In early 19th century England the race was on to develop the ultimate and most refined setter dog. At that time there were several different lines of setter dogs in existence but eventually two individuals distinguished themselves from the fray as founding contributors to the development of the modern English Setter. The first individual who is largely considered the true founding father of the English Setter as we know it today was Sir Edward Laverack. The other person largely associated with the development of the English Setter dog breed was Purcell Llewellin.

Edward Laverack began earnest development of the English Setter breed in 1825 with a pair of dogs that originated from kennels in Carlisle. Purcell Llewellin on the other hand borrowed from Laverack’s English Setter stock and crossed them with unrelated English Setters. Mention of unrelated English Setters within this context refers to the fact, as previously mentioned, that there were several different types of setter dog to be found in England during that period. These different lines of setter dogs variously went by the following names: Anglesea Setter, Featherstone Setter, Ryman Setter, Old Hemlock Setter, Newcastle Setter, Laverack Setter and the Llewellin Setter.

Thus quite literally the Laverack Setter and to a slightly lesser degree the Llewellin Setter dogs consolidated the English Setter dog breed as it is known today. Purcell’s breeding program focused mainly on field ability of the dogs and that was the guiding reason why he crossed Laverack Setters with other lines of setters. He was looking to breed the most capable field dog possible. Thus, though there is to this day only one English Setter dog breed, the English Setter dog broadly follows along the two lines that most contributed to its development; the Laverack English Setters and the Llewellin English Setters. English Setter dogs that evolved along the Laverack lines are the ones that conform to dog show standards while dogs along the Llewellin lines unsurprisingly excel at field trials.

Unlike the Golden Retriever the exact canine pedigree of the English Setter dog is unknown though it is not unreasonable to speculate that once one excludes the other setter dog lines from the mix the English Setter’s ancestry included the: Large Water Spaniel; Springer Spaniel; and Spanish Pointer. Although Sir Edward Laverack began his breeding program proper in 1825, in all likelihood the English Setter probably existed in one form or another as far back as the 1400s before firearms were recognized or indeed used as bona fide hunting tools.

English Setter Dog Temperament

The English Setter dog breed was developed as a hunter and thereby it is a lively and rather energetic dog that simply loves to run and indulge its hunting pedigree. This breed makes for a warm and affectionate dog that gets along admirably with children, other pets as well as dogs and even strangers; hence it makes for a lousy protection dog. To avoid the English Setter becoming destructive or a nuisance it is necessary to ensure that the dog gets a substantial dose of quite exhaustive exercise each and every day.

English Setter Dog Upkeep

The English Setter requires consistent grooming ideally at least every other day if its elegant coat is to remain in mint condition. As noted above this dog boasts a hunting heritage and thus in keeping with its hunting hardwired genetics, the English Setter requires plenty of daily exercise.

English Setter Dog Breed Form & Function

Like the other bird flushing and retrieving hunting dogs the English Setter was built to run effortlessly at a good pace for considerable distances. In appearance the dog is both elegant and athletic and during the chase covers the ground in an easy fluid motion with its head held high and a lively tail. The coat of the English Setter dog breed is flat with feathering along its ears, back of legs, underside, tail as well as below the thighs.

The Laverack strain of the English Setter, in keeping with their dog show heritage, tend to have more feathering, a deeper muzzle and are usually larger than the Llewellin strain. On their part the Llewellin English Setter dogs, are smaller, faster, more athletic in appearance, in keeping with their field dog heritage. The Llewellin strain also tend to have less elaborate coats than the Laveracks. When on point the Llewellin English Setters hold their tails straight up in contrast to the Laveracks that generally align their tails almost level.

English Setter Dog Characteristics

As is to be expected for a dog that was bred to hunt and run tirelessly for long distances the English Setter is athletic in build. The dog holds its head high when running and covers the ground in a fluid and effortless trot.

Color: The English Setter can have any one of a variety of colored specks against a white background, which colored specks may be any of the following hues: black, liver, tan, orange and lemon. Puppies are generally born completely white save for those puppies that are born with solid patches. The characteristic flecks (specks) on the coat of the English Setter dog breed are referred to as “belton” a term that was coined by Laverack in reference to the town of Belton where he loved to hunt.

