Portuguese Water Dog Hershey doing tricks March 21 2011 7 1/2 months

Our Chocolate and White Portie pup doing some of her tricks for treats. :) Hershey is 7 1/2 months old.

[@lauriah101]

Thanks! We are so proud of our Hershey girl! She just recently became a therapy dog and she is a wonderful example of her breed. :)

[@FleurHarleaux]

Hershey is absolutely adorable!!!! You've done a great job with her :)

[@lauriah101]

PS we always did stay on lead as well until she became more consistent and reliable. When she wasn't on lead and we couldn't watch her then she went into her crate where she was safe. Portie's are bred to be working dogs. They need their fair share of exercise as well as training to satisfy their bright minds as well. If they are not worked regularly then they are notorious for finding their own entertainment. ;P

[@lauriah101]

It will really depend on how consistent your training is and how much exercise he is receiving to satisfy him so he is not looking to relieve his boredom indoors. We did this for approx 8-9 months to make sure when people came indoors there was no longer jumping or mouthing issues at greeting time. We kept her on leash and had our friends help out with ringing door bell and knocking on door to work on calming and counter conditioning techniques. Now she greets the door with her toy instead. :)

[@lauriah101]

When we first brought Hershey home we used a technique for training her named the "Umbilical Cord Technique". It was having her on leash AT ALL TIMES when she was indoors so that she could be supervised and we could prevent any mishaps like inappropriate chewing on objects, jumping or puppy nipping, and it made it much easier to train her indoors for housebreaking as well as doing tricks. She was always within reach and it was much easier to catch and correct any mistakes. :)

[@lauriah101]

One year old is still early enough to train! You can start with obedience classes in your area, and then once you get the basics, then you can work on more advanced techniques and add funny tricks to keep it fun and to strengthen your working bond. :)

[@amandahenderson7229]

Love the video, I too have a PWD from Kortune Kennels. She looks just like Hershey! Marley is 8 months old now.

[@lauriah101]

We taught her to follow our hands first, teaching TOUCH and when her nose touched our hands she got a reward. She learned very quickly. Then we had her lie down on command and introduced a treat by showing it to her and having her follow it with her nose as we pointed it towards her flank area. When her nose got to her hips we passed it over her back and she rolled to keep it in her vision. :) Once she did this regularly we put a name to it and now only need hand signals. :) Good luck!

[@lauriah101]

Dogs love to learn, and your dog is still young enough to learn a lot of new tricks. :) If you keep his/her mind busy then it is less likely to become bored and get itself into trouble. Good luck and remember to make it fun!

[@djd23555]

How do get your dog to roll over like that through training??

[@FRESHVYBZ123]

Your good with training, plus you dog is beautiful!

[@hannahwik]

you dog is b e a u t i f u l

[@lauriah101]

Thank you. :) How terrific that you have one as well! I'd love to see photos of her. :D Are you doing any obedience with her?

[@MyMac2011]

how old do you thart tranining?

[@jennifersims7135]

Yes, she is beautiful....love the bang and rollover....i have being trying to teach my portie those tricks and he wont do it....maybe one day....:I didnt start the first day....and now he's older it seems harder....he does sit,down, stay(for a second), shake, and leave it....any suggestions other than keep practicing...I do use treats.....Does Hershery at her age now still gets into things?

[@lauriah101]

@norwayhorsegirl Thank you! :)

[@lauriah101]

Thank you! She is very bright and loves to learn new tricks. :)

[@lauriah101]

Hi there. We started working with her the first day she came home and we played training games to make it all fun for her so that she would want to play more and we ended the lesson on a happy note each time while she was still excited and hadn't become bored or stressed. :) This way she couldn't wait to learn something new each day.

[@ronachan1]

she is sooooo cute!

[@DrRobert909]

She is so cute!!!!!!!!

[@loris5808]

awwww i have a pwd to where did you get yours, anibays? because your pwd is the same age as mine.

[@MyMac2011]

i thnke my dog would like doing that he is 1 year old

[@klmurphy]

Great job with your dog!

[@lauriah101]

Thanks so much! Three years old now and she still loves to learn something new! :)