Casa Hidalgo

Breed History

The Spanish Water Dog

 The Origins

There are several different theories on the origin of the Spanish Water Dog. Such as Rutimeyer’s or the one by Duhel, the German cynologist or one by Buffoon, a distinguished naturist.

For those that support the thesis of the African origin of the SWD such as Buffoon, we would have to look back to the most esteemed heritage of the “ Merino “ which might have been introduced in the Iberian peninsula by the Beni Merines, a nomadic tribe which replaced the “ Almohades” in the governance of the peninsula. Together with the sheep, they might have also introduced the “Carea” ancestors of the Spanish Water Dogs .

The fact is that nowadays, there aren’t any dogs of this type in the north of Africa which could mean, what many fans of this breed think: The Spanish Water Dog is a dog born and shaped in Andalusia.

To consider the thesis that the Spanish Water Dog is a native breed, we have to look at the correlation with the bulk of the sheep which flourished in “La Betica” mountain region in a period prior to Roman control. The herding of the sheep might have been done by a “Carea”.

Highly reputed zoologists have reported that in Turdetania (region in the west of La Betica formed by Huelva and parts of Cordova, Malaga, Cadiz and Seville) there was a large quantity of livestock, mainly sheep.

Professor Aparicio Sanchez, in a work about ovine ethnology, published immediately after the discovery of a Roman sarcophagus in Cordoba in 1958, has reasserted the Spanish origin of the flock from which the Merino sheep might have evolved. Something similar happened with the so called Carnero De Villafranquina (ram from Villafranquina) found in 1981, 15 km away from Cordoba, which corresponds to a leaded bronze from the V and IV century B.C. It’s a discovery which allows us to suppose that Iberia was the birthplace of the Merino breed.

At this point we could wonder: “is the Merino breed native to La Betica? Could it also be the case for the Spanish Water Dog? What is evident that we are talking about one of the oldest dogs. These dogs have survived thanks to our shepherds and fishermen and that is due to their work in any environment where they have been.

  Rutimeyer’s Theory

This theory reference to a carnivore, the Canis Familiaris Palustris, was associated with the people of the coast of the North Sea. This savage dog evolved to the form of the Canis Palustris, which gave origin to a regional family of Water Dogs that dispersed giving origin to the different breeds, we know at present such as the Barbet, in France The Portuguese Water Dog in Portugal, The Irish Water Spaniel in U.K. or the Spanish Water Dog in Spain.

 Duhel's Theory  

If the origins of the S  Duhel, a German Cynologist, is in favor of the Asian origin of the Water Dogs.  This theory is based on the fact that the dogs might have come with the Barbarians in different waves [Vandals, Alani, and so on], giving rise to a common "trunk" of Water Dogs from which breeds such as the Puli or Komondor developed.

Buffon's Theory

This naturalist believed in an African origin and talks about an Arcaic Water Dog which was used by tribes in the north of Africa for hunting in the water.  It is a dog with curled hair, medium size and strong build.  This dog is brought to Spain in 711, the year of the Muslim invasion.  These dogs were used by the Berbers to look after sheep.  

This theory has a foundation on the investigations made by Julius Kleim.  he asserts that the Spanish livestock had a large ancestry from the Arabic world, not just in the methods used during the Middle Ages in Spain for choosing rams, but also in the way of shearing and cleaning the wool.  There is also some influence in the vocabulary used when talking about sheep.  For example: "Rabedan" for the Arabians was the man in charge of the rams and "Rabadan" in Spanish is the man in charge of the herds.

The Recovery of the Breed

If the origins of the SWD are a little confusing, what is clear is the big effort made by a few enthusiasts of this marvelous dog to achieve the recovery of a breed which should have had to be there always.

The first thing we have to do is make people know that thanks to all the shepherds, fishermen, hunters and people that have kept the Spanish Water Dog away from any kind of crossbreeding and all those problems related to their life in the countryside.

Dr. A. Flores, together with some other vets were the first to do research of the Spanish Water Dog, they also wrote some articles in specialized magazines.

Antonio Garcia together with Santiago Montesinos (first president of the Spanish Association of the SWD) were the pioneers in the labor of recovering the breed. It was in 1975 when they got in touch with goatherds and shepherds from the mountains in Malaga and Cadiz and began to choose those dogs with the most peculiar characteristics. Some of those goatherds and shepherds offered to help them by letting them borrow their dogs (examples are some families such as Andrades, Villanueva, Moreno, etc.)     

Once they got the dogs they got in touch with David Salamanca who belonged to the Spanish breeds committee. In 1980 they established the SWD club with Santiago Montesinos as president. He sponsored the club and defrayed much of the cost of trips, photos, etc., together with the contribution of his knowledge of dogs.

From 1980 to May 1985 they introduced these dogs in different shows from Algeciras to Madrid. In 1985 two brown dogs were introduced in a show in Madrid. These dogs were shown officially although without taking part in the competition. After many comings and goings they were allowed to take part in the International Dog Show in Madrid in 1985. They rented a couple of vans and took 40 dogs from Cadiz and Malaga, 5 dogs coming from Santander and turned up at the show. At the beginning the judges didn’t have a hint of what they had to judge but they were given a standard based on a black and white dog name “Lucky” which belonged to Antonio Moreno. That was how they registered the 85% of the dogs taking part. At last the Spanish Water Dog was accepted as provisional breed by the F.C.I. with number 336.