PWD Puppy Guide & Puppy Care - A Breed Like No Other
Portie's Are An Exceptional Breed - However, They Are Not For Everyone
Smart, athletic & highly intelligent, Portie's are quite like having a toddler friend that always wants your attention, love & affection. They are amazing working dogs, highly trainable to conquer any task, but the characteristic we admire the most is their sensitive nature and the affection they endlessly show to the ones they love. To the right family, Portie's can enrich your everyday life by adding a fur-child that is sweet tempered, easy to take-a-long wherever you go, and (if socialized properly), loves children & other pets and animals. Their personalities are not like any other, and it's impossible not to fall in LOVE!!!
Portuguese Water Dog (Sire) Maxx - Black with White Markings
Making The Right Choice - Where to Adopt Your PWD
If you want a puppy to share your home, as part of your family, then find your PWD puppy from a breeder that raises their litters in a home and holds the responsibility of spending time loving, training and socializing their pups. Litters that have been raised in an outdoor kennel are lacking the human connection and understanding of family etiquette, and the much needed socialization that is needed to be a well-adjusted adult PWD. Remember, Basement- and kennel-raised puppies are certainly not pet-quality dogs. They are "livestock" animals and will not have the much needed puppy basics that you are looking for in your furry companion. Outdoor Kennel bed pups are neither house-trained nor socialized, and would require a tremendous amount of work in hopes of making them the ideal companion. Look for a breeder whose litters have been born and raised in a kitchen or living room, integrated into the family, and handled by family members, visitors and friends.
Why We Raw Feed
You have seen the headlines. Dog food companies with recalls, pets dying, terrible ingredients found, allergies and more. Raw feeding is plain and simply, clean eating for dogs. I will admit when I first learned of this my initial thoughts were "what about food poisoning?" and "that is kind of gross". Dogs digestive tracts are not as long as ours and not as susceptible to food poisoning. Raw fed dogs tend to eat what you give them, so it's not sitting there all day. Feed twice a day based on dog's age and weight. Refrigerate what is not being used and there will be no issues. What I learned about raw diet, after realizing it wasn't really gross, because dogs don't eat kibble in the wild, was it is a pure diet. Raw meat with uncooked bones, organ meat, fish, and a variety of fruits and vegetables is the perfect way to feed your Portie. Meat such as chicken, beef, pork,venison, bison etc, gives them the protein and fats they need. The bones and marrow provide calcium and other nutrients, as well as the organ meats (liver, kidneys, hearts, gizzards, pancreas). Fish once a week gives them Omega's which everyone needs and keeps their hair shiny and soft. Raw feeding is easy to do and most who try it never return to kibble. You can buy bulk meats at the butcher and some organs, sort into freezer bag portions and use as needed!
Puppies from Limitless Love will be acclimated to a raw diet upon weaning, as we believe in maintaining the health from parents to puppies. Both Sire & Dam are exclusively raw fed a variety of meats, organs, bones & fish.
Raw Diet for two adult Portuguese Water Dogs. 16 oz daily per dog. 8 oz meal twice a day.
Portie's Can Be A "Mouthy Breed"
Portie's are highly trainable and if taught correctly, this behavior can quickly be modified and your hands and toes will thank you for it!!! I actually LOVE, however, by mouthy I also mean "bitey". Not in an aggressive way. Portie's don't get their adult teeth until 12-18 months. So much like a baby who is teething, these pups love to chew. If provided with the proper chew items, they may still find more exciting things to chew on. Like your shoes, eye glasses or favorite purse. Crate training is an effective way to keep these pups out of trouble. Freezing treats or making sure they have adequate things to keep them busy is always helpful.
They also can be "bitey" when it comes to hands. Most Portie owners have to work to curb that behavior upon bringing their puppy home. While it may seem cute to play with your bitey little puppy, he or she will grow to be a BIG bitey puppy and then it's not so much fun.
Portie's are highly traininable and if taught correctly, this behavior can quickly be modified and your hands and toes will thank you for it!!
Beware of THIS FACE - it is commonly used to "get out of trouble"
Crate Training is Essential
Puppy Care for your Portuguese Water Dogs is essential to a great start in your training practices. If your considering bringing a Portie puppy into your home then you need to purchase the correct size crate for your new family member. Small crate for a puppy, and large crate when they are full grown. Some crates can be adjusted to fit their growth. Portie's are a "mouthy breed" as I explain in this section. Crate training isn't just a benefit to keep your shoes safe, its safe for your puppy. He or she cannot get into things that will hurt him or her. They are a smart breed and can find ways to be mischievous if given the opportunity. Secondly, it allowed for faster potty training as puppies are given the opportunity to learn how to hold their potty breaks until they go outside. Crating should be done from the time you bring your new puppy home. If you don't want your pup sleeping in your bed every night for the rest of their life, then don't take them to bed with you because they will not want to go back to sleeping on their own.
