Breed Review

Over the last few years I have travelled to different parts of the world to see Portuguese Water Dogs. And there are many excellent dogs across many different countries. The greatest amount and depth of Portuguese Water Dogs can be found in the US, and I have been able to attend several specialty shows over the last few years.

I have included a feedback form towards the bottom of this page (scroll down), if you'd like to give some feedback.

Some key points to watch for in the breed (not in any order):

• balanced - moderate angles front and rear
• level topline
• slight croup
• substance - not too light, not too heavy (in bone)
• long hocks
• short neck (not short hocks and long neck - a common mistake people can make - it's not a swan)
• robust, muscled, good temperament
• large skull, furrow, muzzle slightly shorter than skull, head in proportion, scissor bite
• a light trot (not over-reaching nor over-driving)

  At the 2008 Specialty at Rhode Island in the US, I took a number of photos. I have put these photos together into a montage. These photos show very many different water dogs of different colour and type. Some of the dogs are better than others, which is what you would expect to see at any dog show.

  I encourage those learning about the breed, particularly trainee judges to evaluate the dogs through this, not just looking for faults, but looking for good points. Anyone can find a fault. I have been lucky enough to have had my hands on many of these dogs, and thank those owners and handlers who have let me learn this way.

  Please note: if any of the dogs in this montage belong to you and you would prefer not to have that photo in the montage, simply drop me a note and I will remove it with no fuss.

  An additional note: I have purposefully not put the names of any dog nor handler on any of the slides below, as I would encourage people to judge the dog, not its reputation, nor its handler's skills.

  (You will need a broadband connection or better in order to view this video montage. Keep in mind, it is 18 minutes in length. You can easily take a whole afternoon if you are pausing the video to check the standard and compare dogs, etc. It is my expectation that trainee judges who are intent on becoming knowledgeable in this breed would spend 3+ hours going through this.)

  
  Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

  You can actually order a copy of this dvd, by clicking here. (Note, we receive no financial return from you ordering this clip. )

  Feel free to give us some feedback, or tell us which dog is your favourite:

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  Due to multiple requests for suitable reading material, I've supplied some links here:

  ... and there is some funky pwd stuff in here too!