Spanish Water Dog breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
7 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Bones & joints
Hip dysplasia
Monitor
Malformation of the hip joint that can progress to osteoarthritis. The breed's UK club names it as one of the conditions it recommends screening for before breeding.
What to ask for
Hip evaluation from OFA or PennHIP, or a BVA/KC hip score, on both parents
Brain & nerves
Neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD)
Serious
A progressive, inherited disease of the nervous system that damages nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord over time. Onset is typically between 6 months and a year old, and it worsens progressively with no treatment.
What to ask for
DNA test for the TECPR2 gene mutation on both parents
Eyes
Goniodysgenesis / primary glaucoma
Serious
An inherited narrowing of the eye's fluid drainage angle that can progress to glaucoma, a painful, sight-threatening pressure build-up inside the eye. It is a genuine veterinary emergency if it develops.
What to ask for
Gonioscopy eye examination under a recognised scheme (e.g. BVA/KC) on both parents
Early-onset progressive retinal atrophy (EO-PRA)
Serious
A form of retinal degeneration leading to blindness, distinct from the more common prcd form found in many breeds. A dedicated DNA test for this breed-specific mutation only became available recently.
What to ask for
DNA test for early-onset PRA (EO-PRA) on both parents
Immune system
Autoimmune thyroiditis (hypothyroidism)
Monitor
The immune system gradually attacks and destroys the thyroid gland, leading to an underactive thyroid. It is manageable for life with daily medication once diagnosed.
What to ask for
Thyroid panel including TgAA antibody testing, registered with OFA, repeated periodically
Hormones & metabolism
Congenital hypothyroidism with goiter (CHG)
Serious
An inherited enzyme deficiency that prevents normal thyroid hormone production. The breed's US club describes it as fatal, and carrier dogs are reported present in UK lines.
What to ask for
DNA test for the TPO gene mutation on both parents
Digestion & liver
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI)
Monitor
The pancreas stops producing enough digestive enzymes, so the dog cannot absorb nutrients and wastes away despite eating well. It is treatable for life with enzyme replacement once diagnosed, but the US breed club describes only a handful of confirmed cases and there is no way to screen breeding stock before they are affected.
What to ask for
No breeding-stock screening test exists. Diagnosis in a symptomatic dog is by a fasting TLI blood test; ask whether the sire, dam or their close relatives have a documented EPI diagnosis
How long the Spanish Water Dog lives, in the records
Median survival 13.7 years
95% confidence interval from 13.3 years, upper bound not estimable, from 37 recorded deaths among 238 dogs
Mortality hazard 0.51 (0.37, 0.7) relative to crossbred dogs, whose median is 12.0 years.
Few deaths recorded for this breed, so the figure is imprecise.
Measured in the United Kingdom from 584,734 dogs. Median survival is not a prediction for an individual dog.
McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L., Upjohn, M.M., Casey, R.A. & Christley, R.M. (2024) Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports 14, 531.
Gallery
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Puppies
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