An impression of Water Rescue Works with Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs © Mijke van Heyningen

Water Rescue Work is a special kind of rescue work. The dogs are trained to help people in the water and bring them ashore.

Water Rescue Work has nothing to do with the other kind of rescue work : the Water Search dog! The Water Search dog has been trained to find drowned and missing people in and around water. These dogs stand on a boat and can smell a dead person under the water surface.

Waterwork has a few basic aspects: Swimming Swimming Sending forward Sending forward Apport & coming back Apport & coming back

During the training we work in several ways to provide these aspects

All excercises are trained with rewards

During the training the dog wears a lifejacket

All participants wear a wetsuit (surfsuit) and water shoes.

Getting used to water and swimming

First time with a (for the dog) unknown handler into the water…

And swim to the owner

During Waterworks training the dogs become better swimmers and they can easily drag a person on a long distance

The dogs start with a dummy pulling light objects ashore.

Later on the objects will be bigger and more heavy, like dolls or a surfboard.

Till they can drag a surfboard with person on top ashore

Or easy drag ashore a boat with a person or a diver with full equipement.

The dogs also get used to all aspects of working with a boat

They learn on command to jump out of the boat to a swimmer or surfer in the water

But also to bring from ashore a safety line to a boat, or to be pulled up in a boat.

When they have more experience, they also can from the shore on command swim to a surfer who needs help

On his own swimming to the surfer

And dragging the surfer ashore

A CsW likes working and starts every training with joy and after training he is training with joy and after training he is happy, tired and satisfied ! happy, tired and satisfied !

With thanks to all the Participants,the CsWs and all the others for the nice days!