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I have learned so much about myself, life, dogs etc. and have come to realize that owning a Portuguese Water Dog, namely my Auggie, (who is on the far spectrum of high energy and intensity) has made me a better person. He has taught (really forced me) how to be more patient and has provided me with a mirror into myself. I’ve decided to write about this experience to help other people, particularly anyone who is thinking of getting a Portuguese Water Dog, or has a puppy and is trying to figure it all out. My mind is so full right now of all of the things….I think I’ll just start writing and later categories the information more as the info comes out. I continue to learn and improve every day…If you are considering getting a Portuguese Water Dog, it’s very important to research the breed, know what you are getting into and make a commitment. There may be times you feel like crying…it’s challenging, but well worth it if you keep doing the work. It will make you a better person, and you will have an amazing dog in the end if you do! I do not believe owning or having experience raising a dog is a prerequisite, but knowing the basics would be helpful. I do know that there are people who have owned dogs before that gave up on their PWD because it was just too much. Getting your PWD from a reputable responsible, ethical breeder is the first step. If they are not willing to take the dog back, no questions asked, they are not a responsible breeder and you should avoid them like the plague! I also believe it’s your responsibility to research and know what you are siging up for before doing so. This is a 15 year commitment.
Your energy, vibe, emotions, extend out into your dog. especially an in tuned, inquisitive, intelligent Portuguese Water Dog. This is true for so many things, in training, on walks and also in the show ring. In the show ring you want your dog to be confident, have fun, have a nice gait. If you are sluggish, unsure, or don’t have a nice gait yourself-this will extend out to your dog. On walks you want your dog to be confident, you want to trust your dog and know what do do appropriatly on a walk. If you are frustrated with your dog, they will be naughty. Set them up for success, work with your dog and prepare them properly. Always use positive reinforcement techniques, you’ll have quicker, better, longer lasting results and truly a better dog in the end that you’ll know you can trust.
What I wish I would have known, or been told, or understood to do in the beginning when he was a puppy:
The most important things to focus on in training with your puppy: ALWAYS use positive reinforcement. I never used to really completely understand this and my dog has shown me that this truly is a much more effective way to train a dog. ESPECIALLY a highly intelligent dog. I even whisper to my dog, and he responds to this much better than for example when my husband gets frustrated and yells or scolds him. They will mirror back to you!
The 3 commands to focus on in the begining with a new puppy every single day, with several sessions per day: 1.) OFF (means paws off of you, chair, etc.), 2.) LEAVE IT, and the most important one 3.) COME. It’s important that training sessions are ALWAYS a positive experience. Start small and slowly, gradually build into longer sessions or more repetitions. If you use a calm, gentle energy, in time they will reflect this back to you with their behavior. If you scold, yell, push, etc., this will back fire on you as they will reflect that back at you. Remember this little furball is going to be a very powerful dog that can some day take you down-literally! Auggie has NEVER shown agression or even growled and he rarely even barks, but he is physically very powerful. he can, and has: knocked me over, in play-put an adult Great Pyrenees on her back and held her down! So a solid “Off” and “COME” are extremely important! Details on training these three things and more to follow.
Socializing your dog does not mean letting them come into contact with as many new people and or dogs as possible. Actaully, the goal of good socialization is to get your dog to be comfortable in new situations and behave for you. The way to accomplish this is to not let them be petted and come into contact with dogs and people, but to have them focus on you and your “commands’ in this new environment and ignore the people and other dogs. If your dog has followed your commands, they can be rewarded with a petting session by a stranger, but they cannot jump on anyone, and still have to “listen”. Following protocol for the CGC test (Canine Good Citizen) can be a good structure for this. The only regrets I have is that I trained Auggie from day one that he has to be in a sit stay to be rewarded with a pet from a stranger, and now he wants to “sit” for the judge in the show ring, because he wants them to pet him! He is now learning to instaed “stand” (free stack) for strangers lol! He picked up on it pretty quickly once I figured out why he was doing this and changed my appraoch.
