What Breed Is a Puppy With Webbed Feet?

A new puppy adds a fresh dynamic to a family, and depending on the breed, each displays a different personality and characteristics. Some dogs have hair that grows faster than human hair, and others have webbed feet. If your puppy has truly webbed feet, where the skin between the toes reaches to the nail, it belongs to one of a few breeds of sporting dogs that were originally bred for water sports. The group includes the Newfoundland, the Labrador retriever, the field spaniel and others. You can distinguish your water-sporting puppy through specific breed characteristics.

  1. Newfoundland

    • Your puppy may be a Newfoundland if its head appears to be oversized compared to the rest of its body. A Newfoundland is born with a broad skull. As it grows, its body catches up in size, reaching up to 28 inches tall and 150 pounds. A Newfoundland puppy is muscular with strong bones and a distinguished neck and shoulders. Its coat is thick and comes in black, brown, gray, or black and white. It is intelligent, easy to train and wired with decades of long-distance swimming capabilities and lifesaving instincts.

    Labrador

    • Leaner and more energetic than the Newfoundland, your puppy could be a Labrador retriever if it is medium-sized with a coat that is black, brown (chocolate) or yellow. A Labrador puppy is born with coarse, sometimes curly, hair, which straightens and softens as the dog grows older. A Labrador puppy is energetic and curious, and may chew almost anything if not carefully watched. Bred for retrieving animals in the woods, it excels at fetching things in the water and swimming short distances. It is a sought-after companion used by law enforcement and the blind.

    Portuguese Water Dog

    • Similar in appearance to the Newfoundland, your puppy may be a Portuguese water dog if its coat is thick and waterproof and its tail curls upward. The medium-sized water dog reaches up to 23 inches tall and about 60 pounds, and is able to swim all day long. The original water dog accompanied fishermen on boats, diving to retrieve broken nets and fish, and swimming to deliver messages between boats. The tip of the dog's tail is distinguished by a thick patch of hair that was used as a rudder to help it swim.

    Field Spaniel

    • If your puppy resembles a cocker spaniel with webbed feet, it may be a field spaniel. The field spaniel grows larger than the cocker spaniel, reaching more than 25 pounds, with the same recognizable long and curly-haired ears. It is black, liver or golden liver in color, and sometimes displays tan or white spots. Its coat is water repellent, as the dog was bred in England to retrieve game for hunters on land and in water. The tail of a field spaniel is short and cropped, and points upward in the adult, typical of hunting breeds.

    Akita

    • If your puppy is large and fluffy, with enormous paws, a double coat of hair and a tail that curls over its back, it may be an Akita. The Akita's ears point straight up and its coat comes in white, brindle (striped) or pinto (patched). The Akita grows up to 28 inches tall, and was bred in Japan, where it was used in hunting and had spiritual significance. The Akita has powerful muscles and a heavy bone structure, with a broad, triangular head. Less active than other water dog breeds, the Akita is used as a guard dog and a show dog.