"Remember, this is a young dog, not a tiny human in a puppy suit. I had to learn that from experience!”

One of the really neat things about Portuguese Water Dogs is the seafaring history of the breed.  It's fun to imagine seeing these dogs dive and swim, and bark on the bow to alert other vessels in the fog.  This hearty dog could muster a full day’s work in cold Atlantic waters and would receive a sailor’s share of the catch.  Water puppies are hearty and active, in preparation for their work as an adult. 

“The stamina and exuberance of a Portuguese Water Dog is matched by his intelligence”.  This is a typical quote used to describe a PWD, and it’s true.  Channeling a puppy’s energy, and training him or her to meet your expectations, is important.  If you allow a PWD puppy to express his or her exuberance without channeling that energy, puppyhood can be really hard.  Just like children, if you let them wind themselves up, they will wear you down! 

My first PWD puppy was named Mariah because she was a fluffy little whirlwind of activity.  She was the alpha female of the litter; she was strong willed and persistent.  Mariah was always into something and I caught myself constantly running after her and interrupting her antics.  She bounced off the macaw’s cage, chased my older PWD and nipped at his tail.  Then she dumped her water bowl and went surfing in the kitchen; the surprised, frozen look on her face when I walked in was priceles!  And then there was this thing called the Portie Rip.  This is a mad dash in a giant circle, usually done outside but can be managed inside a large room, or two connected rooms.  If you haven’t seen it, don’t worry.  You will.

I called Patty and told her she had forgotten to mention the dog had springs in her legs.  Then I decided on her AKC registered name, Navio’s Stormy Sea.  I was inexperienced; this was my first PWD puppy and I knew I was in for a rough and stormy ride through the beginning of puppyhood.  But, I wanted to channel the enthusiasm in this sweet, active little dog.  I wanted one of those impeccably trained dogs that delight and amaze people.  Mariah, that first puppy, is now ten years old and she has retired from the show ring and breeding.  She is a loving, happy, active, and healthy companion.  And she still has springs in her legs. 

Puppies of any breed are a handful, and the decision to add a dog to your family should not be taken lightly.  With loving and firm age-appropriate training, you are developing a best friend who will love, respect, and be totally devoted to you for life.  PWDs want to be with you all the time; proper training will make life with him/her wonderful.  Don’t get discouraged; teething and potty training don’t last forever… it just feels that way!  See Additional Health and Information Links at bottom of page n cell

Jo Ann Shepherd

Care and Training

 Obedience Training should begin as soon as possible, when you acquire a new PWD puppy.  Have a reputable dog trainer who is familiar with PWDs ready, and available, as soon as your puppy has had all of his/her immunizations. 

Try to find a trainer whose company you enjoy.   Dogs are intuitive; if you don't like or trust your trainer, your dog will most certainly pick up on that.  It is perfectly fine to watch training classes to see how trainers interact with the dogs and their owners.  Trainers should allow time for question-and-answer periods to deal with the owners' specific behavior problems.   

Puppy kindergarten classes should have simple expectations.  Your puppy is getting used to wearing a flat collar and leash while socializing appropriately; you are setting up the framework for future training, to make life with your dog more enjoyable.  PWDs should be trained firmly, but with love, patience, understanding, and consistency.    If the trainer expects puppies to hold a five minute "stay", or suggests using a prong collar on your PWD, find yourself another trainer!  Puppies are miserable if they feel they are in a constant state of discipline.  

Obedience training quickens the bond between human and dog, and your dog will respect you and love you for it.  Owners of well trained dogs are proud of their dogs, and their dogs are much more enjoyable than a dog who is out of control.

Keep things low key and don’t feed into the puppy’s excitement, just as if you wanted to calm an excited child. 

·         Speak to your puppy in a calm, soothing, natural voice, not a high pitched voice.  

·         Gently touching your puppy, and not encouraging rough play in the house, will encourage and develop gentle behavior.

·         Sit with your puppy; clear your own thoughts and calm yourself.  Breathe.  Then hold the ears between the thumb and forefingers and gently massage circles into the leather on the underside of the ear with your thumb.  After you have mastered this, your puppy’s eyes will glaze over.  This is sometimes followed by a temporary loss of bone mass as your happily dazed puppy melts in your lap and quite possibly falls asleep.  I call it The Glaze and Daze.

·         Take the puppy to obedience training as soon as he/she has finished all vaccinations.  (Your puppy should not be socialized with puppies or dogs outside your home until all vaccinations are complete)

·         Keep training sessions short and interesting.

