Breeds / Medium
Portuguese Sheepdog puppies
Lively, intelligent and deeply attached to its own people, a Portuguese herding dog that is wary with strangers and needs a job to stay settled.
The facts
- Size class Medium
- Country of origin Portugal
- Adult weight 17 to 26.8 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 37 to 59 lb
- Adult height 42 to 55 cm
- Energy level High
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Long wavy
- Typical lifespan 12 to 13 years
- Good with children Fine with supervision
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
About the Portuguese Sheepdog
The Portuguese Sheepdog worked sheep, goats and cattle on the plains of southern Portugal and is nicknamed the monkey dog for its expressive, whiskery face. It weighs 17 to 26.8 kg, stands 42 to 55 cm, and carries a long wavy coat over a lean, agile frame, living 12 to 13 years. The character is intelligent and devoted, sometimes to the point of shadowing one person around the house, wary of strangers and quick to react to anything out of the ordinary.
It needs a proper job or a substitute for one: long walks, herding, agility or scent work, plus daily training rather than a token stroll. The coat wants regular brushing to keep tangles out, particularly around the face and legs. Early and continued socialisation matters because the breed is naturally suspicious. Supervision is sensible around children and other pets given the herding instinct. Owners most often go wrong by leaving one alone and bored, which turns into barking and destruction.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Portuguese Sheepdog puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and it will need a job to do long before it needs long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Hip dysplasia, which breeding stock should be x-rayed for
- Progressive retinal atrophy, detectable by DNA test and an ophthalmologist evaluation
From Portuguese Sheepdog breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/portuguese-sheepdog/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Portuguese Sheepdog puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Portuguese Sheepdog.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 17 to 26.8 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other medium breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.