American Water Spaniel vs Portuguese Water Dog – Which one is a better dog breed for you?

"Find similarities and differences between American Water Spaniel vs Portuguese Water Dog" Compare American Water Spaniel and Portuguese Water Dog. Which is better: American Water Spaniel or Portuguese Water Dog?

General Appearance Hair & Care Characteristics Good With Health Factors Reproducibility Show differences only

Name	American Water Spaniel	Portuguese Water Dog
Origins	United States	Portugal
All Dog Breeds By Country Of Origin
Group	Gun Dog	Working Dogs
Popularity Rank	167	54
Reviews	0	4
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Other Names	AWS, American Brown Spaniel, American Brown Water Spaniel	Water Dog, Portie, PWD, Cao De Agua
Breed Type	Purebred	Purebred
AKC Group	Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1940 as a Sporting breed.	Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1983 as a Hound breed.
FCI Group	Recognized by FCI in the Retrievers - Flushing Dogs - Water Dogs group, in the Water Dogs section.	Recognized by FCI in the Retrievers - Flushing Dogs - Water Dogs group, in the Water Dogs section.
Breed Recognition	American Canine Registry American Kennel Club America's Pet Registry Canadian Kennel Club Dog Registry of America Inc. Federation Cynologique Internationale North American Purebred Registry, Inc. American Canine Association, Inc. Continental Kennel Club National Kennel Club United Kennel Club	American Kennel Club Canadian Kennel Club Federation Cynologique Internationale Australian National Kennel Council New Zealand Kennel Club United Kennel Club The Kennel Club
Price	$800-$1000	$2500-$2800

General Appearance - American Water Spaniel vs Portuguese Water Dog

Size	Medium	Medium
Weight	25-45 pounds (11-20 kg)	Male: 42-55 pounds (19-25 kg), Female: 35-49 pounds (16-22 kg)
Avg. Weight	35 pounds (15.5 kg)	Male: 48.5 pounds (22 kg), Female: 42 pounds (19 kg)
Height	15-18 inches (36-46 cm)	Male: 20-22 inches (50-57 cm), Female: 17-20 inches (43-52 cm)
Avg. Height	16.5 inches (41 cm)	Male: 21 inches (53.5 cm), Female: 18.5 inches (47.5 cm)

Hair & Care - American Water Spaniel vs Portuguese Water Dog

Coat	Curly	Curly
Colors	Brown Liver Chocolate	White Brown Black
Grooming	Average: The American Water Spaniel requires average grooming effort.	Average: The Portuguese Water Dog requires average grooming effort.
Shedding Level	American Water Spaniels shed none to minimal.	Portuguese Water Dogs shed none to minimal.

Characteristics - American Water Spaniel vs Portuguese Water Dog

Temperament	Energetic Intelligent Protective Friendly Obedient Trainable	Brave Impetuous Obedient Docile Intelligent Quarrelsome
Intelligent Rank	Average: American Water Spaniel's has average obedience intelligence.	Smart: Portuguese Water Dog's has great intelligence.
Trainability	American Water Spaniels are easy to train.	Portuguese Water Dogs are easy to train.
Playfulness	The American Water Spaniel is a highly playful breed.	The Portuguese Water Dog is a playful breed.
Sensitivity Level	American Water Spaniels don't like an irregular daily routine, noisy household and frequent guest visits.	They are a little bit more sensitive than other dog breeds.
Affection Level	American Water Spaniels are genuinely loyal, soft and gentle, loving and affectionate dogs toward their handlers.	Portuguese Water Dogs are genuinely loyal, soft and gentle, loving and affectionate dogs toward their handlers.
Social Needs	American Water Spaniels need a lot of social interaction.	Portuguese Water Dogs need a lot of social interaction.
Barking	Average: The American Water Spaniel barks occasionally.	Low to Average: The Portuguese Water Dog rarely barks.
Watchdog Ability	American Water Spaniels are good watchdogs.	Portuguese Water Dogs are good watchdogs.
Territorial	American Water Spaniels are extremely protective guard dogs.	Portuguese Water Dogs are average defenders.
Biting Potential	Low The American Water Spaniel has a low chance of biting somebody.	Low The Portuguese Water Dog has a low chance of biting somebody.
Mouthiness	American Water Spaniels have a strong tendency to nip, chew, play-bite, or herd people.	Portuguese Water Dogs have a strong tendency to nip, chew, play-bite, or herd people.
Impulse to Wander or Roam	American Water Spaniels have high wanderlust potential, which means that this breed has a strong desire for exploring the world.	Portuguese Water Dogs have average wanderlust potential.
Prey Drive	American Water Spaniels have low to an average impulse to chase and catch something like a cat or any other small aminals.	Portuguese Water Dogs have an average prey drive, which means that they don't have a high impulse to chase and catch something like a cat or any other small aminals, but it might happen.
Apartment Friendly	American Water Spaniels are very apartment-friendly dogs.	Portuguese Water Dogs are apartment-friendly dogs.
Adaptability	American Water Spaniels adapt very well to lifestyle changes and basically all living environments.	Portuguese Water Dogs adapt very well to lifestyle changes and basically all living environments.
Tolerates Being Left Alone	American Water Spaniels tend to have separation anxiety when their owners left them alone at home because they bond very closely with them.	Portuguese Water Dogs tend to have separation anxiety when their owners left them alone at home because they bond very closely with them.
Fighting Dog	Not really In history, this breed was not really used for combat dog.	Not really In history, this breed was not really used for combat dog.

