Club History


Deyanne Miller and a group of people with a common interest in the Portuguese Water Dog formed the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America, Inc. (PWDCA)  in 1972. Sixteen dedicated owners and friends of the breed started the club in New Canaan, CT and the club has now grown to nearly 1600 members. 

In order to continue promoting the natural tendencies of the breed, the club officially introduced water work exercises at the first PWDCA sanctioned water trials in 1991.

The first PWDCA National Specialty was held in 1992 in Princeton, NJ. A complete history of winners from the National Specialties can be found here.

The majority of PWDCA archives are housed in the AKC Archives and are maintained by their professional archivist. The AKC Archives are located at their headquarters in New York City and can be accessed for research by appointment with the AKC archivist. The AKC Collections Guide provides a summary of the PWDCA Archives housed with AKC.