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10 Reasons NOT to get a pwd!
Oh, yes, they are absolutely adorable puppies, BUT:
- They can have a spirited disposition, and are often described as self-willed or stubborn. They do not like excessive repetition of a task and will alter that task if you insist on having them do it more than 3 to 5 times.
- They are very resistant to fatigue. VERY RESISTANT.
- They were bred to move lines, nets, and buoy markers in ocean waves and have very hard mouths; if they nip or bite as puppies, they will hurt you and the puppy razor teeth will make this bitey-ness far worse.
- They will chew through your furniture like a family of active beavers unless you monitor them carefully and make sure they have something else to chew.
- They are not hypoallergenic; they have hair, so shed less but their hair catches all kinds of pollen and dust and other potential allergens that they will bring inside and roll into your carpets and furniture.
- They require daily grooming to avoid matting; this grooming has to be done via a pin brush AND a comb; then they require visits to a groomer to cut their hair every 6-8 weeks. This can cost >$80 per visit.
- They tend to gut all plush toys and scatter the filling around your house proudly. If you leave them unsupervised or alone, you will come back to a serious mess in your house.
- They are profligate counter-surfers; once they figure out that there is potential food on your counters, they will NEVER forget that and you will find them stealing all kinds of things, or worse, lounging on the counters and diningroom tables ...
- They bark ... and bark ... and bark -- again, they were bred to protect the catch of fishermen so this is part of their nature.
- They are tornado-greeters. Do not expect to get into your house without an explosion of happiness that you have returned. The greetings can include knocking you down, drive-by nipping, jumping onto the bags you are carrying, head butting your knees, and lots of vocalization.
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Here's is one interpretation of the breed that pretty much sums up what you will be in for if you decide to take on a PWD puppy: (from Showsight Magazine, August 3, 2022, Portuguese Water Dog - Fearless Canine Fisherman, by Kathy Monroe)
"Notorious as a brawler for centuries along Portugal's coast, this seafaring breed was prized by fishermen for a pushy nature and a robust, medium build that needed the mental and physical demands of a full day's work in and out of the water to reduce its energy level to one that allowed it to hear and obey it's master's commands.
The Portuguese Water Dog seeks and loves to splash and wallow in mud, water bowls, toilets with open lids, and any liquid—water, paint, etc. It does this with great finesse and stamina, unendingly, while aiding his master by retrieving any item that it sees and wants to carry, regardless of size, delicacy, or ownership.
Its incessant retrieving instinct leads to a dog that must have something in its mouth to carry, chew on, or swallow, whether that item is edible or decorative, such as furniture.
He is a clinging companion and an incessant alarm barker.
This highly manipulative breed is distinguished by two coat types, either curly or wavy, which require extensive grooming—bathing, brushing, combing, detangling, etc.—far in excess of the time that would be spent vacuuming up dog hair.
If not groomed regularly, small amounts of dirt, twigs, dust, mats, and other yard matter Velcro themselves to the unruly coat until being redistributed in the home, a common PWD owner decorating trend referred to as 'bringing the outside in.'
It has an impressive head of considerable breadth and well proportioned mass, which it uses for head and body rams; a ruggedly built, well-knit body which enables it to counter-surf and jump onto tables and over fences; and a powerful, thickly based tail, carried gallantly or used purposefully as a rudder or to clear items off coffee tables and destroy Lego constructions built by children on floors.
Expression
Direct, rude, and demanding. The Portuguese Water Dog likes to be at eye level with humans, resulting in an almost un-extinguishable jumping-up greeting behavior.
Temperament
An animal with a mind of its own, brash, with ADHD. A dog of exceptional ability to manipulate people and its environment, and a strong desire to lead, makes it incessantly desire to be around humans whom it can bend to its wishes. If trained by a person with patience, superior intelligence, and unilateral focus, it will obey its master with facility and apparent pleasure until it decides to test or until it devises an alternative worth trying."
"Notorious as a brawler for centuries along Portugal's coast, this seafaring breed was prized by fishermen for a pushy nature and a robust, medium build that needed the mental and physical demands of a full day's work in and out of the water to reduce its energy level to one that allowed it to hear and obey it's master's commands.
The Portuguese Water Dog seeks and loves to splash and wallow in mud, water bowls, toilets with open lids, and any liquid—water, paint, etc. It does this with great finesse and stamina, unendingly, while aiding his master by retrieving any item that it sees and wants to carry, regardless of size, delicacy, or ownership.
Its incessant retrieving instinct leads to a dog that must have something in its mouth to carry, chew on, or swallow, whether that item is edible or decorative, such as furniture.
He is a clinging companion and an incessant alarm barker.
This highly manipulative breed is distinguished by two coat types, either curly or wavy, which require extensive grooming—bathing, brushing, combing, detangling, etc.—far in excess of the time that would be spent vacuuming up dog hair.
If not groomed regularly, small amounts of dirt, twigs, dust, mats, and other yard matter Velcro themselves to the unruly coat until being redistributed in the home, a common PWD owner decorating trend referred to as 'bringing the outside in.'
It has an impressive head of considerable breadth and well proportioned mass, which it uses for head and body rams; a ruggedly built, well-knit body which enables it to counter-surf and jump onto tables and over fences; and a powerful, thickly based tail, carried gallantly or used purposefully as a rudder or to clear items off coffee tables and destroy Lego constructions built by children on floors.
Expression
Direct, rude, and demanding. The Portuguese Water Dog likes to be at eye level with humans, resulting in an almost un-extinguishable jumping-up greeting behavior.
Temperament
An animal with a mind of its own, brash, with ADHD. A dog of exceptional ability to manipulate people and its environment, and a strong desire to lead, makes it incessantly desire to be around humans whom it can bend to its wishes. If trained by a person with patience, superior intelligence, and unilateral focus, it will obey its master with facility and apparent pleasure until it decides to test or until it devises an alternative worth trying."
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