The Portuguese Water Dog, or PWD, is a robust, curly-coated working breed developed along the coast of Portugal to be a fisherman's all-purpose partner: herding fish into nets, retrieving lost gear and broken nets from the water, and carrying messages between boats. That demanding maritime job produced a dog that is athletic, intelligent, tireless, and deeply bonded to its working partner. Brought to wider fame as a presidential dog, the PWD is a brilliant, energetic, low-shedding companion for an active owner, and a serious commitment of exercise and mental engagement.
That working-dog brilliance is the key to training one. The PWD is exceptionally intelligent and trainable, eager to work with its person, so reward-based training is fast and genuinely rewarding. The things to plan around are its very high energy, its strong need for both physical exercise and mental work, a mouthy, retriever-like tendency, and a love of water that is best embraced. It bonds closely and can be a touch sensitive. Meet the considerable exercise and enrichment needs, give the breed a job, and keep training engaging, and you get a phenomenal, devoted partner. Under-stimulate it, and that brilliant, energetic mind turns to mischief, mouthing, and destruction.
This guide covers what works with a PWD, week by week, built around how a brilliant, high-energy working water dog actually learns.
What Makes Training a PWD Different
Four breed traits shape your approach.
1. Exceptionally intelligent and trainable. The PWD learns fast and loves to work, excelling at obedience, agility, water work, and almost any job. Reward-based training is a pleasure, but this clever dog needs constant mental challenge, or it grows bored and inventive in unwanted ways.
2. Very high energy. This is a hard-working dog that needs substantial daily exercise plus enrichment. Under-exercised, even a brilliant PWD becomes destructive, mouthy, and difficult. Physical exercise plus mental work and ideally a job are non-negotiable.
3. Mouthy and water-loving. The breed's retrieving heritage brings a strong urge to carry and mouth things, and a genuine love of water. Redirect the mouthing onto toys early, and embrace the water, swimming and water retrieves are ideal, breed-appropriate outlets.
4. Bonded and a touch sensitive. The PWD bonds closely with its people and is responsive to their mood, so it thrives on reward-based training and a strong relationship and does poorly when isolated. Harsh handling undermines both behavior and the bond.
Week-by-Week Training Plan for Your PWD
Below is the framework we use at TailorPup for a PWD-specific 12-week plan. Run it at home; the order and emphasis are the point.
Weeks 1 and 2 : Foundation, Socialization, and Exercise
Engagement is easy with this brilliant, eager breed. Run three to four five-minute sessions a day with high-value rewards, socialize broadly, and establish a serious exercise routine, because a PWD with unspent energy cannot focus. Start redirecting mouthing onto toys from day one. Our puppy basics guide covers the foundations.
Weeks 3 and 4 : Core Commands and Tricks
PWDs learn very fast. Lure sit, down, and stay, mark, and reward, adding cues once reliable, then pile on tricks, name games, and impulse-control work. This clever breed needs heavy mental engagement, and the more it thinks, the calmer its body.
Weeks 5 and 6 : Loose Leash Walking
A strong, energetic PWD pulls toward everything interesting. Use stop-and-stand: stop the instant the leash tightens, advance only when it loosens, stay quiet. A front-clip harness helps. Pair leash work with real exercise so the dog is not bursting with energy on the lead.
Weeks 7 and 8 : Recall and Mouthing
Build recall on a long line, paying every success generously, and never call the dog for anything it dislikes. Keep redirecting the mouthing onto appropriate toys and teach a "give" and "leave it," since the retriever tendency to grab things needs a constructive outlet.
Weeks 9 and 10 : Channeling Energy with Water and a Job
Lean into the breed's heritage: swimming, water retrieves, dock diving, fetch, agility, and scent work all suit it superbly. A PWD that gets to work, swim, and think daily is a calm, satisfied dog. This is where meeting the exercise and mental needs truly pays off.
Weeks 11 and 12 : Generalization
Prove the skills in the real world: loose-leash walking past distractions, recall in a fenced area with temptation present, calm greetings, and settling after exercise. A PWD that performs at home but unravels outside is only partly trained, and these last two weeks finish the job.
Common PWD Training Mistakes
Three mistakes show up over and over with this breed.
Mistake 1 : Under-stimulating a brilliant, high-energy dog. This is the big one. A PWD without enough exercise and mental work becomes destructive, mouthy, and difficult, no matter how smart. The breed needs serious daily physical and mental work and ideally a job.
Mistake 2 : Ignoring the mouthing. The retriever-like urge to grab and carry things is entrenched if unmanaged. Redirect it to toys from day one and teach "give" and "leave it," giving the behavior a constructive outlet rather than fighting it.
Mistake 3 : Using harsh handling. The bonded, somewhat sensitive PWD responds to harshness with damaged trust and worse behavior. Keep training engaging and reward-based. The full list is in our Portuguese Water Dog training mistakes guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Portuguese Water Dogs easy to train ? Yes, very, for an engaged owner. They are exceptionally intelligent and eager, so reward-based training is fast and enjoyable, and they excel at dog sports and water work. The challenge is meeting their high energy and mental needs, not the learning itself.
How much exercise does a Portuguese Water Dog need ? A lot: well over an hour of vigorous daily activity plus mental work and ideally a job, with swimming a perfect outlet. Under-exercised PWDs become destructive and mouthy, so the breed suits active homes.
Do Portuguese Water Dogs really love water ? Yes, it is in their heritage as fishermen's dogs. Most love swimming and water retrieves, which make ideal, breed-appropriate exercise and enrichment. Embracing the water is one of the best ways to satisfy a PWD.
Are Portuguese Water Dogs hypoallergenic ? The curly or wavy, low-shedding coat is often tolerated by allergy sufferers, though no dog is truly hypoallergenic. The coat needs regular grooming and trimming to prevent matting.
Why does my PWD mouth and grab everything ? Because the retrieving heritage gives it a strong urge to carry things in its mouth. Redirect it onto appropriate toys, teach "give" and "leave it," and provide retrieving outlets, and the mouthing becomes manageable rather than a problem.
Is positive reinforcement effective for PWDs ? Yes, ideally. The brilliant, bonded breed thrives on engaging reward-based training and dog sports, while harsh handling undermines trust and the working partnership.
Are Portuguese Water Dogs good family dogs ? Yes, for active families. They are devoted, fun, and good with children, but their high energy and need for mental work mean they suit households that can keep them genuinely busy and included.
Why TailorPup Was Built for Portuguese Water Dogs
A generic plan ignores what defines this breed: the brilliance, the very high energy, the mouthing, and the love of water. That mismatch is why standard advice leaves PWD owners with a bored, mischievous, under-worked dog.
TailorPup builds a 12-week plan around your specific dog: its working water-dog nature, its age, and the behaviors you are seeing. For a PWD that means an exercise-and-job-first structure, heavy mental work, early mouthing redirection, water and retrieving outlets, and reward-based methods that match its brains.
Daily 12-minute sessions plus weekly adjustments based on your dog's progress. Free for 7 days, no card required.
Start your Portuguese Water Dog's plan free at tailorpup.com →
Related: Portuguese Water Dog Training Mistakes · Recall Training · Leash Pulling · Puppy Training Basics