Q&a Portuguese Water Dog
11. Do you have anything else to share? I’d like judges and breeders to remember that PWDs should still be able to perform a day’s work. It’s taken many years to convince judges that we don’t have coarse Poodles and although many nice dogs being shown are flashy and impressive, that’s not always the most correct PWD in the ring.
”i’d like judges and breeders To remember ThaT pwds should sTill be able TO PERFORM A DAY’S WORK.” There is a lot of breeding amongst dogs from different countries today, and I feel there is more similarity now than in the beginning, since a more select portion of US PWDs are being bred. In the early days of the breed in the US many dogs with issues were being bred in order to bring up the numbers of PWDs to keep the breed from dwindling away. look in perfect proportion, the curly retriever clip was a perfect vessel. This also caused a shift in the substance of dogs winning classes until more judges were able to tell what was body and what was hair. The National Special- ties seemed to bring use of the lion clip to the forefront, with people being proud of how the original dogs looked and understanding the reasoning of this clip. I believe the use of the lion clip has improved heads and substance in many dogs, as long as the clippered portion is kept to a length that doesn’t change the appearance of substance. Colors have gone through many fads during the years. The first #1 PWD was a brown curly dog and that was what became popular. There was a period when every- one wanted a lot of white markings on their dogs and then a time when basic black dogs were popular. I’m sure these color preferences will continue to change over the coming years. 8. What do handlers do that you wish they would not? My biggest annoyance is with the dogs being moved too quickly and interfering with the proper movement of strength and smoothness that should be displayed— although this isn’t just a PWD issue. The over-grooming and coloring is unnecessary if the dog has a correct coat and I find it amusing when someone seems to feel a judge is unable to see the refined bone, light eyes, high tail set, or whatever is trying to be camouflaged. 9. What previously campaigned PWDs come close to your ideal? Please explain. CH Rio du Teja CD 10. How does the breed in the US compare to other parts of the world?
ch rio du Teja cd
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