Good With - American Water Spaniel vs Portuguese Water Dog

Stranger Friendly	American Water Spaniels are very stranger friendly dogs.	Portuguese Water Dogs are average friendly towards strangers.
Child Friendly	American Water Spaniels are very kid-friendly dogs.	Portuguese Water Dogs are kid-friendly dogs.
Cat Friendly	American Water Spaniels are average friendly towards cats.	Portuguese Water Dogs are cat-friendly dogs.
Dog Friendly	American Water Spaniels are not the most dog-friendly dogs.	Portuguese Water Dogs are dog-friendly dogs.
Office Friendly	No American Water Spaniel is not the best dog breed for office environment.	No Portuguese Water Dog is not the best dog breed for office environment.
Senior Citizens Friendly	American Water Spaniels are one of the best breeds for elderly people.	Portuguese Water Dogs are usually recommended for elderly people.
Pet Friendly	American Water Spaniels are generally with other pets.	Portuguese Water Dogs are usually friendly towards other pets.
Good For First Time Owners	No American Water Spaniels are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality.	No Portuguese Water Dogs are not good for novice owners, due to their stubborn personality.
Service Dog	Not really This breed generally not used as a service dog.	Not really This breed generally not used as a service dog.
Therapy Dog	Not really This breed generally not used as a therapy dog.	Not really This breed generally not used as a therapy dog.
Detection Dog or Sniffer Dog	Not really A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses (mostly its smell) to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones.	Not really A detection dog or sniffer dog is a dog that is trained to use its senses (mostly its smell) to detect substances such as explosives, illegal drugs, wildlife scat, currency, blood, and contraband electronics such as illicit mobile phones.
Search and Rescue Dog (SAR)	Not really The use of dogs in search and rescue (SAR) is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people.	Not really The use of dogs in search and rescue (SAR) is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people.
Boat Dog	Yes American Water Spaniel breed usually likes being on a boat.	Yes Portuguese Water Dog breed usually likes being on a boat.
Cart Pulling or Drafting Dog	Not really A drafting dog or draft dog is a dog bred and used for cart pulling.	Not really A drafting dog or draft dog is a dog bred and used for cart pulling.

Health Factors - American Water Spaniel vs Portuguese Water Dog

Health Issues	The American Water Spaniel is a healthy breed, but there are certain health issues that you should check with your vet regularly.	The Portuguese Water Dog is a healthy breed, but there are certain health issues that you should check with your vet regularly.
Health Problems	Allergies Cataracts Degenerative Myelopathy Distichiasis Epilepsy Heart Disease Hip Dysplasia Hypothyroidism Mitral Valve Disease Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) Retinal Dysplasia	Hip Dysplasia Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) Persistent Pupillary Membranes Entropion Ectropion Distichiasis Cataracts Abnormally Small Eyes GM-1 Storage Disease Juvenile Dilated Cardiomyopathy Gastrointestinal Diseases Irritable Bowel Disease (ibd) Colitis Megaesophagus Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis Lymphangiectasia Addison's Disease
Life Expectancy	10-13 years	10-14 years
Calculate dog years to human years by breed here
Hypoallergenic	No	Yes
Energy Level	American Water Spaniels are high energy dogs.	Portuguese Water Dogs are high energy dogs.
Exercise Need	American Water Spaniels need a lot of exercises.	Portuguese Water Dogs need quite a lot of exercise.
Sleeping Need	American Water Spaniels don't need too much sleep.	Portuguese Water Dogs don't need too much sleep.
Avg. daily food consumption	1 to 1.5 cups of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals.	2 to 2.5 cup of high-quality dry food a day, divided into two meals.
Weight Gain Potential	Average.	Average.
Weather & Climate	Prefers average to warm weather conditions	Prefers average to cold weather conditions The Portuguese Water Dog can adapt to well to cold weather conditions, some dogs even can be a good mountain dog.
Stinkiness	Medium The American Water Spaniel has an average chance of bad smell.	Low The Portuguese Water Dog has a low chance of bad smell.
Drooling tendency	The American Water Spaniel is a perfect example for very low drooling tendency.	The Portuguese Water Dog is a perfect example for very low drooling tendency.

Reproducibility - American Water Spaniel vs Portuguese Water Dog

Gestation Length	60-64 days	60-64 days
How often can the have a litter?	Once a year. More frequent breeding is not healthy.	Once a year. More frequent breeding is not healthy.
Litter Size	4-6 puppies	4-8 puppies
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