This breed likely doesn’t need an introduction. Chances are you either own, or have owned, a Labrador Retriever. Or you’ve got a friend or family member who does.

Commonly known as ‘Labs’, these delightful, friendly and extremely fun-loving dogs are the most most popular dog breed in North America. According to the American Kennel Club, Labs have been the number one dog in the U.S for the last 16 years!

As their name suggests, Labs are a type of retriever. Just like their cousins, the ‘Golden Retrievers’, Labs are part of the Gun Dog group. They were bred to retrieve game and waterfowl for hunters.

Labs are fairly large dogs with a sturdy, athletic build. Their coats are usually yellow, black or Chocolate. They are also very intelligent dogs, and have a mild-mannered, easygoing temperament. We’ve had many Lab clients over the years and they have all had wonderful personalities.

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The new First Dog will be a Portuguese Water Dog!

After he was elected, The United States President, Obama, promised his two daughters a puppy. They decided on a Portuguese Water Dog because one of their daughters, Malia, has allergies and this breed is considered hypo-allergenic as well as friendly.

Also known as “Cao de Agua” which means ‘dog of the water’, and the ‘Portuguese Fishing Dog’, this breed’s native land is Portugal where they were trained to help fisherman. Being web-footed and great divers, Portuguese Water Dogs worked with the fishermen off the coast of Portugal to help heard fish into the nets, retrieve lost tackle or broken nets in the sea, and also act as couriers between ships (and ship-to- shore). They were strong, hardworking and dependable enough-and were considered to be a part of the ship’s crew. Rumour has it, some even got paid!

While their origin is not certain, it’s believed that the Portuguese Water Dogs descended from ancient Asian herding dogs who came to Portugal with traders hundreds of years ago. It’s also believed that they were also used as hunting dogs before being used by fisherman in Portugal.

The Portuguese Water dog is very similar to the Standard Poodle in many ways so we weren’t too surprised to learn that the Poodle is their closest relative. In fact, this breed predates the poodle and is believed to have been to have been working with Portuguese fishermen for over 400 years.

If you would like to read the rest of the article, please head on over to the article on the Happy Doggie Blog!

Article by Dana McQuaid who co-owns Happy Doggie Dogwalking in Ottawa with Al Leduc
topdog@happydoggie.ca
happydoggie.ca

Photo by Asutcli on Flickr

Sweet, charming and very mild-mannered, we haven’t met a Golden we didn’t like. Their eyes are full of love and devotion, and their soft muzzles always seem to be smiling. Goldens thrive on close human companionship, and want nothing more than to be petted, loved, and of course the odd treat here and there would be nice. They are very gentle and loyal dogs, it’s no wonder they are one of the most popular breed of dogs!

Golden Retrievers originated in the 19^th century in Scotland when Lord Tweedsmouth purchased a male yellow wavy-coated Retriever and bred him with a Tweed Water Spaniel (a breed now extinct). This union resulted in four yellow puppies: the first Golden Retrievers.

Early Goldens were primarily used as hunting dogs to retrieve game, particularly waterfowl. They were bred with soft mouths so they could gently retrieve the waterfowl without damaging it, and they were bred to be water dogs as well. Because they are intelligent, adaptable, and quick to learn, working Goldens are used as guide and assistance dogs, and also for search and rescue, tracking, obedience, and drug detection.

The Golden’s coat is either flat or wavy and has a dense, water-resisting undercoat. Early Golden Retrievers were known as ‘Flat-coats’ and were defined by their yellow colour. A Golden, by UK Standards, can be either gold or cream-coloured, but red or mahogany-coloured Goldens are not ‘permissible’ colours.

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