Working Dog Group - Portuguese Water Dog

These dogs hail originally from Portugal, as their name suggests. They were known to be excellent swimmers and hence very soon became popular within the fishermen. They were well known for their retrieving and guarding abilities and were used by the fishermen to salvage broken nets, transporting messages within different ships and in some cases to guard ships. These dogs made excellent companions to the fishermen and their popularity increased so much that even the non-commercial fishermen opted for these dogs as their companions on their fishing trips. They had come close to extinction as technology replaced the purpose of these dogs, but they were soon revived by a Portuguese Vasco Bensaude in order to revive this breed.

The Portuguese water dog is known by various names and has a thick shaggy coat that is either wavy or curly. This coat is trimmed in various styles known as the lion cut or the retriever cut that is given according to the requirement of the likes of the owner of this dog. A fairly rare breed, the dogs and bitches can be separated according to the differences in their height and weight. The males thus, can be differentiated from the females easily as they grow up to 20-22 inches and weigh 42-55 pounds, as compared to the females who grow up to 17-22 inches and weigh 35-49 pounds approximately.

These dogs are the liveliest of the breeds and can be really great therapy dogs. They are extremely amicable and human friendly. Highly affectionate, docile and even tempered, they do not have obedience issues. They just need discipline to curb their over friendly behavior as they tend to jump on people in a fit of their excitement. They are very active and need continuous exercises to keep themselves from getting bored. These dogs are very brave and love to play any games of fetch in water. Throw them a stick in the water and they will love to retrieve it from any depths of water.

These dogs are usually calm and not aggressive, which makes them perfect companions. They have a keen sense of hearing and that makes them perfect therapy dogs for deaf and old people. They tend to alert people by barking on strangers in various styles to alert the owner. They can be the best sports dogs and they will always love to win. They have to be taught to control their barking from their puppyhood. They should also be taught and disciplined to keep them from chewing off the household items; as they are disgracefully famous for chewing off the furniture. They also have to a tendency to counter surf that is often considered to be playful part of their nature. Teach them not to put their mouths in the food prepared for you and this act can be delightfully funny sight for you to see your Portuguese water dog surf the counter for food.

These dogs are extremely active hence they need a lot of exercise. They can do fairly well in an apartment, if they are given proper exercise. But they can be at their best if you keep them in a house with a large yard and a lake or swimming pool in it. They need continuous mental and physical stimulations to keep them calm and quiet throughout the day. If this requirement is not taken care of, then they can be destructive to a great extent.

These dogs are extremely active, playful, affectionate and amicable dogs. They make fabulous therapy dogs and great companions.