·         Be consistent and offer lots of praise.  Let your puppy accomplishing a little something at each session.

·         If you don’t already have a sense of humor, you will develop one.  And,

·         The Portie Rip is best done outside.

Be firm when correcting unwanted behavior.  I prefer physically correcting puppies by mimicking the mother’s natural behavior.  If a puppy grabs the legs of my pants, I tell the puppy NO very firmly and pick him/her up by the scruff of the neck so his/her feet are off the floor.  The puppy is no longer in control; I am.  I set the puppy down just behind the spot on which he was standing, and move him/her into a sitting position.   I hold the puppy there for a moment, then release the puppy with a thank you.

If a puppy starts to go after something that I do not wish him/her to have, I give a firm “leave it” command.  In the beginning, this may include the above physical correction. 

They learn quickly what they can and cannot get away with, but this is not the same as appropriate and inappropriate behavior.  PWDs are seriously smart dogs; firm, but never harsh, corrections should be used.  If you feel frustrated, remember, puppies, and dogs remember being hit in anger.  This can cause behavioral problems, submissive peeing, for example, and your puppy or dog may have trust issues afterward. I certainly would.

Having six show dogs and companion PWDs at home, I developed a set of rules for multiple dogs.  I prefer to feed my dogs in their crates to prevent the development of food aggression.  It also makes it easier to monitor who is eating well and who isn't.  I make it a practice to take food from puppies' mouths and then return it to them to remind them that I am in control; I correct any unacceptable behavior that accompanies this.  I feel this is good training for a household with children. 

I do not tolerate aggressive behavior of any kind from my dogs.  A growl from one dog to another is corrected verbally and/or with a quick jerk, straight up, to the collar or leash.  This jerk is relative to the size of the dog. 

Yelling isn't necessary unless the puppy is about to get hurt.  His or her hearing is better than ours and they'll appreciate and respect you for not shouting all the time.  

 Immunizations: Please remember that these are still puppies and their immune systems are young.  I would not socialize them with other dogs or start obedience training until their series of shots is complete; shots don't really kick in for two weeks after they've gotten them. 

PWDs should not have vaccinations that include Lepto because this has been known to cause seizures.  I have experienced this in one of my puppies.  Lepto causes flu-like symptoms and can be dangerous, but there are eight strains of Lepto that affect canines and the shot given doesn’t cover all of the anyway.

Your vet will prescribe heart worm medicine.   One of my dogs experienced a neurological problem after using Heartgard Plus, and I don't know if the manufacturer has cleared up this problem or not.  Frontline is a good, safe, product and it is water resistant.        

 Collars: An appropriate puppy collar and leash will be provided with your new Baycliff puppy.  Collars should be adjusted so that two fingers can just fit between the collar and the neck.  When purchasing a dog's collar, or harness, measure the size of the neck and add two inches; buying  the next size up will make your dog comfortable without letting him/her back out of it.

 Crate training will have begun when you pick up your PWD pup.  Dogs are den-animals; your dog will need and enjoy his/her crate as a personal resting place.  Crates should not be used for discipline, but are a good tool to use for bedtime, when puppy needs a "time out" for training purposes, and potty training. 

Your puppy's crate should not be so large that puppy can eliminate on one end and sleep on the other; it should be large enough for puppy to stand up, turn around, and lie down comfortably. I prefer a medium sized, 28 x 20.5 x 21.5 inches, or a small vari-kennel for puppies.  Accidents in the crate do happen occasionally and it's easier on you if the accident is contained, rather than spilling outside the crate on your floor or carpet.   For adults, I do prefer an open (wire) crate and Patty prefers a large vari kennel.  It’s just a matter of preference.  I would not splurge on an expensive pet bed until the puppy is out of the chewing stage.

Your puppy has been used to sleeping with his/her littermates and will have to adjust in his new home.  PWDs are highly intelligent; having a simple bedtime routine will help your puppy learn what is expected of him/her.  Putting a fuzzy dog toy in the crate at bedtime, leaving a radio playing softly, leaving on a nightlight, and covering the crate with a towel or blanket, are options to help your new puppy adjust and rest in his/her new home; try one or a combination of these.  Resist the temptation to sleep by a fussy puppy's crate.  Remember, this is a young dog, not a tiny human in a puppy suit.  Two of our older dogs sleep with us at night, but this is not recommended until a dog is obedience trained, potty trained, and no longer teething!

