[Cdnjennga]

PWDs! As I don't have my poodle yet, and as Cuddleparty requested it, I thought I'd introduce my parents' (and partially my) Portuguese Water Dogs.

The parti boy is Samson, Sam for short. He's our home bred boy and is 11 and a half years old. He's a sweetheart with some aversion to dogs, but we love him immensely. He was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma 4 months ago (nasty cancer), had emergency surgery to remove the tumor and stop internal bleeding and is still going strong. The vet said average 3 to 6 months to live, we're hoping he'll beat the average!

The grey/ black/ brown girl is Ziggy Stardust, or just Ziggy, our 4 year old. She's a working FIEND and always wants a job to do. The fisherman would have kept her for sure - we joke that Sam wouldn't have made the cut. My mom says she's the best dog she's ever had and she's just fun, fun, fun. Look out for her in the agility ring, she's pretty good (my mom jokes that it's her handler who holds her back).

 

[Cdnjennga]

I took the photos on the July 4th week-end when we were in Michigan at a Water Dog trial. Sam was 3 months post surgery at the time.

 

[Harley_chik]

Great pics, it's nice to see dogs doing what they were bred to do! Sorry to hear about your boy, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you guys!

 

[Cdnjennga]

Thanks Harley_chik! Yes, both these guys (and our 2 before) have achieved their Courier Water Dog, which is one of the highest levels of the PWD water trialing... It is so awesome to see them work like they would have on the boats, it's been known to bring a tear to the eye of some spectators. My mom is a PWDCA Water Judge now (the first Canadian one), so she's pretty serious about it all!

 

[Emily-By]

Is the coat of the PWD similar to the poodle? does it require less/more/roughly the same amount of grooming?

 

[BFF]

Those are great pictures. Absolutely love the action shot where Ziggy is flying through the air. I'll keep Sam in my thoughts so he can experience quality time with you. He looks adorable.

 

[spoospirit]

Lovely dogs! And great that they work like they were meant to do.

So sorry to hear about Sam. I will keep you in my thoughts.

 

[AgilityIG]

I love PWDs! One of my best friends is a water judge too. She wants me to put Vinnie in a lion trim and I think we're going to do it next summer!

She lost one of her PWDs to Hemangiosarcoma also - very sad. Good luck with Sam!!

Little Ziggy looks like a real firecracker!!

 

[Cdnjennga]

Is the coat of the PWD similar to the poodle? does it require less/more/roughly the same amount of grooming?

The PWD actually has two coats - the curly and the wavy. The curly is more like a poodle, while the wavy is more like a Havanese perhaps, only less silky. Sam and Zig are both curlies, but Sam has a soft curl while Zig has a more wiry curl. So they really vary. I would say the grooming requirements are similar to a poodle, depending on the coat type (curly often need more, loose wavy need less). They have to be trimmed every 6 to 8 weeks and brushed much more often than that.

I think poodles tend to be less allergenic than PWDs. I know my mom, who has bad dog allergies, is slightly allergic to the PWD (we've had them 20 years, she's willing to live through the allergy) but so far has not been at all allergic to the poodles we've visited on my hunt!

 

[Cdnjennga]

I love PWDs! One of my best friends is a water judge too. She wants me to put Vinnie in a lion trim and I think we're going to do it next summer!

She lost one of her PWDs to Hemangiosarcoma also - very sad. Good luck with Sam!!

Little Ziggy looks like a real firecracker!!

That's so funny, I bet we know your friend! There's not all that many water judges about. You should definitely put Vinnie (who also seems like a real Ziggy type firecracker) in a lion. Zig's in one and it's so cute, although my dad hates it as in the park people always ask if she had surgery! :heh: My mom is threatening to put my poodle in one next summer. My poodle when i get it of course.

 

[Cdnjennga]

Oh and thanks all for the good wishes for Sam! Cancer is sadly a reality amongst so many breeds, and the PWD is no exception. Both our previous dogs died of cancer (one at 14 and one at 10 and a half) so we're familiar with it. So far his quality of life is great with no indication that there's anything wrong, but as soon as he's in pain or not enjoying things, we know what we have to do. My mom wrote a bucket list for him and he's ticked almost everything off, so we'll have to think of more to add to it!

 

[AgilityIG]

That's so funny, I bet we know your friend! There's not all that many water judges about. You should definitely put Vinnie (who also seems like a real Ziggy type firecracker) in a lion. Zig's in one and it's so cute, although my dad hates it as in the park people always ask if she had surgery! :heh: My mom is threatening to put my poodle in one next summer. My poodle when i get it of course.

Vinnie's tail isn't docked, so it really makes him look like a very small PWD. Through my friend, I know quite a few people that have PWDs and there are a few out there that are pretty small and running in the 16" division in AKC agility. I am going to wait until next spring for the lion trim so he'll look more mature and can handle the look. :biggrin:

My mom wrote a bucket list for him and he's ticked almost everything off, so we'll have to think of more to add to it!

I love that your mom did a bucket list for him - what a wonderful idea. And, it's even better that you are going to have to add to it!!

 

[Cdnjennga]

I love that your mom did a bucket list for him - what a wonderful idea. And, it's even better that you are going to have to add to it!!

Yeah, the bucket list is awesome, it has all his favourite thing on it. The only problem, if you can call it that, is that we have been spoiling him for 4 months now thinking that he's on his way out. He's going strong but is a pain in the b*** constantly demanding cookies and other treats! We've created a monster - that we're very happy to still have around.

 

[poodlelover]

I love PWDs. I was going to get one. But I could not find one at the time. So I got another Standard. Sadly she just passed away in June from the same cancer Sam has. The cancer was found to late. I will keep my fingers crossed for Sam. Your dogs are nice looking. Great pictures.

 

[Pamela]

great dogs! great shots!

 

[amerique2]

They look like they are having so much fun. Guess it would really be a plus if an owner has access to water. Thanks for the pics.

 

[Cdnjennga]

They look like they are having so much fun. Guess it would really be a plus if an owner has access to water. Thanks for the pics.

Access to the water definitely helps. My parents live about 10 houses from Lake Ontario, so our guys are constantly swimming and retrieving in the summer. Having said that, it is possible to do a lot of training for the PWD exercises on land, so most owners train all year, and some only have very limited access to water!

 

[spoofan]

They are beautiful pups.
I lost my standard poodle Gabby to hemangiosarcoma last summer at the age of 12.
She lived exactly 6 months post splenectomy(spleen removal).

 

[thestars]

Your PWD are wonderful!!! Love how active they are, they simple shine when they are working!!!

 

[SECRETO]

Great pics ! I really like PWD's although I havent actually interacted with one. One day I'd like to possibly look into getting one of the wavy coat guys. Yours seem wonderful and I hope Sam has many more months with your family.