Canine Water Sports offers four divisions of splash challenges: Shoreline Skills, Mariner Dog Tasks, Pool Proficiencies and Seafarer Games.
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Summary of Skills & Tasks Diagrams
1. SHORELINE SKILLS DIVISION - a fun place to begin. Skills are performed in wading depth water for handlers, but swim depth waters for the canine. There are four performance categories in Shoreline Skills:
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Shoreline Skills Rules (specific)
2. MARINER DOG TASK DIVISION - entry level work and up. Tasks are individual water exercises that vary in their degree of challenge and purpose. The Mariner Dog Task Division has seven water performance categories. Each team must first pass the Qualifying Team Swim test to be eligible for the Mariner Dog Tasks.
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All Mariner Dog Taskss
There are two sets of standards for these categories. Giant, large, standard and medium sized dogs are in Group 1. Miniature, toy, small, and dwarf dogs are in Group 2. Generally, the difference in the standards between the two groups is tow weight, retrieve article size and swim distance.
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3. POOL PROFICIENCIES -- similar to Shoreline Skills, but performed in a pool.
4. SEAFARER GAMES DIVISION - wet, wild and joyful competition. Here only the most skilled dog or team of dogs will win the game point. A team who wins a game point will enjoy applause, laughter and a deposit toward a Game Certificate Award. Games are also divided into two sets of standards based on dog size, Group 1 and Group 2.
The skills required to play the games in the Seafarer Games Division are drawn from the various types of work performed in the Shoreline Skills and the Mariner Task Divisions.
Your Dog Deserves The Recognition!
Canine Water Sports is an organization that tests canine ability and desire to perform useful water work. However, the main purpose of the sport is to bring recognition to dogs who find joy working in the water, and to commend handlers who foster these natural and trained abilities while preserving the joy. Many of our water tests have their foundation in historic canine water service work, such as rescue, retrieving and courier duties. Other tasks, like the team swim, boatwork and underwater scent searches are derived from modern canine work and recreational activities. Canine Water Sports testing events are open to any water loving dog six months of age or older. The guidelines for this sport are easy to master. All of the water tasks are functional and fun to learn.
Water training provides an excellent conditioning activity for your adventure-loving canine. It offers sensory stimulation and aerobic demand for the mind and body. The time shared and the positive teamwork stimulates the heart and soul of a healthy human-to-dog relationship, plus you can earn Merits, Certificates and Titles with your puddle pouncer. Imagine earning recognition awards for your dog's natural desire to play and work in the water!
Shoreline Skills and Mariner Dog Tasks are scored solely on a pass or fail basis. For Water Games the fastest and most accurate team wins the merit or point. In all Mariner Dog Tasks the dog/handler team is evaluated for technical and presentational aspects of a performance, which means happy, willing and confident dogs are recognized and rewarded for producing an inspiring performance. Handlers are honored for maintaining a happy and eager splash hound.
RECOGNITION AWARDS
Dog/handler teams may earn water work recognition awards in one or more of the following ways:
Water Work Merits
A team who earns a qualifying score for a watersports Skill or Task is entitled to one Watersports Merit Award.
Water Work Certificates
A team who earns all the merits in a Mariner Dog water work category is entitled to a certificate of watersports.
These certificates are:
Certificate of Canine Aquagility Work, (ASW)
Certificate of Canine Water Retrieve Work, (WRW)
Certificate of Canine Water Delivery Work, (WDW)
Certificate of Canine Water Tow Work, (WTW)
Certificate of Canine Underwater Work, (UWW)
Certificate of Canine Boatwork, (BW).
Seafarer Games Certificates
Any dog or team of dogs who competes in and wins a game is entitled to one game merit point. A dog who wins five game merit points in one particular game event is entitled to a Certificate of Competition for that game.
Special Water Service Award
Awarded by CWS for a single heroic or life-saving act by a canine in the water, or exceptional devotion to canine water work service by a handler/dog team or individual person or dog. Canine Water Sports is dedicated to providing learning opportunities for dog/handler teams who love to play and work in the water.
Rules & Regulations
