History Perro d'Agua Espagnol dog, water dog

About the Spanish water dogs are different theoretics.
Some says that the P.A.E (Perro de Agua Espagñol) has a origin from the Arab invasion in Spain.
Others says that the Feniciërs brought with them the water dogs.

We have also the theory from Salas. This theory says that the P.A.E is a own breed from the swamps of South Andalusië and that from there the dogs were spread out in Spain by the shepherds as shepherd dog.
Some authors have found documents about information of the P.A.E. from the year 730 ( commercing the dogs wool) and 1000 (a trunk of water dogs is documented in the Iberian Peninsula).

The P.A.E is better known under the name Perro Turco or Turco Andaluz.
At the end of the eighteen and begin ninetheent century, these dogs were send along with the sheep's, cattle by the merchants from Spain to Australia on Turkish ships.

The history of the P.A.E is very long and also always forgotten in the "Fédération Cynologique Internationale".

In the beginning of 1980 a group of dog lovers tried to obtain a official recognition of this beautiful purebred breed. Some years later the recognition was a fact. They were classified under FCI Group 8, Section 3 (Retrievers-Flushing dogs-Water dogs).

This breed is born as a working breed, more like a sheeper dog.
We don't know how but on a certain day they began to hunt.
Maybe because they hadn't much to eat. When the shepherds saw that, the P.A.E was used as a hunting dog.
So they had a shepherd and a hunting dog in one dog.

Many of this shepherds went fishing with there dogs. The dogs did some work in the water by helping pulling on the fishing nets.
Today, the P.A.E is used as a shepherd, hunting, fishing, guard and campanion dog.
It is evident that we are talking about one of the oldest dogs breed. These breed have survived thanks to the Spanish shepherds and fishermen and it is due to their work in any environment where they have been.

In Spain the water dog is also used as a drugdog at the border, and bomb dog. Also he is helping the firemen and rescuemen.
Lately, they were assigned to the rescue operation in Latin America to search for people when tornado Mitch came along.

This purebred breed is appropriate for different agilities.
The P.A.E is a quick learner and pleased to be able to do his job.

History

of the Spanish water dog.

Perro d'Agua Espagñol