Portuguese Water Dog Breed Info
Get your adorable Portuguese Water Dog puppy at Puppy Love PR. The Portuguese Water Dog is a highly intelligent and affectionate pup. They are sensitive, playful, and quick to learn. The PWD has an excellent memory and excels in obedience training. The breed is highly trainable and dependable making it ideal for families with children. The breed loves to bask in the sun with their family at the beach or lake.
BREED TYPE / MIX
Purebred
ENERGY
Moderate
SHEDDING
Minimum
TRAINING
Responsive
TEMPERAMENT
Sweet, Loyal, Joyful, Outgoing
ADULT WEIGHT
30-60 lbs
ADULT HEIGHT
15-20 in
LIFE SPAN
12-14 yrs
Characteristics
- The Portuguese Water Dog is extremely affectionate, friendly, and playful and loves to be around his family
- He is an exceptional swimmer and excels on the agility course
- This breed can practically entertain himself for hours, staying busy with his toys or looking for adventure outdoors
- Portuguese Water Dogs are excellent swimmers and companions for boating activities since they are water-loving dogs who can swim long distances without tiring easily
- This breed makes an excellent companion for children because it's calm and gentle but also playful when children are up to playing games with them
- They are sociable and outgoing with strangers but can be very protective of their family members as well as their home territory
- They make excellent watchdogs because they alert you when someone enters your yard or house without permission
- The Portuguese Water Dog is an excellent choice for people who are allergic to dogs because it doesn't typically shed
Appearance
The Portuguese Water Dog is a medium-sized dog with a double coat and webbed feet. The coat comes in three colors: black, white, and brown.
The Portuguese Water Dog has a square head with a slightly rounded forehead and large eyes set apart at an angle. The muzzle is pointed with a black nose and small ears that are set high on the head. The neck is strong but not too long, and the chest is deep but not too broad.
The hindquarters are muscular and well-angulated with a straight back. The tail hangs down when relaxed but can be carried over the back when excited or moving quickly.
The standard size for this breed is 15 to 20 inches high at the shoulder for males, 16 to 18 inches for females; weighing between 30 and 60 pounds for males, and 45 to 55 pounds for females; making them slightly larger than German Shepherds but smaller than Labrador Retrievers.
Temperament
The Portuguese Water Dog is one of the most intelligent dogs in the world. These dogs are very loyal and will do anything to please their owners. They love being around people, especially children. They are also very brave, making them excellent for search and rescue missions.
They are extremely docile, making them easy to train if you have patience and consistency. The PWD does not do well with strangers, so it’s important to socialize him early on in order to help him become more comfortable around new people.
They are known for being very obedient. If you want your dog to listen consistently, make sure you have a good relationship with him first before taking on any obedience training techniques.
With all of these great qualities combined together, it’s no wonder why many people are drawn to this breed of dog!
Care
Grooming
The Portuguese Water Dog is very active, so you will need to groom him regularly. The most important thing to keep in mind when grooming this dog is that he needs his coat brushed every day.
You can use a brush with pin bristles, which are great for getting tangles out of the coat. These brushes are also good for brushing out dead hair and getting out any dirt that has accumulated in the coat. If you have an undercoat rake, use it on your Portuguese Water Dog's body and legs twice a week. This will stimulate new growth in his coat.
Keep his nails trimmed. They need their nails trimmed about every two weeks to keep them from growing too long and causing pain. Nail clippers work well for trimming nails on small dogs like PWDs as long as you aren't cutting into the quick (the pink part of the nail). If you're not sure if you're cutting into the quick or not, ask someone who knows what they're doing to help you out.
Exercise Needs
The Portuguese Water Dog is a medium-sized dog that was bred to be a working dog. This means that he needs plenty of physical activity every day to stay happy and healthy. Exercise needs vary from one Portuguese Water Dog to another, so it's important for owners to know their dog's individual exercise requirements.
They are active dogs who need a lot of exercise every day. They love swimming, but they also enjoy running, playing ball, and fetching sticks in the yard. If you want to take your Portuguese Water Dog on walks, you'll need to train him early because they tend to pull on their leads unless they've been taught otherwise.
They are generally fine with cats and other animals, as long as they're raised with them from an early age. However, they may chase small animals if they haven't been properly socialized with them from puppyhood onward.
Health
The Portuguese Water Dog is a healthy breed and does not suffer from many common health problems. However, there are some diseases and conditions that are seen in this dog.
They can develop canine hip dysplasia (CHD), which is a hereditary disease of the hip joints of dogs. The disease occurs when the thigh bone does not fit properly into the hip socket.
Addison’s disease affects about 1% of all Portuguese Water Dogs and results in a deficiency of cortisol (a hormone produced by the adrenal glands) that occurs due to autoimmune destruction of these glands. Symptoms include weakness, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, shock, and dehydration. Addison’s disease is treated with medications that replace missing cortisol.
Lifespan
Portuguese Water Dogs are a very healthy breed. They live on average between 12 and 14 years. However, some individuals have lived as long as 17 years.
Training
The Portuguese Water Dog is a very intelligent dog. They love to please their masters and are eager to learn new tricks, however, they do not always want to do what you ask of them. They need consistent training from puppyhood to learn good manners. If you have patience and time on your side, you will have no problem training this breed.
Start early and use positive reinforcement along with strong leadership.
They are very sensitive dogs that respond well to positive reinforcement training methods such as clicker training and food rewards. You should be firm but kind when giving your pup commands or corrections so they don’t become confused or afraid of you as an owner.
The Portuguese Water Dog may be stubborn at times, but they are also very intelligent so it shouldn’t take long for them to learn a new trick or command if given proper guidance and encouragement along the way.
History
The Portuguese Water Dog is a breed of working dog developed in the Iberian Peninsula for the purpose of retrieving waterfowl.
The breed was created by crossing English Water Spaniel, Curly Coated Retriever, and possibly other breeds. The resulting dogs were then bred to each other and to various Portuguese fishing dogs until they were standardized as the modern PWD.
The Portuguese Water Dog was bred specifically for its swimming ability, agility, intelligence, and trainability. The PWD is still used today for duck hunting and as a working dog on farms and estates all over Europe and North America.
The Portuguese Water Dog is a breed of dog that has been bred for centuries as a working water dog. It was developed in Portugal, and is also known as the Cao de Agua Portuguesa or the Cao de Agua das Rainhas (Cao of the Queens). The word Cao means dog in Portuguese, while Cáo agua refers to its water-loving characteristics. The breed has been used as a fisherman's helper, retrieving fish that escaped hooks and nets.