Spanish Water Dog: everything you need to know

Veterinary and insurance guide · Petplan Spain Team · Updated 2026

The Spanish Water Dog (in Spain, Perro de Agua Español) is a rustic, versatile working dog famous for its distinctive woolly, curly coat that forms natural cords. Bred for centuries in Andalusia as an all-purpose farm dog — herding livestock, retrieving from water and guarding the home — it is intelligent, tireless and intensely loyal. Increasingly popular as a family companion, it is happiest when it has a job to do and a close bond with its people. In this guide we cover the breed’s origin, temperament, the conditions we most often see in the clinic, the real veterinary costs to plan for in Spain, and why Petplan pet insurance is the best choice for your Spanish Water Dog.

Origin and history of the Spanish Water Dog

The Spanish Water Dog is an ancient breed of the Iberian Peninsula, with a particularly strong presence in Andalusia, where it has worked for centuries as a shepherd’s dog, a waterfowl retriever and a general-purpose farm dog. Its woolly, water-resistant coat suited the marshes and pastures of southern Spain, and shepherds traditionally sheared it once a year along with the sheep. Recognised by the FCI in the 1980s, it sits in Group 8 (retrievers, flushing dogs and water dogs), standard nº 336. Despite its modern show and pet popularity, it remains very much a working breed at heart.

Physical characteristics

The Spanish Water Dog is a robust, medium-sized, athletic dog covered in a curly, woolly coat that cords naturally. Its key features are summarised below.

Temperament and character

The Spanish Water Dog is bright, devoted and eager to work — one of the most trainable breeds you can own, which is why it excels at herding, obedience, agility, search-and-rescue and assistance work. It bonds intensely with its family and is naturally a little reserved with strangers, making it an alert, faithful watchdog. That intelligence and drive come with a need for purpose: without enough physical exercise and mental work it can become restless or develop nuisance behaviours. Early, consistent socialisation and positive training bring out the best in this sensitive, willing dog, which is generally excellent with children it has grown up with.

Common health problems in the Spanish Water Dog

The Spanish Water Dog is a generally healthy, hardy breed, but responsible owners and breeders watch for several hereditary conditions.

Hip dysplasia is the most important orthopaedic concern and a key reason to choose puppies from health-screened parents. On the eyes, progressive retinal atrophy and hereditary cataracts are recognised, so periodic ophthalmological checks are valuable. The breed also has a documented predisposition to congenital hypothyroidism (a breed-specific genetic form that can cause poor growth) and to exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, both of which are manageable once diagnosed. Allergic skin disease can occur, and the dense coat makes regular skin and ear checks important. Reputable breeders now screen for hips, eyes and the known genetic mutations.

Financially, this matters: managing hip dysplasia (including possible surgery), lifelong treatment of a hormonal or digestive condition, or eye surgery can each run from several hundred to several thousand euros.

Coat care and feeding

The coat is the breed’s signature and its main grooming peculiarity: it should never be brushed or combed. Left alone and kept clean, it forms the natural cords characteristic of the breed; the whole coat is then shorn down uniformly once or twice a year rather than scissored into a style. Bathing is occasional, and the coat must be dried thoroughly to avoid skin problems. Ears should be checked and cleaned regularly, and nails and teeth kept up as for any dog. On feeding, a good-quality diet matched to this active dog’s workload, in measured portions, keeps it lean and protects its joints.

Exercise and stimulation

This is a high-energy working breed that needs substantial daily exercise and, just as importantly, a job for its mind. Long walks, running, swimming (which it loves) and active games should be combined with training, scent work or canine sports such as agility and obedience. A bored, under-exercised Spanish Water Dog can become destructive or vocal, so households that can offer time, activity and mental challenge are the right fit. Its strong herding instinct means recall and impulse control are worth training early.

Why Petplan is the best choice for your Spanish Water Dog

For an active working breed with a handful of hereditary predispositions, good insurance is a sensible investment. Petplan is the best choice in Spain because its cover is designed for exactly these needs: it includes the hereditary and chronic conditions the Spanish Water Dog is prone to (hips, eyes, hormonal and digestive disease), lets you choose any vet in Spain with no closed network, and renews for life without excluding conditions that develop as your dog ages. For a Spanish Water Dog, the average premium is around 355 EUR per year on intermediate cover.