Agua Dulce Performance Dogs
Here are some of our offspring working with their owners
Agility
Shaddy ring jump.
Agility is one of the fastest growing dog sport in the country and the fastest growing in the AKC. The sport can be traced back to the late 1970's at a Crufts Dog Show demonstration in England and 1994 the AKC held its first Agility Trial. The AKC offers three types of classes. Standard Class includes contact objects, dog walk, A-Frame, and teeter-totter each having a bright painted contact zone, usually yellow, that at least one paw must touch while ascending and descending. The next is Jumpers with Weaves, it has only tunnels and weave poles, no contact object which makes it faster. Third is FAST(Fifteen and Send Time) which test handler and dog teamwork, speed, and accuracy. All three offer different levels of difficulty, Novice, Open, Excellent, and Master titles. If you are interested in Agility trials download this file AKC Agility Manual PDF.
Water
Briny retrieves the dummy.
The Portuguese Water Dog (PWD) was used extensively by the Portuguese on their fishing boats. They had many task to complete during the daily routine on board such as retrieving overboard gear and taking messages between boats. Water trials were developed by the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America (PWDCA) to recreate some of the usual tasks a PWD would have to carry out in a days work. There are six levels of difficulty, starting with Junior, Apprentice, Working, Courier, Courier Water Dog Excellent, and Versatility. Among some of the task required are retrieve dummy from shore, retrieve floating line from shore, retrieve overboard articles, courier pouch exchange, buoy ball placement, to name just a few. If you are interested in Water trials download this file PWDCA Water Trials Manual PDF.
Therapy and Service Dogs
Bo'sun our Therapy Dog.
Bo'sun has a Therapy Dog International certificate (TDI) and in the past he has visited grade schools. To become a TDI dog the dog is required to pass a two phase test. The test is devised to simulate situations that the dog would encounter on a trip to a hospital, school, or care facility. Some of the simulations are mingling crowd, reception desk, persons on crutches, wheelchair, walker, going on an elevator. Phase 1 the applicants are tested in a group, phase 2 applicants are tested individually. TDI dogs must not be aggressive or shy, they should be friendly and outgoing to all men, women, and children. The AKC has a list of Organizations that offer Therapy dog certificates/registration. If you are interested in TDI download this file TDI Testing Manual PDF.
Service dogs and therapy dogs are not the same. A Service Dog is trained to do specific tasks for persons with disabilities and is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act which defines a service animal as "any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.
