Portuguese Water Dog THE VERSATILE
W hen you consider the breadth of work that the Portuguese Water Dog did for the Algarve fisherman, the versatility as a breed should come as no surprise. Jules Asbed, breeder/handler of gen- erations of PWDs to the widest range of event titling says, “This breed has it in them to do anything. An individual of the breed will show dominant traits best suited for certain tasks, but the breed can and does do everything.” PWDs excel at Agility, Obedience, Rally, Scent and Nosework, Barn Hunt, FastCAT, Therapy, Tracking, Search and Rescue, Coast Guard Res- cue, Dock Diving, Truffle Hunting, Carting, Herding, Trained Service Dog Work, Weight Pull, and PWDCA Heritage-Based Water Work. The Portuguese Water Dog Club of America prizes and recognizes this versatility by encourag- ing owners with two event accomplishment award options. The Register or Merit, or ROM, is an AKC event-based award sequence. The Multiple Achievement Certificate (MAC) is a program that recognizes the many PWD owners and dogs who train and compete in a wider range of dog sports and activities, regardless of registry, area of com- petition, or title. Since 2014, PWDs with herding and carting (as well as the more obvious dock div- ing and alternate agility systems) have been recog- nized by the parent club through the MAC program. BY MARTHA RUSKAI
SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2021 | 313
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