Portuguese water dogs make excellent family pets. Whether you followed the Obama family in their dog choice, or you just loved the look, now you have a job: to train your water dog.
Before you follow the steps for training your water dog, there are a few breed characteristics you should consider:
- Portuguese water dogs grow to become 20 to 23 inches at the shoulder and can weigh between 42 and 60 pounds.
- PWD's were used in Portugal as fisherman's helpers to retrieve nets, herd fish, and other helping tasks.
- Their webbed feet make them natural swimmers.
- Portuguese water dogs coats do not shed very frequently and are water resistant.
- They are intelligent and active dogs that need to be engaged physically and mentally to be happy.
Instructions
START YOUR WATER DOG OUT WITH THE RIGHT HABITS AS A PUPPY.
If you let your Portuguese Water Dog roam the house and occasionally have accidents you have already made house training your dog difficult. Limit your dog to a small room with a doggie door and newspapers, or to the outside. Never let your dog wander the house unsupervised.
START A ROUTINE IMMEDIATELY WITH YOUR PORTUGUESE WATER DOG.
Wake up, take the dog outside to go potty. If and when the dog goes potty, praise the dog. Say 'good dog' with a smile in your voice, 'hooray puppy' or simply 'Yea!' Bring the dog back inside to eat and drink and have a short period of play. Praise the puppy for anything she does that you want to reinforce. Put dog back into pen. Feed the dog at the exact same time every day. Create rhythms for walks, play, and brief training periods.
BEGIN WITH HOUSE TRAINING.
Between 8 and 11 weeks old your puppy should be ready to be house broken. Your strict maintenance of the schedule above will pay dividends in the end. Puppies need to relieve themselves every three hours so you will want to be diligent with this. Simply never give your puppy access to the rest of the house until she is house broken. Keep the routine up. Start giving cookies and exuberant praise to your puppy when she goes outside. Keep her on a leash until she is done going potty so she doesn't confuse outside with immediate play. Consistency is the key!
BE SURE TO CONTINUE SKILL AND TASK TRAINING WITH YOUR PORTUGUESE WATER DOG.
You can start easily with sit, roll over, and shake hands. Reward each small step of approximation. Move eventually to fetching balls and sticks, searching for a hidden cookie or toy, or retrieving a known object. Portuguese water dogs are happiest when they have work to do, so give them work to do!
As intelligent dogs they can master many words, commands, and habits. One Portuguese water dog owner has trained his dog to bring him a beer from the fridge. Use your imagination.