Portuguese Water Dog

Facts about Portuguese Water Dog (Cão de Água), "Scientific name for Portuguese Water Dog, or domestic canine, is Canis lupus familiaris". Portuguese Water Dog is also known as Cão de Água, the 'dog of water’ is native to Portugal. Portuguese Water Dogs were produced from the working dogs which were found in Iberian Peninsula. The Portuguese Water Dog used to live and work with the Portuguese fishermen who found them to be so valuable and made them as part of their crew. Portuguese Water Dogs work involved retrieving broken nets, guarding the boats in foreign posts, carrying messages from the sheep to the shore and herding and catching fish. With time, technology replaced the Portuguese Water Dogs almost killing the breed. In 1930s, their number had completely dropped. However, Vasco Bensaude, a Portuguese, began a breeding program that became a life saver. The first breed of the Portuguese Water Dog made appearance in USA for the first time in 1958.

Portuguese Water Dogs sweat glands are between their paw pads.
It is a Fact a Portuguese Water Dog sees in color and have better low light vision. Portuguese Water Dogs have three eyelids, a lower lid, an upper eyelid lid and a third lid, that is called a haw or nictitating membrane, this keeps the Portuguese Water Dogs eye protected and moist. Portuguese Water Dogs eyes have a special membrane for seeing better at night, called a tapetum lucidum - a dogs reflective layer in the choroid chiefly of nocturnal, causing the eyes to glow when light at night hits the eyes and they consist of some layers of smooth flat cells covered by a section of double deformed crystals.

The Portuguese Water Dog is muscular, medium-sized dog which has a straight and level top line. The dog has a slightly longer head that the muzzle. Its head is dome-shaped with the muzzle having a defined stop and the teeth meeting in a level bite. The Portuguese Water Dogs nose is broad and black in color.

The Portuguese Water Dog has hanging heart-shaped ears which are set high above the head and round eyes which are dark in color. Its legs are straight with feet webbed feet. Portuguese Water Dogs tail is thicker from below and slightly thin and flat at the top. It is docked to help the dog in swimming. The Portuguese Water Dog has a single layered thick coat which is either wavy or curly in texture. Coat colors include, white, gray, silver fox, black, party-white colors with dark spots and brown or black with white markings. The average height of the male Portuguese Water Dog 20 to 22 inches (50 to 57cm). The average height of the females 17 is 20 inches (43 to 52cm). The average weight of the male Portuguese Water Dog 42 to 55 pounds (19 to 25kg). The average weigh to females 35 to 49 pounds (16 to 22kg)

The Portuguese Water Dog is a lively, loyal dog which is very fond of water. It’s affectionate, active, friendly and fun to be around. It is brave, have a good sense of smell, pleasant-tempered and can have great stamina. The Portuguese Water Dog are keen and quick learners and are suitable for agility skill trials and other various dog sports.

A Portuguese Water Dog’s mouth can apply approximately 150 to 200 pounds of pressure per square inch and an American Pit Bull Terrier, German Shepherd Dog and a rottweiler can have 320 LBS of pressure on avg.

All dogs are identical in makeup big or small– 42 permanent teeth and 321 bones. Portuguese Water Puppies have 28 teeth and when they become adult Portuguese Water Dogs they have 42 teeth. When Portuguese Water puppies are born, they have no teeth and are deaf and blind. Portuguese Water Puppies for their first few weeks will sleep ninety percent of the day and their vision is not fully developed until after the first month.

A small yard can be great for the Portuguese Water Dog. It can do well in outside temperate climates. Requires regular exercise if kept in an apartment.

Portuguese Water Dogs have two times the amount of ear muscles than people. It is a fact a Portuguese Water Dog can hear a sound at four times the distance of a human. Sound frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz) Def-Hertz is the measurement of frequency, explicitly it's one cycle per second. The higher the Hertz are, the higher the pitched the sound is. Portuguese Water Dogs hear best at 45,000 Hz to 65,000 Hz, while humans hear best at around 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
The number one heath problems amongst Portuguese Water Dogs is obesity, so always make sure your dog doesn't get to fat. Many foot problems that Portuguese Water Dogs have are just an issue of long toenails. The Portuguese Water Dog can be prone to GM-1 Storage Disease which is a very fatal dog nerve disease, PRA and hip dysplasia, Juvenile Dilated Cardiomyopath.

Only humans and dogs have prostates and a dog doesn't have an appendix.
Portuguese Water Dog’s nose prints can be used to identify them, their nose prints are like a humans finger print. It is a Fact a Portuguese Water Dog smells more than 1,000 times stronger than that of a human. A Portuguese Water Dog’s nose, secretes a thin layer of mucous that helps it absorb scent, after that they lick their noses and sample the scent through their mouth.

Average body temperature for a Portuguese Water Dog is between 101 to 102.5 degrees
Female Portuguese Water Dogs are in heat for matting for about 20 days twice a year. Female Portuguese Water Dogs are pregnant for 60 days before they’re puppies are born.
A Portuguese Water Dog is an omnivore, (definition-they eat both other animals and plants). All Dogs are direct descendants of wolves.
The Portuguese Water Dog can live for ten to fourteen years. The American Portuguese Water Dog Club was formed in 1972. In 1983 The Portuguese Water Dog in 1983 was first recognized by the (AKC) American Kennel Club.

Portuguese Water Dogs pant to keep cool with 10 to 35 breaths per minute with an average of 24 breaths per minute. A large dog breed resting heart beats between 60 to 100 times per minute, and a small dog breed’s heart beats on average between 100 to 140 pant a lot.