About Portuguese Water Dogs

 Portuguese water dogs have a friendly, excitable personality and enjoy being close to their owners. They also get along very well with kids and other pets, and they're always eager to play. Porties do have an independent streak, but with proper amounts of exercise and training, they can be well-behaved dogs who strive to please.

I always say they are so happy it bounces out all over the place.

 GROUP: Working

WEIGHT: 42 to 60 pounds (males); 

35 to 50 pounds (females)

HEIGHT: 20 to 23 inches (males); 

17 to 21 inches (females)

COAT: Wavy or tightly curled

COAT COLOR: Black, black and white, brown; Sometimes white- or silver-tipped

LIFE SPAN: 10 to 13 years

TEMPERAMENT: Intelligent, obedient, companionable, brave, friendly

HYPOALLERGENIC: Yes

ORIGIN: Portugal

  Portuguese water dogs became close companions of humans early on thanks to their predisposition—hearty fur, webbed feet, and muscular hindquarters—for swimming in the sea. They worked closely alongside Portuguese fishermen, swimming between boats to retrieve lost tackle and herd fish into nets. The “founding sire” of modern Portuguese water dogs was a dog named Leão owned by Vasco Bensaude, a wealthy Portuguese businessman in the 1930s. Leão is known as the breed's "founding sire," the dog who the modern breed standard is based.