Portuguese Water Dog for everyone. Because of their intelligence and working drive, they require regular intensive exercise as well as mental challenges. They are gentle and patient — but not "couch potatoes", and boredom can cause them to become destructive. One theory proposes that some of the dogs left the Asian steppes with the Goths, a confederation of German tribes. Some, (the Ostrogoths), went west and their dogs became the German poodle, called in German the poodle-hund or puddle-dog—that is, water-dog. Others, the Visigoths, went south to fight the Romans, and their dogs became the Lion Dog, groomed in the traditional lion cut.
Maltese dog have originated in the mid-1960s on the U.S. East Coast and spread in popular use. This breed has been referred to falsely as the "Bichon", a name that refers to the family ("small long-haired dog") and not the breed. The Kennel Club officially settled on the name "Maltese" for the breed in the 19th century. The Maltese is thought to have been descended from a Spitz-type dog found among the Swiss Lake Dwellers and was selectively bred to attain its small size. There is also some evidence that the breed originated in Asia and is related to the Tibetan Terrier;