[Updated February 7, 2019]
WATER WORK: OVERVIEW
What is this sport? Dogs and handlers work together to demonstrate the water work for which the dogs were bred: rescue work or working alongside fishermen.
Prior training required? Minimal.
Physical demands? On the dog: Moderate, until the higher levels of competition are reached. Then, high. On the handler: Moderate.
Best-suited structure? Many dogs can enjoy water work, although the dogs bred specifically for the work (such as Newfies and PWDs) do best.
Best-suited temperament? Dogs who love to work and who love water.
Cost? Moderate.
Training complexity? Moderate.
Mental stimulation? High.
Physical stimulation? High.
Recreational opportunities? Depends on where you live (you need a lake or body of water, preferably not infested with alligators or sharks).
Competition opportunities and venues? Moderate.
The curly brown dog stamped his feet and stared at his handler. He had retrieved the plastic dummy countless times. Now what? Something as simple as that look is all it took to start Kathryn Monroe of Mahtomedi, Minnesota, on a quest. It would ultimately take her across the country in search of the knowledge and skills to train her Portuguese Water Dog, Gaucho, to do what his breeding dictated. Work. Water work, specifically.
“Gaucho was the kind of pup we all dream of,” remembers Monroe. “Attentive to humans, determined to retrieve. He forced me to examine what else I could do to keep up with him. This was before there was a Portuguese Water Dog Club of America (PWDCA) water trial. There were only hunting trials for the organized sports world, rescue trials for Newfoundlands, and, for the rest of us, throwing a stick on the beach. So I had a lot of work to do to understand what the PWD did historically, and how it could be reflected in today’s sports. Gaucho was a willing guinea pig!”
History of Water Sports for Dogs
Like many people, Monroe had gotten involved with a breed because she was looking for a dog with an affinity for something she loved. Monroe is a boater. When asked if she had water sports in mind when she chose a PWD, she said, “Water sports? I hate water sports! I don’t swim, and I don’t like to be cold and wet. I love to be on the water, but not in the water. I love to sail and ran a sailboat dealership for many years. And I do love dogs. I just wanted a dog that liked boats. I figured since I didn’t swim, my dog should know how to.”
And the rest is truly history since Gaucho went on to become Ch Glad Tidings do Mar, CD, WWD (Working Water Dog), multiple year Top Ten PWDCA producer, POM (Producer of Merit), ROM (Registry of Merit). And for her part, Monroe was instrumental in developing the PWDCA water trial standards. Monroe must have a lot of working lines in her own DNA since it took her, along with several other dedicated PWD owners, more than six years to finalize the standards that were finally approved in December of 1990. The first PWDCA trials took place in 1991 in Connecticut, Minnesota, and Washington.
Some of the standards for the PWDCA water work trials were inspired by another breed’s trial standards. The Newfoundland Club of America’s (NCA) standards had been approved back in 1972. Although the focus of NCA trials is on human rescue, the retrieve work is similar, as well as the requirement that dogs work from both land and water.
Water Work Competitions for Dogs
The requirements for titling your dog in water work differ depending upon the dog’s breed. Although there are a couple of avenues available to people with other breeds or mixed breeds, most water work standards are based on either the PWDCA or the NCA.
For example, the PWDCA’s first trial level could be considered a “certificate of readiness,” which assesses a dog’s interest in water tasks, as well as basic teamwork. Each of the next three levels test more advanced skills. Monroe explains how the PWDCA trial standards were developed: “The PWD trials boast a singular suitability for this breed and its work. Every exercise in the titling levels is a useful task. The model is of teamwork and crew rather than dog and master. Teams have latitude in style, as long as the job gets done. Judging assesses achievement. The rules deal only with safety, equalizing physical differences, and making the task easier to judge. The task is either completed or not, pass or fail.”
