Cão De Água Português
Temperament:
The Cão De Água Português is a very good swimmer and diver. He was used on the coast of Portugal, guarding the ships and helping with fishing. He has a high intelligence, is robust and sociable. The Cão De Água Português gets along very well with children due to his cheerful nature and is considered a popular house and family dog.
Characteristics
The Portuguese Water Dog is first noticed by its strong statue. The long curled or wavy jet black coat is typical. The long hairs are usually evenly distributed over the body of the animal.
Even though most Portuguese Water Dogs are black, the coat color is very diverse. There are black, brown as well as white and bi-colored specimens.
The character traits of the Portuguese Water Dog are described very differently. While some classify him as quarrelsome or stubborn, others talk about a very obedient and frugal nature.
Dogs are individuals. It is difficult to say which character traits he will develop most clearly during his life. The Portuguese Water Dog needs a lot of training, attention and exercise. This is how the positive characteristics of the breed are brought out.
If the Cão De Água Português is trained early and consistently, and if the dog is sufficiently mentally and physically exercised, he can be a very balanced companion. If this is not the case, he quickly reacts like a hyper and underutilized child.
Due to his distinctive sensory perceptions, he is enthusiastic for any kind of activity. He is also often used as a therapy and rescue dog. Swimming is especially fun for him, as the name suggests.
Coat care:
Shedding:
Energy level:
Trainability:
Children suitable:
The right food
The Portuguese Water Dog has no more or less demands on his diet than other dog breeds. You should always pay attention to a sugar- and grain-free food choice with a high meat content.
Depending on the physical workload and energy consumption of your pet, you should adjust the portions so that your Cão De Água Português does not fall into overweight or underweight. Possible allergies should always be discussed with your veterinarian. He will recommend the ideal food for your dog.
Cão De Água Português Care
The care of the long coat of the Cão De Água Português is very complex and requires a lot of time. At least twice a week you should brush the coat thoroughly with a comb and brush.
In summer, the coat should be shortened or clipped regularly. With a high quality clippers, this can also be done at home. For show dogs, the so-called "lion cut" is mandatory.
It is important to always trim the fur between the Portie's claws as well. Especially with long fur, painful awns can get caught here. In addition, the hair in the ears should also be plucked regularly.
Suitable accessories
As mentioned, the Portuguese Water Dog needs all sorts of utensils for its coat care. A close, large-toothed comb and a brush are necessary for untangling the coat. In addition, a quality clipper. These should also be able to work through the curly hairs of your Portie.
Besides grooming utensils, the Cão De Água Português can never get enough of employment. Besides a selection of long and short leashes of your choice, educational gadgets are always a good idea. Clickers and various search and activity games are very popular. Also, there should always be enough retrieval items such as dummy and ball.
Origin & History
As the name suggests, the Portuguese Water Dog comes from Portugal, more precisely from the beautiful Algarve. There he was indispensable as a real working dog with the fishermen.
The water dog zinged schools of fish, guarded them and retrieved escaped fish. He also communicated with the fisherman, indicating broken nets, the mainland or sandbanks.
Already in pre-Christian times, the Cão De Água Português is said to have done his work on ships. Here he delivered messages from one ship to the next.
In the 20th century, the Portie became less and less important for fishing as industrialization progressed. Thus, in 1970, he was the rarest dog in the world, with only 50 specimens.
Let's hope that the great dog has regained popularity through Barack Obama. After all, we want to be able to enjoy the bright breed for many years to come.