WEIGHT

Approx: 25 – 30 kgs for both sexes; or more specifically:

Male: 60 – 65 lbs

Female: 50 – 55 lbs

HEIGHT: 24 -25 inches (61 – 63 cm)

HEALTH

Major Health Issues: Deafness; CHD; Elbow dysplasia; Hypothyroidism

Minor Concerns: PRA; OCD; Epilepsy (very rarely)

Recommended Tests: Hearing; Elbow; Hip; Eye and Thyroid.

Lifespan: 10 – 12 years

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Some of the many functions ascribed to the Portuguese Water Dog in earlier times included:

• Herding fish into nets
• Message courier
• Functioning as a lookout
• Translocating and retrieving nets; as well as
• Rescuing capsized fishermen

From the time of the Middle ages the Portuguese Water Dog performed as the ultimate fisherman’s in-water assistant making the lives of the fishermen of the Algarve on Portugal’s southern coast that much easier. Anytime a small fleet of fishing boats would set out the Portuguese water Dog would be in the thick of the action, conveying messages from boat to boat, alerting the fishermen by barking whenever it spotted a shoal of fish and during foggy conditions the dog with its unique “rising-and-falling” bark would act as a canine foghorn.

The first documented evidence of the Portuguese Water Dog was in 1297 from a monks account where he narrates how he was saved from drowning in the sea by a dog with a “black coat, the hair long and rough, cut to the first rib and with a tail tuft.” Known as Cao de Agua in Portugal which translates as “dog of water”, the Portuguese Water Dog is also sometimes referred to as the Portuguese Fishing Dog, the Diving Dog or the Sea Dog.

By the early 20th century as traditional fishing methods became obsolete as a result of advances in technology the Portuguese Water Dog numbers dwindled to the brink of extinction. As fate would have it though, the Portuguese water Dog breed was introduced to one Vasco Bensuade, a wealthy Portuguese shipping magnate who had a fondness for dogs. Vasco Bensuade loved the breed and acquired a dog which he named Leao (lion).

It was through the efforts of Vasco Bensuade that the future of the Portuguese Water Dog was consolidated and a breed standard was written and the dogs thereafter soon began appearing in dog shows. Bensaude’s dog Leao became the founding sire of the kennel he set up to develop and sustain the Portuguese Water Dog breed at Algarbiorum, and Leao also became the standard upon which the Portuguese Water Dog breed was eventually based on.

However despite Vasco Bensuade’s valiant efforts to revive the Portuguese Water Dog, by the 1960s the breed was once again teetering on the brink of extinction with only about 50 dogs in existence worldwide. Once again destiny’s kindly hand reached out to intervene this time in the form of two Americans; Deyanne and Herbert Miller, Jr. The Millers acquired a Portuguese Water Dog from the very same Algarbiorum Kennel that Vasco Bensuade had established in the 1930s (and which was later acquired after his death by a former lady bullfighter, Conchita Branco).

The Millers named the dog that they acquired Renascenca (renaissance) do Al Gharb with high hopes of saving the breed with former founding sire Leao’s descendant. The Millers were successful in their endeavors forming in 1972, along with fourteen other breeders established, the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America, Inc. (PWDCA). Today there are in existence over 5000 Portuguese Water dogs and the breed was admitted to the American Kennel Club in June of 1981 under the miscellaneous category.

The crowning achievement of the Portuguese Water Dog breed’s fight of survival is that in 2009 it was been short-listed as a very strong contender to become part of the First family in the White House as the First Canine. For lovers of this breed such news is a mixed bag because although the resultant popularity will increase breed awareness it will also lead in a surge of backyard breeders, puppy mills pushing the breed and fly-by-night dog owners who are inspired by the sudden publicity and popularity to acquire a Portuguese Water Dog only to abandon it sooner than later!

Portuguese Water Dog Temperament

The Portuguese Water dog breed is a gregarious, fun-loving pet that boasts an excellent and balanced disposition. The dog gets along very well with other pets including dogs and also does extremely well with children. This breed has a high affectionate and playfulness level that is more than sufficient to delight and endear any child making it an ideal family pet.

