The Canine Lifeguards at Horseshoe Lake
At the Horseshoe lake activity centre you may see 3 Newfoundland and 1 Leonberger dogs training.
We are a group of like minded owners that come together to train with our 4 legged friends. Working as a dog and handler team, training them in water rescue. This is a form of mental stimulation for them and us as well as being a practical way of exercising them.
Newfoundlands were bred as trawler dogs to rescue fishermen that fell overboard and assist with the heavy land work with nets and delivery of the catch. Leonberger dogs were named after the town in Bavaria and mostly used for guarding farm stock as well as hauling loads. They were originally breed from Newfoundland stock and this is what makes them also suitable for water work
These dogs are ideally suited to cold water with their double coat that gives them plenty of insulation which is why you can see us all year round in the lake.
The dogs have webbed feet and swim with a style of breast stroke, just like a polar bear. Which gives them additional strength in the water.
If you watch us training you may see the dogs swimming out to people or a boat either in order to bring them to shore, or to take an article to help them. You may also see them jumping from the boat or equally searching in the water for a body or lost article such as paddles, kayaks and Standup Paddle Boards.
The team here at HLAC
Wabana and Cath. Wabana is a black female and the matriarch (9 ½ ) of the group. She is also the most qualified, and will often be seen guiding the others. The Newfoundland Kennel club have grades for Water work. A-E and she has the highest grade of E. In fact she is the only dog that has qualified in the whole country since Sept 2021. Having said that she took two summers to get the idea on how to swim correctly and Cath was at the point of thinking she may not like swimming when it suddenly all made sense to Wabana. She listens to the command and then does what is asked by her handler (most of the time!!!!).
Nukkaq and Steven. Nukkaq is the brown and white female(6 ½ ) and is more instinct driven. Although very good in the water thinks she knows everything and does not always listen ( just like her handler) to the task in hand. You will often see her running up and down the beach with a rope in her mouth showing off. We hope to get her through the D test in 2024.
Raffy and Wayne. Raffy is the young black male 3 years of age . You can often see this pair at the lake doing swimming exercises and they are very confident in the water. They are starting to work on more advanced tasks and pair work. Raffy does the best hand rescue of a casualty from the team.
Flynn and Susan. This is our Leonberger dog. Flynn is a novice to water rescue as well as being the youngest of the dogs. You will see Susan and Flynn doing direct retrieves of articles and swimming out to a person in the lake. At present he is still on a long floating lead to enable a quick catch if he gets distracted. If he should run up to you please do not panic he is very friendly and only wants to say hello. We won’t be far behind.
We appreciate the fascination for the skills our team`s demonstrate , but please be aware all the dogs have thick coats that hold about 10 litres of water just remember they will shake!!
Although we are working/ training we will try to answer any question, as we understand the intrigue of our antics.
If you find yourself in the water and have lost a paddle, you may find these four legged friends may rescue it for you or bring a rope out to help you back to shore. Don’t be alarmed they are gentle giants.
We always encourage people to follow best practice and ask permission before approaching any of the dogs. Even if its to ensure that parents are aware how wet the dogs maybe.
