Price of Portuguese Water Dog

The price of a Portuguese Water Dog – the dog du jour – is a hefty one. These beautiful, stubborn, agile dogs are expensive to breed and expensive to own. Before you begin looking, consider your budget and make sure your bank account as well as you yourself are up for the challenge.

Being a breeder and breeding a top quality, healthy, even-tempered dog is neither easy nor cheap. Portuguese Water Dogs are genetically pre-disposed for a number of health conditions that the following.

Puppies are especially prone to a heart condition known as Juvenile Dilated Cardiomyopathy. There is always a chance that a newborn to seven-month-old puppy may simply go to sleep and not wake up. Expensive genetic blood testing is available, and serious breeders must test.

GM-1 Storage Disease and Addison's Disease are a genetic and an adrenal-cortical disease that also affect this breed. Again, diagnosing and testing for these diseases figures into the price of a Portuguese Water Dog.

Portuguese Water Dog puppies must have their hips x-rayed at various points in their growth and development to check for dysplasia, and x-rays can be expensive. In addition, a veterinarian certified as a dog ophthalmologist must test the puppies' eyes since also prone to a myriad of conditions including progressive retinal atrophy.

It is no wonder the vet bills alone figure into the starting price of $1,200.00 and up for Portuguese Water Dogs.

A Portuguese Water Dog's coat ranges in texture from tightly curled to naturally wavy. This coat helps protect the dog it's while in the water. Its coat sheds very little, and it is admired for its silky feel. Daily attention and periodic professional grooming is required.

The average full service price of grooming a medium size dog, including bathing, nail trimming, etc., starts at approximately $65.0 each time and goes up from there. Keeping a Portuguese Water Dog in a show cut or lion cut (shaved muzzle, hindquarter, tail) is also more expensive as opposed to an all over close clip known as a lamb or puppy cut.

Yes, you can learn to clip your dog and you can see a return on investment. Bluegrace.com in Australia has a great site that not only showcases their Portuguese Water Dogs, but also explains the tools an owner will need.

Portuguese Water Dogs do require obedience training. Some older puppies and dogs may come from a breeder partially trained, and that is reflected in the price. Portuguese Water Dogs enjoy pleasing their owners, but are also described as a thinking dog or as an independent spirit. These are dogs that require consistent, firm handling. The price of not training a Portuguese Water Dog can actually be greater in terms of destruction of belongings and property.

When calculating the price of a Portuguese Water Dog, know that you must invest in on-going training for both you and your dog's happiness and welfare.

For the breeder, and eventually the owner, this is a dog that must be exercised. The investment includes raising puppies with a large enough area to romp and run, as well as providing access to the water for swimming. The same thing is required of an owner.

These are also dogs that respond well to agility training. If you are planning to get a dog already trained to compete, the price of the dog goes up.

Certainly, the Portuguese Water Dog is a great breed of dog to own. Yet, a healthy dog comes with a price tag that reflects a responsible breeder's investment. As an owner, your continued investment will guarantee the value and the happiness of your canine companion.

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