The History
Many people think that the Spanish Water Dog is a relatively recent breed. It has, in fact, been around for several hundred years, certainly as far back as the Middle Ages and possibly Roman Times. There are different theories as to its origin but the most accepted is that it was introduced to Spain by the Turks who traded in sheep and used them as sheepdogs. Because of this it is often called the ‘Andalucian Turk’ in Spain.
Some people also believe that there are strong genetic links with the French Barbet, the Poodle, and the Portuguese Water Dog and that the Spanish Water Dog is an ancestor of the Irish Water Spaniel.
The Spanish Water Dog isn’t very well known as until recently it was kept in relative isolation in rural areas of Spain, away from crossbreeding and inter-breeding with other dogs. The breed developed in 3 separate areas of Spain, and the dogs have slightly different characteristics depending which area they are from. This therefore is where we have the 3 different lines of the Spanish Water Dog. I do not believe that we have 3 different types of dog, just lines.
Historically Spanish Water Dogs have been used for a wide variety of tasks. As their origins show they were used to herd flocks of sheep and goats from one pasture to another. They also accompanied fishermen in their boats and would retrieve equipment from the water, bring in stray fish that had escaped from the nets, carry a tow rope to the shore for the boat to be pulled in and guard the catch once it was landed.
The Spanish Water Dogs were also taken hunting, and would be used to retrieve game and waterfowl, particularly in water where the dogs really are in their element.