The “Labrador” jumping from the boat isn’t a Labrador.
There are two interesting aspects of this clip.
The first of these is I see no Newfoundlands.
I thought Newfoundlands made up the mainstay of these working dogs.
All I see in this clip are Labrador and golden retrievers.
The other interesting thing is they are actually doing something working (or at least trial and test) retrievers aren’t encouraged to do.
They are encouraged to find the shortest, most efficient route to the object.
In the North American retriever culture, we want straight lines.
I can’t think of a more fun job for many retrievers than this water rescue work.
Dogs are used/trained in water rescue work in many European countries, eg. Belgium, France Italy, Sweden and Finland.
Water rescue tests/trials are officially recognized by Finnish KC since 1992.
The trials are open to all (suitable) breeds of dogs once the compulsory aptitude test is passed.
We have the test here for Portuguese water dogs, Newfoundlands (Landseers are Newfoundlands in North America), and Leonbergers.
I’m pretty sure the National Geographic special “and Man created Dog” shows this same team. In their segment, there were indeed some Newfs in the group.This photo isn’t from the film but they staged a jump from a helicopter during the program.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100823/ap_on_re_eu/eu_italy_canine_lifeguards
Peggy Richter
Newfies, Goldies, or Labs?
You asked why the retrievers are taking over the Newfies turf? I’ll give that one a try.
The vast majority of Newfies seem to be becoming just another show breed, or at best, a competition dog for trails, not a dog that is actually used in any great numbers for real work.
Some hunting breeds still hunt, some sheepdog breeds still work sheep, but many breeds have lost several of their non-show varieties, and have become a “cookie cutter” breed (they all look alike, as if they were stamped out with the same cookie cutter like gingerbread men).
Other breeds have diversified like Darwin’s finches.
The Golden Retriever and the Labrador Retriever have branched out into different fields of work, and have retained their trainability and their adaptablility.
Just listing what uses Golden Retrievers have:
show dog
field test competition dog
actual retriever for a duck hunter
general bird dog for a hunter
kid’s pet
guide dog for a blind person
sniffer dog
wheelchair helper
obedience performer
And oh yeah, I found a good one – dancing dog.
No really, I want to share this with you, even if you don’t have a retriever, she is just that good, she could be the doorway for another branch of Goldies.
Go to youtube and enter Carrie perrita bailarina
She has several unbelievable videos – nothing naughty, just dancing.
Goldens and Labs swim faster than Newfoundlands, but Newfoundlands are stronger. They are believed to be the strongest of giant dogs.
The life expectancy is a bit longer on the retrievers and they are much more common.
By the way, where are you from?
Calling them goldies is a British thing, or so I thought.
I can understand the idea of “fastest swimmer”.
But if newfies don’t swim as fast as retrievers, how can one tell if they are “stronger swimmers”?
Does that mean they can swim for more time without drowning?
That they can tow more weight?
That they can make headway against currents that would set retrievers backward?
Is there a test for various breeds that measures not the dog’s willingness or speed, but his “strength” in the water?
I don’t understand what is meant by better swimming strength. Or did I misread, and newfies are said to be stronger on land?
I didn’t know that calling Golden Retrievers “Goldies” was British – perhaps I have been hanging out with people from a different culture without knowing it?
I know very little about water rescue, or if it has much application in today’s world.
Might I guess from the video that one real use for dogs is that it saves the rescueing person from having to get too close to the drowning person?
My experience with swimming dogs is that they swim fast but that they don’t float well so any weight tends to dunk them.
I have seen some retrievers swim with what seems like a great deal of wasted up-motion in the forelegs, and thought that could possibly be useful in helping them keep their head up when carring a duck
– either that or it is just like the showy gait seen on some dogs, where it makes the dog tire more quickly, but looks prettier to bystanders.
Of the giant breeds, they are the strongest pullers.
They can tow boats in the water if they have to.
a pretty well done video on one dog’s path to WRDX
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=ynjKjobj7As&feature=related
One Shining Moment
I’ll note that the Newf club has a working section which is significantly better than that of many breeds.
Peggy Richter
Great post, and I loved the video. I’m sure those dogs loved it and they can have fun with their job. It’s amazing how useful dogs can be in a rescue situation.