Is this breed intelligent?
Yes, generally, the breed is very intelligent.

Is the breed active?
Yes, generally the breed is very active. Indeed, if your PWD is not active, I wouldadvocate that in may well need a health check up (make sure thyroid is checked).

How would you describe their personality?
The PWD will be your ideal friend, your loyal companion, your soul mate. She will be your guardian. She will love your socks off.

However, this won’t happen unless you treat her as such.

How much do they cost?
Prices will normallybegin at about $1000 US. However, be warned – do your research well. $1000 can purchase you a great dog. $1000 can also purchase you a not so great dog. Don’t anticipate to pay less for a “pet” than you would a “show” puppy. Both cost the same to raise, and both should have fabulous temperaments.

In any case, most breeders won’t let you breed from your pup, unless you follow strict terms and conditions. This is to protect the integrity of the breed. After all, we do not want the PWD dropping in quality like so many of the other breeds around the world, because of indiscriminate and uneducated breeding.

(Yes, if you get a puppy from me, it will come with strict conditions. But if you love this breed the way that I do, you will fully understand why this is so. If not, I am more than happy to work through any issues with you. )

But I want to breed my PWD. How can I do this?
I am more than happy to help you with this issue. However, be warned, if you really want to breed it takes  lots of time and energy to learn all that’s involved. It also takes loads of money.

There are lots of pages on the world wide web about breeding dogs. Tobegin with, click here.

If you want to get a puppy from me, and become a breeder of PWD’s, then it is essential that you join the      dogmentor email list: click here.

If you don’t have the time to join this email list, then you won’t have the time to breed a litter. My advice to you, isto care aboutthe puppy that you have got, and treasure him/her during its life. Breeding a litter makes neither you nor your dog asuperior person/dog.

Do they’ve health issues?
All breeds of dogs, and cross breeds have health issues. The PWD iscompletely no different. The PWD does not have as many health issues as many of the more popular breeds, but we must still be particular vigilant. Be careful of: hip dysplasia, Addisons, Storage, and PRA.

Many dog breeders believe that most health issues can be minimised through a proper diet.

What do you feed your dogs?
To do the right thing by my dogs, I only feed a raw natural diet. In this diet, the dogs get 60-70% RAW meaty bones. They don’t get cooked foods, and the definitely NEVER get any commercially produced dog foods. To find out more, click here.

Regardless of the breed, I would only ever feed them a raw natural diet (regardless of the size of the dog).

Are they good with children?
I prefer to ask, “are your children good with dogs?”

PWD’s are like ALL other breeds – they should be introduced to children as puppies, and this contact should continue throughout their life.

All of my dogs are great with children. But, this is because I have raised my children to respect, care, and love the dogs. In turn, my dogs know that what is expected of their behaviour around children,even though at times, they don’t realise their own clumsiness!

Indeed, I know if one of my dogs ever growls at a child, it is because the child has extremely provoked them and is issuing a warning. This warning serves as a reminder to me, to do somethingto mendthe child’s behaviour.

My dogs know that they’re lower in the pack than the children, but at the same time, my dogs also know that it is unfair for children to hurt them.

Iadvocatethat dogs around children should always be supervised and vice versa.

Will I have problems with them chewing?
Most probably yes – particularly with puppies. However, there is nothing like a puppy to instruct humans to put their belongings away. If a puppy chews a shoe, than it is the fault of the owner of that shoe for not putting it in the cupboard. My dogs do not “get into trouble” for indiscriminate chewing – but the human that left out that particular “treat” for them does.

I find that as they get older, there are less issues with chewing.

Do puppies bite?
Like puppies of any breed, PWD puppies will use their teeth, like the rest of their bodies, to explore the world and all it offers. PWD puppies (like all other puppies!) must never ever be encouraged or played with to bite. Children need to be taught not to encourage the puppy to bite, and what to do if the puppy does bite. Puppies are really like babies – they need to learn in a positive environment with patience, and good humour. Puppies, like children, do need to learn manners.

What training method do you use?
I use positive training methods. The main training method I use is called “clicker training”. You canbegin training your puppy with this method when it is very young. I introduce the clicker to puppies at 5 weeks of age. At most, I will only train a dog for 5 minutes at a time – perhaps three times a day.

I’ve found this the absolute ideal way to get maximum results in the most positive and rewarding way.

How much grooming is involved?
If I keep the coat relatively short, then there’s hardly any grooming involved at all.

However, I keep my dogs in a long coat for showing, so I need to groom a couple of times a week for about 10 mins each dog. I find the length of time spent grooming is dependent on – what the dogs are eating, what sort of brush is being used, and how many burrs they’re getting,

How often do I need to bath my PWD?
Bathing your dog is dependent on two things (mainly) – what you feed it, and what shows you are about to go to. If you feed your dog an all natural raw diet, as nature intended, then your dog should never have that “doggy smell”. However if you feed your PWD a commercial or incorrect diet – then you will definitely get the “doggy smell”.

If my dogs are not being shown, they can easily go 6-8 months without a bath. (although they do tend to do a bit of swimming.)
This answers the questions about what the PWD is really like through a FAQ.
read the full article