TOPSAIL PWDS

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    • How to Choose a Breeder
    • Who We Are
    • Topsail Brags
    • About Our Dogs
  • About PWDs
    • Breed Characteristics
    • Health Issues Specific to PWDs
    • Health Considerations, Part I
    • Health Considerations, Part II
    • PWDs as Service Dogs?
  • Breedings & Puppies
    • Puppy Application
    • What do You Need for Your Puppy
    • Topsail's "A" Litter, Spring 2018
    • Topsail's "B" Litter, Spring 2020
    • Topsail's "C" Litter, Fall 2020
    • Topsail's "D" Litter, Spring 2021
  • Grooming Your Dog
  • Training Your Dog
    • Expectations
    • Training Help
    • Training Resources
    • Performance Venues
    • Training Facilities
    • Books & Gear
  • Water Skills Course
  • Be Your Dog's Advocate
  • Other Useful Links
  • Contact
  • Home
    • How to Choose a Breeder
    • Who We Are
    • Topsail Brags
    • About Our Dogs
  • About PWDs
    • Breed Characteristics
    • Health Issues Specific to PWDs
    • Health Considerations, Part I
    • Health Considerations, Part II
    • PWDs as Service Dogs?
  • Breedings & Puppies
    • Puppy Application
    • What do You Need for Your Puppy
    • Topsail's "A" Litter, Spring 2018
    • Topsail's "B" Litter, Spring 2020
    • Topsail's "C" Litter, Fall 2020
    • Topsail's "D" Litter, Spring 2021
  • Grooming Your Dog
  • Training Your Dog
    • Expectations
    • Training Help
    • Training Resources
    • Performance Venues
    • Training Facilities
    • Books & Gear
  • Water Skills Course
  • Be Your Dog's Advocate
  • Other Useful Links
  • Contact

About Our Dogs 

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  Our Portuguese Water dogs come from the Sakonnet PWDs kennel of Mimi & John Karlsson in Hope Valley, Rhode Island.  We have had three Sakonnet dogs, two of whom form the basis of our small kennel (Asta and Beleza).  Our dogs compete in a variety of performance sports including Obedience (AKC and CDSP), Rally, Agility (AKC and NADAC), Barn Hunt, Canine Nosework (AKC and NACSW), Water, and Tracking.  All of our dogs have earned their Canine Good Citizen certificates and all have earned several levels of tricks titles.  We also have one AbFab Border Collie who, in addition to the above sports, is learning Herding.   In 2018-2019, Kari earned 4th place in the PWDCA Owner Handler program for Performance Venues and 9th place in All Venues Combined, a testament to her working with all of her Portuguese Water Dogs.  Bell has been the model for 4 trick articles in the PWDCA publication, The Courier, and Kari's third installment of Advanced Tricks, Why Teach Your Dog Tricks was nominated for a special AKC Family Dog Award with the Dog Writer's Association of America in 2020.

We tend to start retiring our dogs around age 10 to ensure that they do not incur muscle injuries from strenous activities like agility.  Nevertheless, they still compete and/or train in other fun, but less hard-on-the-body activities for as long as possible.  Within the last few years (2019-2021), Darwin earned four scentwork titles and his tracking dog title as well as four NADAC agility titles, and thus earned a MAC-4, MAC-5, and MAC-6 (Multiple Achievement) Award from the PWDCA, a Gold Register of Merit from the PWDCA, and a VCD1 and VCD2 from the AKC; Bell earned her Rally Intermediate, Advanced, and Excellent titles, her Beginner Novice Obedience title, her Tricks Advanced title, her Novice Agility, Novice Fast Agility, and Novice Jumpers Agility titles and her NADAC Novice Tunnelers, Weavers, and Regular titles as well as her Novice and Open Jumpers; she earned a MAC-2, MAC-3, and MAC-4 from the PWDCA.  In 2021 she has earned her CDSP Starter Novice, CD-V, and CD obedience titles as well as a Fenzi Team 1 title and a Barnhunt Novice title, and is now working on her novice scentwork titles.  
Red Scully, earned her Novice Tricks title at the end of August 2018 (4 mos old) and her Intermediate Tricks title at just a year of age, and her Advanced Tricks title just before turning  two years of age.  She earned a Junior Water Dog certificate in summer 2019 and  in 2020 earned her ACT1 and ACT2 and NADAC Novice Jumpers agility titles, as well as an AKC Rally Novice, CGC, and Farm Dog title.  She's started out 2021 earning her NADAC Novice Regular agility title, her ACT Jumpers 1 title, a Beginner Novice-V title, her Rally Intermediate title, her CDSP Starter Novice obedience title, and her Barnhunt Instinct and Novice titles, as well as a MAC-1 and MAC-2 from the PWDCA.  She's currently training in obedience, agility, nosework, and water.  Scully's son, Streak, is a new addition to the family and is already training in obedience and water.

​To learn more about each dog, click on that dog's collage.
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