Portuguese Sheepdog
The Portuguese Sheepdog is a foundation stock service breed from Portugal, standing 16–22 in at the withers, weighing 26.5–40 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–13 yrs.
- Breed group
- Foundation Stock Service
- Origin
- Portugal
- Height
- 16–22 in
- Weight
- 26.5–40 lb
- Lifespan
- 12–13 yrs
Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Portuguese Sheepdog is taller than 34% of the measured breeds, heavier than 28%, one of 64 in the Foundation Stock Service group, one of 10 from Portugal.
Living with the Portuguese Sheepdog
Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Portuguese Sheepdog’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.
- Affection with family
- 4 of 51 independent · 5 devoted
- Good with young children
- 4 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Good with other dogs
- 4 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Openness to strangers
- 2 of 51 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend
- Watchdog / protective nature
- 5 of 51 unbothered · 5 vigilant
- Energy
- 4 of 51 couch potato · 5 busy all day
- Exercise needs
- 4 of 51 a short walk · 5 a job to do
- Playfulness
- 3 of 51 only when invited · 5 non-stop
- Barking
- 4 of 51 only to alert · 5 very vocal
- Shedding
- 2 of 51 barely · 5 constantly
- Drooling
- 2 of 51 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel
- Tolerates being alone
- 2 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates hot weather
- 3 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates cold weather
- 4 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.Portuguese Sheepdog on AKCPortuguese Sheepdog on DogTime
Breeds that look like the Portuguese Sheepdog
A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Portuguese Sheepdog.
Height 0–38 in
- Portuguese Sheepdog16–22 in
- Catalan sheepdog22 in
- Bergamasco Shepherd23–24 in
- Affenpinscher9–12 in
- Barbado da Terceira20–23 in
- Briard24–27 in
- Puli16–17.5 in
Weight 0–220 lb
- Portuguese Sheepdog26.5–40 lb
- Catalan sheepdog44–55 lb
- Bergamasco Shepherd71–84 lb
- Affenpinscher6.5–13 lb
- Barbado da Terceira55–66 lb
- Briard59.5–90 lb
- Puli25–35 lb
Lifespan 0–20 yrs
- Portuguese Sheepdog12–13 yrs
- Catalan sheepdog12–14 yrs
- Bergamasco Shepherd13–15 yrs
- Affenpinscher11–14 yrs
- Barbado da Terceira12–14 yrs
- Briard10–12 yrs
- Puli10–15 yrs
Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.
Guides that mention the Portuguese Sheepdog
Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed.