Portuguese Water Dog Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

Quick Links: Table of Contents

• Portuguese Water Dog Breed Overview
• History of the Portuguese Water Dog Breed. Where Portuguese Water Dogs came from
• What the Portuguese Water Dog Looks Like
• How Much is the Portuguese Water Dog Puppy?
• Best Portuguese Water Dog Breeders
• What Colors do Portuguese Water Dogs Have?
• The Temperament of the Portuguese Water Dog
• Portuguese Water Dog Litter Size
• How Fast Portuguese Water Dogs Can Run
• Good Names for Portuguese Water Dogs
• How Popular are Portuguese Water Dogs with New Dog Owners?
• Health Problems in Portuguese Water Dogs and How to Prevent Them
• Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Portuguese Water Dogs
• Other Things to Know About Portuguese Water Dogs

Portuguese Water Dog Breed Overview

The Portuguese Water Dog is a medium-sized dog.

The adult Portuguese Water Dog stands 1 foot, 5 inches to 1 foot, 11 inches tall at the .

The Portuguese Water Dog belongs to the Working Dogs group.

Dogs in the Working Dogs group, like the Portuguese Water Dog, were developed to assist humans in some capacity – including pulling sleds and carts, guarding flocks, guarding homes, and protecting their families.

Breeds in the Working Group are known for their imposing stature, strength, intelligence, and fearless.

Because of their size and strength, working dogs require a structured home life and firm, fair, consistent training by someone who can provide leadership without resorting to anger or physical force.

The fact that the Portuguese Water Dog belongs to the Working Dogs group is one of the reasons why Portuguese Water Dogs have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Portuguese Water Dog is generally described as:

• Brave
• Docile
• Impetuous
• Intelligent
• Obedient
• Quarrelsome

History of the Portuguese Water Dog Breed. Where Portuguese Water Dogs came from

Portuguese Waterdogs are a type of working dog that was originally bred in Portugal.

These dogs were used to herd fish into nets and retrieve lost items from the water.

Portuguese Waterdogs are known for their webbed feet, which make them excellent swimmers.

They are also intelligent and eager to please, which makes them easy to train.

Portuguese Waterdogs were brought to the United States in the 1960s, where they quickly became popular as pets and show dogs.

Today, these dogs are still prized for their loyalty, intelligence, and playful temperament.

Portuguese Waterdogs make excellent companion animals and are a popular choice for families with young children.

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What the Portuguese Water Dog Looks Like

Portuguese Waterdogs are a medium-sized breed of dogand they have a sturdy build, with a wide chest and muscular legs.

Portuguese Waterdogs typically have a short, curly coat, which can be either black, brown, or white.

The breed is known for its webbed feet, which makes them excellent swimmers.

Portuguese Waterdogs are intelligent and trainable dogs, and they are often used as working dogs in water-related occupations.

Portuguese Waterdogs are loyal and affectionate with their families, but they can be reserved around strangers.

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How Much is the Portuguese Water Dog Puppy?

The average price of a Portuguese Water Dog puppy is $2860. The price of a Portuguese Water Dog puppy ranges from $2500 to $3300.

A lot of factors determine the price of the Portuguese Water Dog. These factors include what health records the Portuguese Water Dog puppy has, the lineage of the Portuguese Water Dog puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.

To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Portuguese Water Dog based on the many factors that determine the price of the Portuguese Water Dog puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Portuguese Water Dog puppy based on what you want in the puppy.

When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Portuguese Water Dog breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.

You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.

Best Portuguese Water Dog Breeders

We have researched reputable Portuguese Water Dog breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Portuguese Water Dog breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

1. Rosebud Porties

   Puppy Price: $3,300.00

2. ChasinWaves Portuguese Water Dogs Reg`d

   Puppy Price: Check with breeder

3. Weavers Furry Friends

   Puppy Price: $1600.00

4. Penny Lane

   Puppy Price: Check with breeder

5. WashAshore Portuguese Water Dogs

   Puppy Price: $2650.00

What Colors do Portuguese Water Dogs Have?

Portuguese Water Dogs come in the following beautiful primary colors:

• Black
• White / Cream

Portuguese Water Dogs come in the following lovely secondary colors in addition to their primary colors:

• White / Cream
• Brown / Chocolate

The Temperament of the Portuguese Water Dog

The temperament of the Portuguese Water Dog based can be summarized as in the table below.

