This topic is dear to my heart, as I have worked as a groomer for many years now. I have worked in a brick and mortar situation and now am a mobil groomer. I am tapering off my time in this role as I am so in love with showing, breeding, and preserving the portuguese water dog breed. Therefore, the pwd groom is something I am familiar with but now is an easy task for me. The coat of a pwd is easy to maintain provided you keep a few things in mind.

You may choose to groom your portie yourself, take your portie to a groomer, or do combination of the two. Here are some things to think about when considering the groom of your new portie.

Let’s discuss Groomers.

The key thing to do is learn how to set your dog up for a less stressful grooming experience.

Just as you should spend time finding a reputable breeder, you should do the same when finding a groomer. While a recommendation is a good idea, until you do your own research it is not the only criteria I would use.

Look for are an experienced groomer that is familiar with the breed. This breed is now popular enough that most groomers have come across at least one or if they haven’t they should be willing to watch a few videos and consult their sources for information on the coat type and coat cuts. Also, visit their shop to see what the environment is like regarding: cleanliness, noise level, number of groomers, equipment, etc.

Inquire about how long they would keep the dog, some have you drop off in the morning and pick up in the late afternoon or evening, others will want to keep your portie for shorter a duration of time, which is preferable. An all day experience can be very hard on some dogs.

Now you need to set your puppy up for a good experience. You should be doing coat care in between grooming. A thorough brush out, bath, etc. is good. Most people choose to see a pro groomer once a month or every other week. A portie’s coat can become matted during those visits and light grooming should be part of a daily, if not at the very least every other day, routine. A matted dog is sure to make the experience less than positive. If you can use a grooming table with an arm and a neck leash. That way your dog gets used to being on a table. Handle your dogs feet, ears, face. Let the groomer know if you dog has orthopedic issues that could affect its comfort on the table. If your dog does become matted don’t as the groomer to de-mat, recognize your mistake and let the groomer shave the dog

Sometimes one bad experience is all it takes to make grooming an incredibly terrible experience for your portie.

There are many fabulous groomers out there but in the end, decide what works best for you and your dog.