“The pinnacle of the PWDCA water trial is the Courier Water Dog level, in which the dog works from the boat in a compelling display of its history. The dog delivers a message pouch to another boat and returns with the reply; it swims to shore to locate and retrieve a line of floats. The dog executes a double, directed retrieve in the order determined by the judge based on conditions at the time of the trial, and it pulls a fishing net from one boat to another.
“By far the most difficult task is the next one. When nets are in place, they float beneath the water’s surface, extending a hidden hazard that could foul the rudders and nets of other boats in the area. Traditionally, marker buoys are set to designate the net’s trailing edge. In the final task of the water trial, the dog follows a complex chain of commands: jump off the boat; return to the handler; grasp a large marker buoy by the attached rope; turn and swim 75 feet away in the direction indicated, beyond the course boundaries into unmarked water; and drop the ball when signaled to do so. The dog must leave the marker in place and return to the handler.”
Clearly, these dogs are not just good-looking. As with many other working breeds, people sometimes purchase PWDs without understanding how much energy they have and how much training is required to keep their minds and their bodies busy. Beware!
Training Your Dog for Water Work Competitions
Karrie Cook has owned five Newfoundlands over the past 13 years, four of whom have been rescues. Although she always took her dogs swimming, she didn’t know where to start to train for water work. She began by helping out at water tests as a “steward” to learn more about it, did a lot of reading, and eventually joined the Newfoundland Club of Southern California (NCSC). Stewards fulfill a variety of roles including moving gear around, holding dogs, rowing boats, assisting judges, placing articles for retrieving, etc.
“I learned a lot from mentor-level trainers and through offering to steward and help out at tests. Many of the exercises and pre-training of ‘take,’ ‘hold,’ and ‘give’ can be done on land and then transferred to the water. Prior to transferring learned skills to the water, your dog needs to clearly understand ‘take,’ ‘hold,’ and ‘give’ as three distinctly different tasks. These commands are fundamental to successful water training.
“In addition, your dog needs a good foundation in basic obedience as all three levels of NCA water tests are completed off-leash. The junior level test includes a basic control section (i.e., heel off-lead, recall, and one-minute down).”
Monroe, with the PWDs, had her work cut out for her as well, figuring out how to train for the skills that she had helped establish as part of the PWD water work standards. “I really had started out just wanting a pal to go sailing with me, and the world of dogs and titling events seemed rather stylized and competitive; I got enough of that on the sailing circuit, thank you very much. I wanted to work with my dog, not just command him to fetch and carry.
“Gaucho quickly let me know that traditional ‘jerk and praise’ or forced retrieve methods were not going to work at all. Play training was not demanding enough for him. Lucky for me, Joan Telfer, a tracking judge, introduced me to clicker training. This was the ticket: specific parameters for the goal, building on progress that meets the canine learning style, and positive enough to be comfortable for me. With this method, Gaucho figured he was training me quite well!”
Back in those early days of PWD water work, there were no classes. Monroe continued to learn from others and adapted training to fit water work and ended up giving classes and workshops herself. “I figured out how to break down the tasks into each part, train that part, and then chain them together. Then I trained other trainers. As a judge, it’s really fun to see an exhibitor I’ve never met using a technique that I pioneered and taught to others!”
These days, many local breed clubs offer training. Monroe believes that a lot of training that people have done with other sports can be transferred to water work because it’s the relationship with your dog that is the foundation for the teamwork required. She has had Standard Schnauzers, Poodles, Border Terriers, Vizlas, Boxers, and many other breeds do quite well in her basic water work seminars.
Water Work Looks Like Fun, But It Really Is Work
The first thing one discovers from talking to people who work their Newfoundlands or Portuguese Water Dogs in the water is that this is work. Although some would call it a water sport, they would beg to differ. Their dogs are working dogs, and work is what they have been bred to do. Yes, these dogs are handsome, affectionate, and playful, but when they are in the water, they are working. And their water trials are uniquely designed to demonstrate the skills for which they were bred.
