- Yellow, brown, grey, fawn and wolf-grey, in light, medium and dark shades and black
- with tan markings more or less noticeable, but should never be pied, except for a very small white spot on the chest
About the Portuguese Sheepdog
Origin: Portugal
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 17-27 kg
- Female
- 16-25 kg
- Height
- Male
- 43-55 cm
- Female
- 41-52 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs)
- Origin
- Portugal
- Also called
- Perro de Pastor Portugues
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Portuguese Sheepdog?
Medium-sized herding dog with long, shaggy wavy coat and lively intelligent expression, known for its monkey-like gait and rustic appearance
Portuguese Sheepdog history and origins
Developed in the Serra de Aires region of Portugal, likely from Briards brought in the early 1900s. Used extensively for herding sheep, goats, and cattle. Known locally as 'cão macaco' (monkey dog) for its lively antics.
Portuguese Sheepdog appearance and size
Males typically weigh 17-27 kg and stand 43-55 cm at the shoulder; females 16-25 kg and 41-52 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Behaviour and temperament
“Exceptionally intelligent and very lively. Very devoted to the shepherd and the herd, it can be somewhat wary of strangers and vigilant at night. Nowadays it is also an excellent companion, sporting and guard dog. It is known for its skilful ability to keep livestock in the pastures and also for searching stray animals. It is always vigilant and successfully alerts for the proximity of predators. The breed is extremely devoted to its work and its shepherd. The work is conducted with joy and pleasure”
Quoted from FCI standard n°93. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 1 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Portuguese Sheepdog
What you get with the Portuguese Sheepdog
- The standard describes the breed as: “Exceptionally intelligent and very lively”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “long; with slightly harsh texture preferably goat-like”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Portuguese Sheepdog
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Straight or slightly wavy
long
with slightly harsh texture preferably goat-like
forming long beard, moustache and eyebrows, but not covering the eyes
dense and evenly distributed over the body, including between toes
hair of medium thickness
without undercoat or woolliness
very long coat on head, body and limbs, including between toes
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°93 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Portuguese Sheepdog down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- Behaviour: Animals showing nervous, unbalanced temperament. Jaws: Incorrect implantation of teeth, lack of two premolars (except PM1). Stop: Not pronounced. Nose: Pointed. Lips: Overlapping or pendulous. Eyes: Light, small, slanting or not rounded. Ears: Folded or rose-shaped. Forechest: Too narrow. Chest: Shallow, flat rib cage. Top line: Saddle back or too sloping. Croup: Horizontal or too sloping. Underline: Too much tick-up. Limbs: Tilted fore- or hind feet, cow hocks, and hindquarters must not be straight. Tail: Low set, short or curled over back, when at rest. Nails: White. Hair: Not harsh enough or not long enough. Colour: White spot on the chest too large; tan points not defined. Gait: Not ample enough, not suspended, out at the elbows, hocks too close
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Ears: Low set, or too wide apart, erect or semi-erect.
- Muzzle: Convex profile.
- Jaws: Undershot or overshot lack of more than two pre-molars (except PM1).
- Pigmentation : Total lack of pigmentation on nose, eyelids and lips (albinism). Tail: Docked or absent at birth. Hair: Short, curly, or with undercoat. Colour: White on the extremities of limbs or pied. Lack of tan points in brown, grey and black adults. Gait: Too hobbled and heavy, or with serious deviations of
- forelegs, frailness.
- Size: Oversized or Undersized
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Portuguese Sheepdog in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Portuguese Sheepdog
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Portuguese Sheepdog on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Portuguese Sheepdog owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Portuguese Sheepdog breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.