thumb|right|200px|The [[Barbet (dog)|Barbet, one of the oldest breeds of water dogs.]]
A water dog is a type of gundog bred to flush and retrieve game from water. Water dogs are considered the progenitors of most modern retriever dog breeds.
Description
thumb|right|200px|A [[Portuguese Water Dog with its coat clipped in the classic water dog clip.]]
Water dogs are usually medium-sized, active dogs; their most distinctive feature are their tight waterproof coats and their strong desire to swim. Traditionally many long haired water dogs breeds have their coats clipped with a bare midriff and hindquarters to assist in swimming by reducing drag, whilst retaining a long coat around their torso to prevent thermal shock when jumping into freezing water. This classic clip is seen to this day in dog shows with some breeds such as Poodles retaining a variation of this clip. Paintings by artists like Francisco Goya and Albrecht Durer in the 15th century depict early Standard Poodles, which were used for retrieving game birds from water.