There are two major categories of water work. One is rescue work, performed by New foundlands (Newfies) and the other is working alongside fishermen, performed by Portuguese Water Dogs (PwDs).Â
Rescue Work
Focuses on swimming to the aid of a human in distress and coming to the rescue of stranded boaters. Skills tested in water trials include:
• Swimming to a person who grabs the harness of the dog and towing the person to shore or to a boat
• Swimming to an “unconscious victim” and bringing them to a boat or to shore
• Underwater retrieves
• Jumping off a boat to retrieve objects overboard (cushions, life jackets)
• Taking life rings and knotted lines to “victims”
Working with Fishermen
Focuses on work from land or boat to aid fishermen. Skills include:
• Carrying messages between boats
• Placing buoys to mark nets
• Towing nets and placing them as directed
• Underwater retrieves
• Retrieve objects overboard so fishing nets and ropes don’t become tangled by them
• Carrying gear between boats and to shore
PWD Sport Team Attributes
Water work will appeal to people who want something fun to do with their dogs, and who enjoy the relationship that develops from training to higher and higher levels of accomplishment with their canine partner. It is relatively easy to get started in water work, but watch out! Although attaining foundation water work skills is satisfying, the bond that develops during training and working can be addictive. Many in this sport say it is the lifelong work together, learning advanced skills and rising to increasing challenges that keeps them coming back for more.
“The PWD Water Trial,” says Monroe, “is intentionally staged so that the beginning certificate is easy to try to see if you like it, with a minimum investment of time and money and, second, so that each level builds on the skills mastered in the level before it. So when you start with the Junior Certificate, the way you train lays the foundation for the pinnacle title, the Courier Water Dog Title. Somewhere along the way, the satisfaction of working with your dog means more than the titles, but the titles give you clear goals to reach for.”
The most physically demanding aspect of this sport for people is hauling gear, including boats, nets, crates, and float lines. Since handlers can wear life jackets, you don’t have to be a good swimmer. Monroe believes that doing something you love with your dog is the most important human attribute.
“The people who will stick with water work are those with a sense of humor, a sense of adventure, a love of seeing their dog light up over his or her own success, and people who are willing to help; water trials and their preparation take lots of manpower. Some of my best and longest friendships arose from coming together over our mutual love of schlepping around in the water with our dogs.”
Cook, the Newfie owner, concurs. “I love watching the natural instincts and intelligence of this breed in the water. I’m an animal person and a people person so I enjoy training the dogs and spending a beautiful day out on the lake with friends who share similar interests. We all have memories of funny times, frustrating times, and great accomplishments with our dogs. It’s pretty amazing seeing how much a dog can learn and achieve over the course of a summer of training.”
If you are thinking about getting a dog that will excel at water work, look for a dog whose structure and temperament are well suited. Monroe is a qualifier of the PWDCA Outstanding Breeder Achievement Award, which recognizes combined health, conformation, and performance achievement of dogs produced. She insists that temperament is paramount in choosing your dog.
“The frenetic dog is fun to watch, but harder to train. The dog who doesn’t have a strong desire to work for its human will have a tendency to run around on the beach, not deliver to hand, and not retrieve articles in the correct order, etc. I describe the ideal as ‘workmanlike.’ “
Dogs who excel at water work need both the temperament and the structure to perform the wide variety of physically demanding tasks involved. Although swimming is a low-impact activity that helps develop overall fitness and aerobic capacity, there is risk of injury. “Swimmers tail,” also known as “dead tail,” is when the tail droops and cannot wag. It typically happens in the spring when the water hasn’t yet warmed to summer temperatures and the dogs are not yet in peak condition. It goes away in a couple of days, but has surprised handlers who are not familiar with the syndrome.
Dogs can also get hurt getting back into the boat after an exercise. Care must be given to support the dog’s effort and not to grab and drag the dog up into the boat, which can cause bruising. That said, water work provides a pretty safe working environment for dogs even later in life when other activities become too difficult.
