Google ★★★★★ 5.0 from 48 reviews (Feb 2026)
942+ dogs trained in the Macedon Ranges Read success stories →

Portuguese Water Dog Training

Do you have a Portuguese Water Dog that needs some training help? Natalie from Crazy Kind Calm dog training can help!

With over 900 dogs trained across the Macedon Ranges, Natalie understands the unique personality and needs that come with this wonderful breed.

Portuguese Water Dogs are athletic, intelligent dogs bred to assist fishermen. They're energetic, water-loving, and eager to work — with a curly coat and an enthusiasm that needs proper channelling.

Common Portuguese Water Dog traits and training needs

  • High energy — bred for all-day physical work and needs significant daily exercise
  • Mouthy breed — uses their mouth to carry things and communicate
  • Can be exuberant and jumpy during greetings and when excited
  • Intelligent and needs mental stimulation — boredom leads to destructive behaviour
  • Pulls on lead, especially near water or when excited about activities
  • Can develop separation anxiety if too dependent on their family

Portie owners have an athletic, clever dog who approaches everything with enthusiasm. If yours mouths your hands, drags you towards every body of water, or can't settle without a good run first — that's the working heritage coming through. Their intelligence and eagerness to work with their handler makes them excellent training partners. They just need enough outlets for all that energy.

Mango - Portuguese Water Dog dog training

Portuguese Water Dog Training Options

Whether your Portuguese Water Dog is a new puppy or an older dog with some habits to work on, we've got options to suit.

One-on-one dog training
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One-on-One Training

Personalised sessions in your home, where the challenges actually happen. We work together on your specific goals — whether it's pulling on lead, barking, poor recall, jumping up, or something else entirely.

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Puppy school class
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Puppy School

Group classes in Kyneton for puppies aged 8-16 weeks. Build confidence, learn essential skills, and socialise with other pups in a safe, supportive environment.

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Portuguese Water Dog (and others) Success Stories

★★★★★ Google
"Cannot recommend enough! Natalie has helped us work with not one, but 2 family dogs. Our first was a rescue with sever behavioral problems and now we are currently working on our very big and cheeky deerhound puppy. Her expertise in all areas of dog behavior is amazing and her techniques are positive, make sense and she always takes the time to explain why and how a particular technique will help. We are so happy to have Natalie teaching us what a true dog/human partnership is."

Chelsey Power March 2021

Leica
Vizsla • Malmsbury
★★★★★ Google
"Natalie is a brilliant pup & human educator! Her solutions are focused on sustainable, kind & fun techniques for the whole family. Our pup Leica was enamoured from day one & to be honest we were a little star struck too. Cannot recommend Natalie highly enough. 5 stars just aren’t enough."

Kirsty Doyle

Vizsla dog training in Malmsbury
★★★★★ Google
"Nat was excellent. I felt she understood my puppy and me immediately. She is clearly very knowledgeable and left me with a very different approach to helping my anxious boy. She was kind towards both my puppy and me and I was confident she understood and cared about dogs - I have had different experiences with other trainers. After our session and the follow up email I have a lot of different tools to use to work with my boy. I would recommend her to anyone looking for help giving a dog its best life. Thanks Nat."

Catherine Martin July 2025

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Some of the Portuguese Water Dogs (and others) We've Trained

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Coco Golden Retriever dog training
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Helmut German Pinscher dog training
Helmut Daylesford
Raffa Wolfhound x Staffy dog training
Raffa Edgecombe
Alfie Australian Kelpie dog training
Alfie Romsey
Poppy Bull Arab X dog training
Poppy Sunbury

Ready to train your Portuguese Water Dog?

Let's talk about your goals and how we can help your Portuguese Water Dog become the best dog they can be.

Get in touch