 Potty training is an age-appropriate training opportunity and "timing is everything".  Take your puppy outside to eliminate often, no matter what the weather, especially if he/she seems anxious or uncomfortable.  If puppy is in the house and out of his/her crate, he/she will start moving around, sniffing, and looking for a place to go - take him/her outside immediately!  Tell puppy to potty and encourage him/her to hurry; praise puppy while he/she eliminates, instead of after, to reinforce good behavior.  Then allow puppy to play in the house for a short time; if puppy did not potty outside, place him/her back in the crate and let the puppy tell you that he/she needs to eliminate; he/she will prefer eliminating outside to soiling its "den". 

Be patient and consistent and, although your puppy will learn quickly, you can expect a few accidents.  Potty training isn't just a matter of "training"; puppies must be old enough for their muscles to be able to "hold it".  The ability to control their urine comes before the ability to control their bowels.  Scolding a puppy will not help train it.  Puppies are impressionable, and they will not forget incidents which made them feel fearful.

 Nutrition is important, but don't overdo it.  Puppies who grow too fast, or who are overweight, can be prone to developmental problems as adults.  Baycliff will provide you with a starter-packet of food, vitamins, and information to start out your puppy. At ten weeks, puppies are still on three feeding s a day.  Your puppy will let you know when he/she is ready to drop to two feedings a day.  After a year, you may opt to feed once or twice daily.  I prefer a grain free diet.

 Exercise is something that your puppy will get plenty of with daily playtime.  As puppy grows, he/she will run and jump; this is fine.  Don’t attempt to take a puppy for long walks, or allow running up stairs with more than a few steps.   Walking on asphalt and running up and down stairs can prevent normal hip development in young puppies who are less than a year old; this can cause hip dysplasia.  Playing “fetch” with your PWD is a joy; these are water retrievers who love to run, jump, and… well, if it involves activity…. You get the idea!  If your dog gets bored with the toy he/she is fetching, or just won’t bring it back to you, try having a ball nearby that you can start tossing straight up into the air, and let your dog know you’re having fun doing it.  He/she will want to join in the fun.

 Toys:  Baycliff will provide a fuzzy toy that is appropriate for your puppy.  The scent of the puppy’s mother, as well as mine, will be on the toy to help your puppy with transition.  Dog toys that crinkle, rattle, or squeak are amusing for puppies; do not allow puppy to have children’s’ toys which may have parts that can be chewed off and cause choking.

 Grooming:  A gentle puppy shampoo, a slicker brush, pin brush, and grooming spray are essential.  My grooming tools preference is from a company called #1 All Systems.  You will need a poodle comb if you have a curly coated dog.  I use them on wavys as well; they're good down to the last tiny hair knot.  Use a grooming spray before you brush your Portie; brushing a dry coat breaks the hair.  The Stuff is good spritzing spry to use when brushing the coat; it is also a good conditioner.   Brushing your PWD twice a week should be sufficient.  Always brush before you bathe your dog to prevent matting of the coat.  You may want to brush your puppy once a day at first, for just a couple of minutes, to adjust puppy to “grooming time”; they usually love it.  Electric clippers or scissors will keep your PWD’s coat cut to a length that is convenient for your lifestyle.  Pet owners find shorter coats are easiest to maintain.

Clipping nails on a weekly basis should make him/her comfortable with this.  Don’t fight the puppy; simply sit your puppy in your lap and rub and pet puppy in a soothing manner.  Pick up a foot, talking to him soothingly and clip.  Blowing on puppy’s nose will distract him so that you can clip. 

Pure-o-Flea by PurePet is a nice citrus based shampoo.  It's gentle enough for puppies.  Use this in combination with Front Line and you shouldn't have any flea problems!  "The Stuff" is a good conditioner that helps seal the coat to keep the dirt out; use it liberally and don’t rinse all of it off. 

Bitter Apple is helpful during training; spritz it on the corners of the lips outside the mouth, if you use it directly on the puppy.  Fooey is the same, but is good for especially strong willed dogs.  Note to the wise: don’t taste it!  LOL

 Teething hurts, and in its agony, puppy may gnaw on anything that is convenient.  Since puppies are on ground level with your feet- toes and shoelaces are often favored.  To prevent your puppy from turning into a hairy piranha, you should have chew toys readily available.  Use a firm “no” and offer puppy the chew toy.   For persistent puppies, smear peanut butter inside a Kong toy; they quickly find this preferable to the inappropriate objects of their affection, and you’ve just reinforced their chewing of their own property.