Do Portuguese water dogs bark a lot?
Does the Portuguese Water Dog bark a lot? Porties are usually quiet around the house, only barking when perceived threats approach the home or its pack. PWDs have a multi-octave voice, so their loud, distinct barks won’t fail to catch your attention.
EarInfections Are Common
One of the most common reasons why a Portuguese Water Dog might not smell very good has to do with an ear infection. While most people think about ear infections as issues that impact young children, they can impact dogs as well.
I remember there was one time when we all went swimming in the lake as young children. During the summer, this is a great way to cool off. Portuguese Water Dogs are great swimmers and our dog loved jumping off of the boat with us into the water.
A few days later, I noticed that I was struggling with ear pain. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with an ear infection. After a few days of antibiotics, I was back to normal. It turns out that I was not the only one who suffered from an ear infection in our house.
Unlike me, our Portuguese Water Dog could not tell my parents that his ears were bothering him. My parents actually realized the issue when it became obvious that there was something pungent coming from his ears.
The smell was absolutely sickening. There was pus coming from his left ear, which was almost sticking directly out from his head because it was so swollen. There was this green, yellow liquid draining from his ear and it stank like nothing else. So, off to the vet, we went!
The vet didn’t even have to look inside the ear. He swabbed the pus and sent it off for routine culture. Then, he sent us home with some antibiotics that we used to kill the ear infection. Of course, the lake was the culprit. Something in the lake had set up shop in our Portuguese Water Dog’s ear. Luckily, we were able to get this cleaned up in a flash.
The Chemistry Behind Why Dogs Stink
Aroma of wet dog, Brunning explains, starts with a cast of tiny critters—yeasts and bacteria—that take up residence on your pet. “When you’re taking your dog for a walk,” he says, “you’re actually taking a whole host of microorganisms for a stroll, too.”
In the process of going about their lives, they leave behind “micro excreta” in the form of volatile organic compounds. The smell of wet-dog, Brunning says, comes from moisture evaporation that carries some of those compounds with it.
Brunning characterizes the signature odor as a mixture of scents, including almond, fruit, honey, and mushroom, with hints of sulfur and feces.
He notes that there haven’t been millions of dollars dedicated to the study of this problem, and there’s much more to learn. But he ends with a call to action.
“[We] at least know that it’s not the dogs themselves we should be blaming for the smelling terrible, but rather the microorganisms they carry.”
Portuguese Water Dog Pros And Cons | Should You REALLY Get A PORTUGUESE WATER DOG?
We’ve all had this experience—a summer day, a drive to the lake, and a refreshing dip in the clear cool water. Then there’s the agonizing drive home, as you try to keep your eyes on the road, even as you are about to pass out from the smell of wet dog.
Ever wonder what the recipe is for this particularly pungent scent? Scientists did too, and some have started sniffing around for the chemical components that raise this unique stink.
Andy Brunning, a British chemistry teacher, has distilled the essence of the complex molecular reactions into an infographic posted on his blog, Compound Interest. This is just one in his series of infographics offering scientific explanations for odors that greet—or assault—our nostrils on a typical day, like new car, toilets, coffee, fresh-cut grass, and bacon, for example.