Portuguese Water Dog Poodle Mix

Background information 📚

To truly understand all the wonderful attributes the Portuguese Water Dog Poodle mix has, their parents must be mentioned. After all, it would be a sin not to credit their parents as this hybrid is beautiful.

Poodle Parent

First up is the Poodle, which I’m sure if you’ve read other posts, you might know its background. But to quickly recap, this breed originated from Germany and was first bred to hunt waterfowl. Soon after, this dog became popular in France, becoming their national breed. Today it’s a common dog owned by many worldwide and comes in three types: the Standard, Miniature, and Toy.

Portuguese water dog parent

The Portuguese water dog comes from Algarve, Portugal, and following this, it became popular around all of Portugal’s coast. It was commonly known as a fisherman’s helper as they were trained to herd fish and get them to be captured into fishermen’s nets, gathering lost tackle and broken nets. They were basically couriers between each ship and the ship and shore. 

Yes, both of their parents are equally amazing; they are incredibly intelligent and talented breeds.

What does it look like? 🐩

The Portuguese Water Dog Poodle mix isn’t as small as a Poodle. They can grow up to 17-22 inches/43-55 cm in height. You can also expect this crossbreed to weigh up to 60lbs/27kg. Just like its parents, it tends to have a single coat that’s short and either curly or wavy. 

The coat colors are very similar to their parents and can be red, white, black, brown, red, silver, and blue. Sometimes they come in cream, fawn, or grey; however, these colors tend to be less common.

Moreover, they often have either brown or amber eyes. They also have long necks, define toplines, and tapered tails. 

The temperament of a Portuguese water dog poodle mix ✨

If you’re looking to get a Portuguese Water Dog Poodle mix, you’re in for a treat. Both the parents of this breed are incredibly intelligent, and this hybrid is even smarter. But this can be a benefit and a downside to own.

First of all, this hybrid is very quick to learn responses and is a great dog for training. However, being very intelligent means it can get bored easily, and when dogs are bored, they can engage in self-destructive behaviors. This means they will start chewing on furniture, barking, and being naughty so they can get attention.

But don’t worry, they won’t get aggressive; this breed is not aggressive at all; they’re gentle, which makes them the perfect pet for a house with children or elderly relatives in, as they are great play companions. Plus, this dog is highly friendly, extroverted, and loves to socialize makes them a fantastic breed to own if you have other animals in your home.

However, you must socialize them from an early age, so they get on well with other animals and humans in your home; if you fail to socialize them properly, they could become a bit hostile. The best way to train them is through positive reinforcement by giving them a treat every time they’ve well-behaved.

The Blue Heeler – Australian Cattle Dog is another working doodle that you may find interesting and more suited to your needs.

Training and exercise requirements 🥎

While every dog needs training, you must provide enough to the Portuguese Water Dog Poodle mix for mental stimulation. Yes, mental stimulation.

You need to provide them with a lot of brain-based training to actively figure out puzzles and task themselves. 

In addition to their daily walks, you will want to give them obstacle courses or tricky puzzles to solve. This will prevent them from engaging in boredom-based behaviors and keep them happy. Do note that puppies of this crossbreed tend to be very touchy if disturbed, but in this instance, don’t leave them; you should socialize them from an early age and also train them, or they could display this tendency when they’re older.

This dog is a medium-sized dog and therefore requires quite a bit of energy each day, making them a breed that needs ample space to move about in. Therefore if you own an apartment, it’s not an ideal crossbreed to own. You would need a house with a yard at least. Also, it’s a good idea to give them lots of toys to stop them from becoming bored easily. 

Are they hypoallergenic? 🤧

One of the brilliant factors about this hybrid is that with their parents being low shedding breeds and close to hypoallergenic, this dog is also the same. That means if you suffer from many allergies, then it’s less likely they will shed a lot of dog dander around your home to cause allergies to flare up. 

While this may be the case, you should still undergo frequent grooming to ensure their coat does not get matted or tangled. Ideally, you will want to brush them daily and take them to the groomers every 4-6 weeks to make sure their coat stays intact.

Health of a Portuguese water dog poodle mix 💊

If you plan on getting this crossbreed, it’s important that you’re aware of the potential health problems they might face. This isn’t always guaranteed with this hybrid, but some can arise, but they’re not too life-threatening some which can be major and benign that are:

• Addison’s disease: A slow and lesser amount of hormones such as cortisol and aldosterone being released from their Adrenal Cortex. This can cause loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and muscle weakness. Treatment usually occurs via injectable medication.

• Hip dysplasia: A growth condition where their hip loosens, causing pain and mobility issues. Over time their muscle and bone cartilage wears down, causing arthritis and restricted mobility. 

• Cataracts: This is when their eye lens becomes cloudy, and their eye degenerates over time, causing difficulty with their site. Usually, dogs a prescribed medicated eye drops and undergo surgery to remove their cataracts.

• Juvenile dilated cardiomyopathy: A weak cardiac muscle preventing the heart from pumping blood properly. This is difficult to treat and can cause heart failure within 1-3 years of diagnosis.  

• Progressive Renal Atrophy: This is a set of degenerative eye diseases that can affect photoreceptor cells. Over some time, this can cause a Portuguese Water Dog Poodle mix’s eyes to go blind.

Portuguese Water Dog Poodle Mix Puppies Cost 💲

If you’re looking to buy a Portuguese Water Dog Poodle mix puppy, it’s most likely you will have to go to a specialist breeder to find one. Due to the rarity of their Portuguese Waterdog parent, these hybrids are extremely hard to come by. It’s, for this reason, I can’t provide a rough guideline of the pricing you may expect to pay, but do be aware it may be on the pricier side. 

When meeting a breeder who sells Portuguese Water Dog Poodle mix puppies, it’s important to conduct your research thoroughly that they’re not from a puppy mill. These are people who breed dogs unfairly in bad environments, and often they result from bad health conditions. To avoid this, make sure you meet the breeder in person and ask for their papers. You will also want to observe their breeding practices and see how the puppies are in the home. 

It would also be beneficial to spot breeders who don’t force you to buy a puppy immediately and those with a weighting list, as well as breeders who wish to interview you to be able to raise their dogs. The best way to find a breeder is going through a specialized Portuguese Water Dog Poodle mix club and they can refer you on to one.

Conclusion ✔️

The Portuguese Water Dog Poodle mix is an incredibly friendly and intelligent dog to own, making them perfect for families with children. However, they need to have a lot of mental stimulation; otherwise, they could engage in boredom behaviors. Their also a rare crossbreed to find, so their cost can be quite expensive, and they can be difficult to find. 

What would be the price you’d be willing to pay for a Portuguese Water Dog Poodle mix? Let us know in the comments down below.