Obedience training is important in developing a good relationship with your Portuguese Water Dog.

Obedience training is the process of teaching a dog a series of commands such as "sit", "stay", or "heel"; obedience trainers employ a variety of techniques to do this.  Although basic obedience training is important for all dogs, some dogs and trainers go on to showcase their teamwork at competitive obedience or rally trials.  At these trials, dogs are judged by how quickly and accurately they perform specific training exercises.