Dog breed guide
Portuguese Water Dog
A water-working breed with a thick curly or wavy coat and no undercoat, so it is low-shedding but needs daily brushing plus frequent baths and clipping. Hill's calls it very smart and energetic, and says it needs a large fenced space rather than apartment life. The AKC describes it as bright, obedient and loyal.
Portuguese Water Dog at a glance
- Adult weight, male
- 19 to 27 kg
- Adult weight, female
- 16 to 23 kg
- Size
- Medium, 10 to 25 kg
- Height
- 43 to 58 cm
- Lifespan
- 10 to 14 years
- Coat
- profuse, thickly planted hair with no undercoat, either curly or wavy
Ratings
Petboost editorial ratings from 1 to 5, drawn from the breed standard text under Sources. A breed with no basis in the sources for a rating shows none.
- Shedding
- Grooming effort
- Energy
- Trainability
- Suits an apartment
5 means it sheds heavily
5 means it needs the most grooming
5 means it needs a lot of exercise
5 means it learns quickly and eagerly
5 means it copes best in a small home
Next steps
- Find a local groomer or daycarePet businesses near you that take bookings online.
- Check a Portuguese Water Dog puppy's weightWhere a puppy sits against the breed's adult range.
- Dog age in human yearsFrom a formula, not the seven-to-one rule.
Sources
- Petboost breed reference data, adult weight ranges (breed list snapshot).
- AKC, Official Standard for the Portuguese Water Dog, https://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/PortugueseWaterDog.pdf, read 5 Oct 2026
- Hill's Pet UK, Portuguese Water Dog breed page, https://www.hillspet.co.uk/dog-care/dog-breeds/portuguese-water-dog, read 5 Oct 2026
- Royal Kennel Club (The Kennel Club UK), Portuguese Water Dog breed page, https://www.royalkennelclub.com/search/breeds-a-to-z/breeds/working/portuguese-water-dog/, read 5 Oct 2026
- AKC, Portuguese Water Dog breed page, https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/portuguese-water-dog/, read 5 Oct 2026
General information about the breed, not veterinary advice. Speak with your vet about your own pet.