Portuguese Water Dog Upkeep

In keeping with its ancestral and genetic pedigree this active dog breed needs plenty of physical and mental stimulation on a daily basis if it is not to become a nuisance. Ideally the physical activity should be in the form of a daily swim to sate the dog’s love of water but failing that then a long brisk walk or daily jog should suffice. The Portuguese Water Dog does best when closely integrated and involved with its human family. The coat of this dog breed should be combed every other day in order to prevent matting and clumping and it should also be clipped on a monthly basis.

Portuguese Water Dog Characteristics

Health:

Major Health Issues: PRA

Minor Health Issues: GM1 storage disease; Distichiasis; Addisons; CHD; Juvenile Cardiomyopathy; Follicular dysplasia (hair loss); Irritable bowel syndrome (rare); Seizures (rare)

Lifespan: 10 – 14 years

Portuguese Water Dog Form & Function

The Portuguese Water Dog is a well proportioned canine that is slightly longer than it is tall. The breed is of medium build with good musculature and has excellent stamina to work on or out of the water for long durations. This breed exists in two coat variations:

• The long-haired variant also known as the Cao de Agua de Pelo Ondulado in Portugal; and
• The curly-coated variant which is known as the Cao de Agua de Pelo Encaradolado.

The Portuguese Water Dog is also a good choice of dog breed for allergy sufferers because it is hypo to non-allergenic (especially the curly-coated variant).

Like the better known Labrador Retriever that also loves swimming the feet of the Portuguese Water Dog have webbed toes to assist movement whilst in the water.

The coat of this breed is generally trimmed in two variations:

• Lion Trim: Here the rear-end of the dogs body is closely cropped giving the impression of a male lion with a mane; hence the name. The historical value of this type of trim was that supposedly by trimming the dogs coat on the rear half of its body drag was reduced when the dog was swimming. The close trim extends to the tip of the tail which is left untouched as a bushy tuft.

• Retriever Trim: Here the coat of the Portuguese Water Dog is clipped consistently across its entire length to approximately 1 inch in length.

Coat Color:

Acceptable coat colors of this breed include: black, brown, white or any combination of black and white or brown and white.

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Skin diseases are one of the top problems with Golden Retrievers. They could have causes as simple as a flea itch or mosquito bite that can cause their skin to be irritated and inflamed. The dogs will worry or bite on that spot until they cut themselves or cause something known as a hot spot. A red, moist and raw spot is known as a hot spot and it can grow in size every time the dog worries it. It will usually require a bandage or a special collar to keep the dog away from this area in order to give it a chance to heal.

Golden Retrievers can suffer from allergies faster than most other breeds. Wheat is typically an offending factor and a lot of commercial dog foods have wheat in their recipes. It is not lethal to animals but it can cause them to have problems with their digestion or cause their skin to become inflamed and irritated. If the dog licks its face excessively or scratches constantly, you might have a dog that is allergic.

Beneath the outer layers of the skin, there could be more severe types of diseases. There are different types of fatty lipomas and the severe liposarcoma that can become common as the dogs grow older.

Fatty lipomas are typically benign and will be able to be removed the next time a dog gets his teeth cleaned and gets general anesthesia. They can develop and become larger, but they are not a threat and can be ignored. On the other hand, liposarcomas are dangerous and need to be removed as soon as possible. They need to be treated as soon as they are diagnosed.

Cataracts and eye afflictions can be frequent among Golden Retrievers that are beyond 10 years of age. Such eye afflictions can lead to poorer vision or even blindness in the dog. There is no cure for such afflictions.

Less frequently seen in Golden Retrievers are problems with the heart, however, should heart problems develop, they are usually subvalvular aortic stenosis or cardiomyopathy. Subvalvular aortic stenosis is a blockage in the left vein of the ventricle and will cause a decrease in the blood flow. At times, the situation is benign, however the dog will be restrained from running around as aften. When the condition is dangerous, the heart is forced to strain itself, working harder when the heart muscles thicken. This heart problem is usually genetic and the treatment can be beta blockers to mild antibiotics. An operation is always a solution but compared to operations on the human heart, it has a lower chance of success.

Cardiomyopathy is an acquired disease which is more serious. It tends to happen in dogs that are 4 to 10 years old and the cause is unknown. The heart muscle will become thin and flabby, progressively getting worse until the dog passes away.

Nevertheless, most Golden Retrievers live a long and healthy live. With the right diet and plenty of exercise, your animal has a better shot at living a wonderful life.

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