Breed # 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. ![A photograph of the Portuguese Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/portuguese-sheepdog.webp) 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. Compare the Portuguese Sheepdog with another breed ## 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. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 2 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 5 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 3 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 2 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 2 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 4 of 5 1 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 AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/portuguese-sheepdog/)[Portuguese Sheepdog on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/portuguese-sheepdog) ## 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. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/catalan-sheepdog.webp)Catalan sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/catalan-sheepdog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/bergamasco-shepherd.webp)Bergamasco Shepherd](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/bergamasco-shepherd/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/affenpinscher.webp)Affenpinscher](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/affenpinscher/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/barbado-da-terceira.webp)Barbado da Terceira](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/barbado-da-terceira/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/briard.webp)Briard](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/briard/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/puli.webp)Puli](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/puli/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Portuguese Sheepdog16–22 in 2. Catalan sheepdog22 in 3. Bergamasco Shepherd23–24 in 4. Affenpinscher9–12 in 5. Barbado da Terceira20–23 in 6. Briard24–27 in 7. Puli16–17.5 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Portuguese Sheepdog26.5–40 lb 2. Catalan sheepdog44–55 lb 3. Bergamasco Shepherd71–84 lb 4. Affenpinscher6.5–13 lb 5. Barbado da Terceira55–66 lb 6. Briard59.5–90 lb 7. Puli25–35 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Portuguese Sheepdog12–13 yrs 2. Catalan sheepdog12–14 yrs 3. Bergamasco Shepherd13–15 yrs 4. Affenpinscher11–14 yrs 5. Barbado da Terceira12–14 yrs 6. Briard10–12 yrs 7. 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. - [How Many Toes Does a Dog Have?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-many-toes-does-a-dog-have/) See the Portuguese Sheepdog on the breed map Read about the Portuguese Sheepdog on Wikipedia