The table shows the scores of the Portuguese Water Dog for 13 important dog behavioral factors.

We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.

The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.

See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Portuguese Water Dog here.

Factor	Score
Stranger Directed Fear	8.2 percent
Stubbornness	8.1 percent
Energy Level	78.3 percent
Attachment Attention Seeking	65.1 percent
Nonsocial Fear	6.1 percent
Owner Directed Aggression	5.0 percent
Prey Drive	44.6 percent
Excitability	38.2 percent
Dog Directed Aggression	29.2 percent
Dog Directed Fear	26.3 percent
Dog Rivalry	23.3 percent
Stranger Directed Aggression	18.7 percent
Separation Related Behavior	15.5 percent
Touch Sensitivity	11.8 percent

Portuguese Water Dog Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 17 different Portuguese Water Dog birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Portuguese Water Dogs can have is 7 puppies. Also, the Portuguese Water Dog can have as few as 2 puppies per litter and as many as 12 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Portuguese Water Dog will have depends on factors such as the age of the Portuguese Water Dog, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Portuguese Water Dog will have and how the litter size of the Portuguese Water Dog compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Portuguese Water Dogs Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 156 different Portuguese Water Dogs, the average speed of the Portuguese Water Dog is 21.8 mph (35.1 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Portuguese Water Dog ran in a race is 27.64 mph (44.5 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Portuguese Water Dog is 6.35 mph (10.2 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Portuguese Water Dog compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

Good Names for Portuguese Water Dogs

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Portuguese Water Dog ranked by popularity:

• Jasper
• Leopold
• Cappy
• Bently
• Ziggy
• Hershey

How Popular are Portuguese Water Dogs with New Dog Owners?

Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.

The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Portuguese Water Dog.

The popularity of the Portuguese Water Dog averaged over the years is Number 50 out of about 200 dog breeds.

Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.

Health Problems in Portuguese Water Dogs and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Portuguese Water Dog is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Portuguese Water Dog puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Portuguese Water Dog breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Portuguese Water Dogs for:

1. Autoimmune thyroiditis
2. Cardiac Evaluation
3. Elbow Dysplasia
4. Eye Examination- recommend annual exams until age 10
5. GM1 GANGLIOSIDOSIS
6. Hip Dysplasia
7. Juvenile Dilated Cardiomyopathy – Univ of Pennsylvania –
8. NYU
9. Patellar Luxation
10. Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) DNA Test
11. Sebaceous Adenitis

You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Portuguese Water Dogs here.

Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Portuguese Water Dogs

If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Portuguese Water Dog.

We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Portuguese Water Dog:

• Bernedoodle (83 percent match with Portuguese Water Dog). Learn more about the Bernedoodle here.
• Polish Lowland Sheepdog (79 percent match with Portuguese Water Dog). Learn more about the Polish Lowland Sheepdog here.
• Sheepadoodle (78 percent match with Portuguese Water Dog). Learn more about the Sheepadoodle here.

Other Things to Know About Portuguese Water Dogs

Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Portuguese Water Dog that you need to know about the Portuguese Water Dog breed:

Portuguese Water Dogs do not shed a lot. They are good for people with dog allergies.

Portuguese Water Dogs do not have the tendency to drool.

Portuguese Water Dogs do not like to be left alone.

Portuguese Water Dogs require a lot of grooming and are not very easy to groom.

Portuguese Water Dogs adapt well to apartment living.

Portuguese Water Dogs are easily disturbed by noise in their environments. They are sensitive to human tone. They will understand the tone of your voice when you try to correct their behaviors with a firm tone.

Portuguese Water Dogs can tolerate cold weather.

Portuguese Water Dogs are very healthy. They do not suffer from a lot of health problems compared to other dog breeds

Portuguese Water Dogs are very easy to train.

Portuguese Water Dogs are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.

Portuguese Water Dogs get along well with kids. They are kid-friendly.

Portuguese Water Dogs get along well with other dogs.

Portuguese Water Dogs are highly intelligent.

Portuguese Water Dogs are prone to nip and chew at things.

Portuguese Water Dogs have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.

Portuguese Water Dogs require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.

Portuguese Water Dogs are very playful.

Portuguese Water Dogs weigh 35 to 60 pounds when fully grown.

Portuguese Water Dogs are 1 foot, 5 inches to 1 foot, 11 inches tall at the when fully grown.

Portuguese Water Dogs have a lifespan of 10 to 14 years.