Instructors: Kari Lavalli, Ph.D. and Melinda Harvey, CPDT-KA
Indoors at Tails-U-Win, 175 Adams St, Manchester, CT 06042
Morning for beginners: 9:30-12:30
Afternoon for advanced teams: 1:00-4:00
Come see what water training is all about! Whether you are just curious and want to hone your basic skills or are working on advanced skills, we will have training tips and fun for all!
There will be two sessions, a morning for the novice teams (Junior/Apprentice) and the afternoon for more advanced (Working/Courier/Masters) teams. Both sessions will work on motivation via rewards or play, attention and engagement, and required skills.
The morning session is aimed at teams that have little to no experience with PWDCA water trials with their current dog. It will focus on basic skills that teams need for the beginning level exercises at these trials.
Shadow walking (getting your dog to choose to stay with you)
Send to platform, marker
Recalls
Retrieving skills (Take, Hold, Give/Out)
Staying in place until released (to come or to retrieve)
You do not have to have a retrieve for this session, but this is not a retrieve workshop
The afternoon session is for more advanced teams. We will learn and practice the skills needed for the advanced level water titles and will think about ring entrances and warm-up routines.
Multiple article retrieves, turning to go
Directionals
Article discrimination
Transfers / Send to person (boat)
Durational Holds (for Carry or Go Outs)/Give or Drop when cued
Go outs/reverse retrieves
You must have a retrieve and carry for this session.
$35.00 Working teams Nutmeg Members
$40.00 Working teams non-members
$20.00/$25.00 Auditors (no dog)
Only one dog per handler, please. Dogs must be at least 6 months old. No bitches in season.
Seminar will NOT be held unless minimum of 10 working teams sign up. Maximum of 8 working spots per session.
(mail both forms back together)
Instructors:
Kari Lavalli: After owning Dobermans, Siberian Huskies, and Border Collies, Kari Lavalli switched to Portuguese Water Dogs in 2007, and after co-breeding with the Sakonnet kennel, has been breeding them since 2018 under the kennel name Topsail PWDs. She competes and has titled her dogs in Agility, Water, Obedience, Rally, Tricks, Tracking, and Scent Work and has put PWDCA Gold Register of Merits and Multiple Achievement Awards Level 6 on 3 dogs. She teaches water classes for Nutmeg PWD Club in the summer, has taught dry docks for Mayflower PWD Club in past years, has a small water training group that meets regularly in Massachusetts, and has been an active member of the PWDCA since 2007, serving on the Courier editorial committee from 2019-2021 and the Awards committee as ROM chair (currently). She teaches tricks and rally classes at Performance Plus K9 Activity Center in Raynham, MA and Agility Rush in Uxbridge, MA, has taught CGC and basic manners classes, and has created an online intro to water training course that ran in 2020 and 2021. She is an AKC CGC and Tricks evaluator.
Melinda Harvey: Melinda has had Portuguese Water Dogs since 1993 and has been breeding since 1999 under the Redwoods kennel name. She is also a nationally certified dog trainer running her own business as well as training and competing with her own dogs. She has titled multiple dogs in Conformation, Obedience, Agility, Water, Rally and Scent work. She has taught water work for the Nutmeg PWD club and is an active member in both the Nutmeg and PWDCA clubs, currently holding a board seat on both.
Don’t miss this opportunity to come and strengthen the bond between you and your dog as well as work on new and advanced skills together.
