Spotlight Breed: Portuguese Water Dog
Welcome to our Spotlight Breed article of the week. We are excited to teach you about a fun and unique dog breed from around the globe! Today’s spotlight breed is the Portuguese Water Dog. To no surprise, this breed once served as crew on fishing trips, retrieving lost gear and herding fish into nets. If we had to summarize the Portuguese Water Dog in three words, we would choose athletic, adventurous, and lovable. However, there is so much more to learn about the breed. Continue reading the article to discover fascinating facts about the Portuguese Water Dog!
We spoke a little about the history of the Portuguese Water Dog. One of their main tasks was to act as a messenger between ships and shore. Fishermen loved the dog breed because they were very muscular and hardworking. The dogs would ride in trawlers from the warm Atlantic waters of Portugal to the cold waters off the coast of Iceland.
Let’s talk about the adaptability of the breed. The Portuguese Water Dog will adapt well to small or large living situations. The breed is fine as long as they are mentally and physically stimulated. We would say that the breed would be okay for novice dog owners. However, be aware that the breed can be very sensitive at times. It may take a little more patience for the Portuguese Water Dog to learn new skills, commands, and rules.
Friendliness scores rank high for the breed. Portuguese Water Dog loves to form strong bonds with their family. The good news is that they are great around children and other dogs. The breed may struggle when strangers are around, but basic obedience and socialization training will help them tremendously.
We mentioned that the Portuguese Water Dog was bred to do a job. Therefore, training the breed shouldn’t be too difficult. Easy-to-train dogs like this are more adept at forming an association between a prompt, an action, and a consequence. Be careful, however! They are so intelligent that they may have a “what’s in it for me?” mentality. If this happens, positive reinforcement will be your best friend.
The energy level of the Portuguese Water Dog is through the roof! They are always looking for new and exciting adventures. If you live in an apartment, be sure your community has a dog park because you will need it! Are you looking for a dog that loves hard and plays hard too? If so, the Portuguese Water Dog may be for you. We will leave you with our favorite fun fact about the breed: The late Bo Obama, a Portuguese Water Dog, and pet of President Barack Obama, was a comforting presence to the family for over a decade.
