Which dog breed is this?

The Portuguese Water Dog (PWD) is a breed of working dog as classified by the American Kennel Club. Portuguese Water Dogs are originally from the Portuguese region of the 'Algarve', from where the breed expanded to all around Portugal's coast, where they were taught to herd fish into fishermen's nets, to retrieve lost tackle or broken nets, and to act as couriers from ship to ship, or ship to shore.

Portuguese Water Dogs rode in fishing trawlers as they worked their way from the Atlantic waters of Portugal to the waters off the coast of Iceland fishing for cod.

In Portuguese, the breed is called 'cão de água' (literally 'dog of water'). In Portugal, the dog is also known as the 'Algarvian Water Dog'.

The closest relatives of the PWD are widely thought to be the Standard Poodle. Like Poodles and several other water dog breeds, PWDs are intelligent, can have curly coats, have webbed toes for swimming, and do not shed.

However, Portuguese Water Dogs are more robustly built, with stout legs, and can have a wavy coat instead of tightly curled. They are loving, independent, and intelligent and are easily trained in obedience and agility skills.

They are generally friendly to strangers, and enjoy being petted, which, due to their soft, fluffy coats, is a favour that human beings willingly grant them.