Monroe remembers two dogs who achieved PWDCA titles at advanced ages. “We’ve had dogs earn their Courier title at the age of 10, and others whose handlers are severely arthritic. We’ve had veteran dogs with Addison’s disease competing at the Working level. I once saw a UDX [an advanced competition obedience title] dog, 13 years old and totally deaf, get his Apprentice title based totally on hand signals. There wasn’t a dry eye on the beach that day. I saw a retired brood bitch get her Junior Certificate at the age of 11. “In short, like swimming for humans, water work is a ‘lifetime sport’ for our canine buddies.”
Water Work Equipment and Expenses
The biggest challenge of this sport is finding a body of water large enough that allows dogs. “Believe it or not,” said Cook, “I think the biggest challenge in training for this sport in Southern California is finding a body of water in which to train the dogs. City and county regulations are becoming more and more stringent, and most areas in Southern California do not allow dogs to swim. It is also necessary to have a rowboat with a platform, as well as a number of volunteers, since most of the exercises either involve a boat or people in the water.”
Water work equipment includes a special harness that has rings attached for people to grab in rescue exercises by Newfies, while the PWDs use a tracking-style harness to ensure that the dog doesn’t get choked while working. Other miscellaneous items include fishing lines, retrieving dummies (called bumpers in some sports), life jackets, boat seat cushions, and life rings and knotted lines used in rescue work and, of course, water shoes for you. Monroe advises budgeting about $100 to start, $200 for general equipment expenses at the advanced levels, and much more if you need a boat outfitted with a working platform.
Training classes and workshops, when you can find them, can be invaluable. Workshops can cost $150 for a two-day workshop and classes can run $100 for a series of six classes. Clubs usually provide practices and “run throughs” for a minimal contribution from members. Trial fees run between $25-$40 per entry.
The best way to get started in water work is to offer to get involved in local practices. It takes a lot of people for this sport. By helping out, you learn as you build bonds with both people and dogs. And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?
Obie to the Rescue…Times Three!
Eeeny, meeny, miney, moe. To which drowning victim do I go, thought Obie, the seven-year-old male Newfoundland. Decisions, decisions. No time to waste, these folks are all in distress and my person cued me to go to the rescue, confident that I can do what we’ve trained to do. S-P-L-A-S-H!
It is the “multiple person rescue” exercise of the Water Rescue Dog, Excellent division (WRDX), of a Newfoundland Club of America (NCA) water trial. Handler and dog are in a boat 150 feet from shore. Three “victims” swim out to locations varying between 75-100 feet from shore with 35 feet between each victim. At the judge’s signal, the handler cues her dog to go to the rescue and the dog has 15 seconds to launch out of the boat and six minutes to “save” all three victims by bringing them back to the boat. The dog can save the victims one at a time, two at once, or all three at once.
Karrie Cook of Huntington Beach, California, watches proudly as her hero displays the strength and brains she loves about the Newfoundland. Obie first makes a beeline to the victim on the right. Without breaking stride, he then swims to the one in the center and then, yes, to the victim on the left and brings them all in at once. That’s her boy! Karablue’s Ocean Breeze.
“Most dogs I’ve seen complete this exercise by picking up one victim at a time and returning that person to the boat prior to getting another victim,” says Cook. “Although he doesn’t always do it this way, Obie usually jumps from the boat, swims to the victim on the right, then to the center victim, then to the victim on the left, and then brings all three victims back in one trip.
“I think he’s learned that this is the quickest and most efficient way for him to complete this exercise. It’s very cool to watch and shows that he can problem-solve this exercise and complete it with very little guidance from me. He’s a very amazing dog and I know that he would be able to complete a real rescue should the need ever arise.” That’s what it’s all about for water work fanatics: knowing that their dog could actually do real-life work.
Terry Long, CPDT, is a writer, agility instructor, and behavior counselor in Long Beach, CA. She lives with four dogs and a cat and is addicted to agility and animal behavior.