We even had dog trainers who claimed to use positive reinforcement techniques give really bad advice about scolding our dog, or snapping him on the nose. This type of training can sometimes be effective for breeds of lesser intelligence, or less confident dogs, which is why I believe some trainers continue to use these techniques. If they have ever owned a highly intelligent dog like a PWD, one that is highly confident as well, they would quickly come to realize this only backfires on you. They reflect back to you what you “demonstrate”. I actually think for that reason, owning a PWD would be an excellent way to prepare someone for raising a child. Sidenote: Our Auggie is so incredibly confident that I believe if he were to ever be attacked by a dog more powerful than him, he would not let up trying to get the dog to be “friends”. My husband and I always joke about this imaginary scenario, he would say: “OK, let’s try this again, my name is Auggie, what’s yours?” and not back away or retreat. This dog breed is commonly used for rescue purposes in Portugal. There’s a famous YOU Tube video of one jumping from a helicopter into the ocean to save a person drowning. I can totally imagine our Auggie doing something like that-only he can’t swim, so there is that…lol! He has had MANY opportunities to practice, we just put him in a life jacket now and he has a blast!
I had the most positive experience with Auggie’s breeder; Penny Wetmore of Belle Palin, MN (Meridian Portuguese Water Dogs). By the time we brought Auggie home to live with us, he was 10 weeks old. He was almost completely potty trained already and was very comfortable going into and spending time in his crate. Those two basic things can be huge hurdles to overcome in training a puppy, and I’ve see people give up on puppies because of problems with one of those two different issues. In fact, I just read a Facebook post by someone who had decided to give back her 9 month old PWD puppy because she came home from work to a couch that had been chewed open and de-stuffed. People asked why the puppy was not in his crate while she was at work, the owner responded that the dog did not like being in his crate, that he whined and whined. She explained that she was a nurse and worked long hours, she needed her sleep and could not deal with the whining. If your breeder has taken the time to introduce your puppy to a crate, they will have a much easier time adjusting to life that includes sometimes being in one. This is an absolute must for the dog’s safety and your sanity for your dog to be crate trained. The amount of time they spend in the crate will depend on the age and training level of your dog. The older they get and the more well trained they are, the less time they will need to spend in the crate. It is, however a good idea to continue to use the crate in their daily routine, so it becomes just that-routine. There are times when your dog will need to be put in a crate: at the vet, at the groomer’s, traveling, etc.. so if your dog is accustomed to it, it’s no big deal to them. They actually feel comfortable doing it, it becomes a safe place for them in strange unfamiliar places. A well trained & socialized dog does not mind being in a crate. A dog should never be forced to go into a crate, or to do anything for that matter. Instead they will respond much better both in the moment, and moving forward in the future if they are coaxed into doing it. This is true for anything, especially puppies. Trauma can scar your puppy and stay with them for life. Remember training should always be positive. Golden rule of training: Try to end on a positive note, and set them up to succeed! Have a goal before you start, keep expectations real for the level of training your puppy or dog is at.
We are also members of our local PWD club and it has been great to see and hear about other dogs like him and the “adventures” they have had with their owners, as well as attend fun activities like indoor pool swim dates with our dogs and practice water trials. We maintain a relationship with Auggie’s breeder who has been very supportive and helpful, as every ethical breeder should be. We love our PWD and take him everywhere we can with him. He is so well behaved in public he is often mistaken as a service dog. He has a very strong work drive, so it has forced me to work him every single day. Luckily I have a work schedule that allows a lot of flexibility and time with him. I would not recomend a dog with a strong work drive to someone who works a full time job with little flexibility, unless you have a spouse who can help. They cannot be in a crate all day and need to be menatlly worked and exercised. He does agility, obedience (he has his CGC title), scent work, and conformation. Auggie has siblings (litter mates) who has less strong of a work drive and they are not active in these dog sports and apparently do just fine. They do, however have owners who have flexible work schedules and are able to spend a lot of time with them. They are “velcro dogs’ and need to be close to thier owner. They tend to bond to one person and want to be with that person.
TRAINING YOUR PUPPY, A TYPICAL DAILY SCHEDULE:
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