Base crate training time-frame on puppy's age and be aware of how long they can hold it, in regards to their age. When I got Molly she was 8 weeks. At that age I knew she could go 3 hours without a potty break, so I got up every 3 hours and took her out, then immediately placed her back in her crate. Several nights she cried and I felt bad, but if I caved, she would have effectively trained ME to get her each time she cried. After a week she stopped crying and I could lengthen the time in between her potty breaks. Before long, we were both sleeping through the night and I had a crate trained puppy who didn't mind going into her "room" when I had to leave the house for a couple hours, or at bedtime. Now all I have to do is say "bed" and both my Portie's will willingly go into their crates on command.
Tip: When your beginning crate training, place puppy inside crate during the day for 10-15 min intervals and do not let them out until they settle.
You can also place them inside the crate with the door open when they are napping (which puppies do a lot of), so that they get used to being in there and equate it with being safe.
Put food and water bowls at back side of crate during daytime to make puppy go inside on their own to eat or drink. Do not leave food and water in the crate at bedtime.
NEVER use the crate as a form of punishment
Molly as a puppy.
I would sneak her inside when she was sleeping
Training Your Portie
It sounds amazing to have a Portie who is highly intelligent and easy to train (under the right circumstances). However, it is important to note that if you don't train your Portuguese Water Dog, he or she will train YOU! PWD's do not respond to negative reinforcement such as physical correction or yelling. These tactics will only hurt the sensitive nature of these wonderful dogs and create emotional barriers. What DOES work is obedience training, and loving firmness (sometimes you have to let your baby cry), consistency and of course TREATS!! Portie's are very food motivated. It's amazing what a little piece of cheese will do! Positive reinforcement followed by a treat is the best way to train these entertaining dogs. They love the mental stimulation as well as the attention. Everyone wins!!
Junior handling class - kids love to be involved and it creates a loving bond
What Makes A Great Portie Owner?
Is this the right breed for your home? Choosing a puppy because if it's popularity, color markings or cute face is not the ideal way to choose what breed to bring into your family. Each breed of dog was bred to perform in a particular way. Portuguese Water Dogs are in the "working dog" class. They assisted fishermen in Portugal on boating excursions and were an essential member of the fishing team. Being a "working dog" means they are high energy, and need mental and physical stimulation.
With that being said, you can decide if your home could be the right fit by asking yourself a few of these questions:
1. Will your puppy be confined to a crate or alone for long periods of time?
Portuguese Water Dogs are energetic. They NEED to run and play, or be worked. They NEED human interaction because they are a sensitive dog whom believes he or she is a part of your family unit (as they should be). If left alone for long periods of time regularly, they can develop bad habits, become detached, or bored and get into trouble.
2. Do you have adequate space to let your Portuguese Water Dog puppy exercise?
I like to refer to my PWD's as big babies, they love to sprawl out and cuddle (even at 50 pounds plus). However, they have a huge yard to run and play in and having two Portie's gives them a friend to burn off steam with. Portie's need an active lifestyle and room to run. A couple of walks a day won't cut it, as they will likely out-perform you with their intense energy. If worked, these dogs will settle and enjoy the snuggle time and soak up endless love. If not worked, they might quite literally drive you crazy, as they are smart and will demand the attention and activity. "Negative attention is still attention".
3. Portuguese WATER Dog - Can your pup enjoy taking a much needed swim?
Whether or not a family has a pool isn't the determining factor of whether or not they are a suitable home. With that being said, Portuguese Water Dog's were bred to swim. They even have webbed feet. Being able to allow your Portie to swim,will give them an outlet for all that energy.
My dogs LOVE jumping into the pool, chasing the ball or even my kids. It's so entertaining and fun for everyone. My two PWD's will even sit by the gate to the pool and bark and whine when they want to swim! The point is: THEY LOVE IT!
They love any water, kiddie pool, lake, stream and even the ocean.
NOTE: Don't assume just because you own a Portie he or she will be a natural swimmer as a puppy. They still need to be taught and trained on how to get in and out of the pool and build confidence when swimming in deep water. I start mine out in a kiddie pool and they love it.
(consider a doggie life jacket for a larger pool so the pup doesn't tire out if they swim too far)
Molly floating around the pool. Play hard, sleep hard. She just wants to be where the fun is.