There are many dog breeds that are classified according to very specific criteria and characteristics. This ranking is established by the SCC: the Société Centrale Canine. In this ranking, we find Water dogs.
What do you call a water dog?
Water dogs are officially hunting dogs capable of hunting waterfowl, so in general fish. Water dogs were therefore used for their performance and their specificities which, originally, made it possible to hunt waterfowl. Today, when we talk about water dogs, we are talking about dogs that particularly like water, bathing etc. There is no real definition of water dogs, some breeds are more comfortable with water than others.
What are the breeds of water dogs?
Officially, water dogs are part of the SCC category 8 dogs. The latter includes 22 dog breeds, classified according to the function of the dog:
- Report dog: they must know how to bring back game following the hunter's shotgun (ex: the Golden Retriever or the Labrador)
- lifting dogs: their role is to make the game fly away before the hunter shoots (ex: the English Cocker Spaniel)
- and the water dog: they must both search for and have game raised in aquatic vegetation and then bring it back once the gunshot is fired (ex: the Barbet).
Water dogs are therefore officially a small category of purebred dogs, but are often confused with other dogs in the 8th category.
When we talk about water dogs, we are also talking about dogs that particularly like water and bathing. Some dogs are more comfortable in the water than others and then it has nothing to do with the breed.
Water dogs and their particularities
Water dogs generally have characteristics that make it possible to adapt to rather low temperatures. The water dog also has an undercoat that is resistant to bad weather. They do not all have the same characteristics but generally adapt well to family life. Some are used to play important roles for the disabled or visually impaired.
