Owner trains dog to be elite competitor

By MAGGIE LILLIS
VIEW STAFF WRITER

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Alfredo Rivera embraces Power Puma during a training session. When Rivera first took ownership of Puma, the then-14-month-old dog was antisocial but has since become friendly with humans and other dogs.

Power Puma, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, swims through the water during training. He recently clinched the title of Iron Dog Champion at a DockDogs world qualifying event.

He's a world-class athlete whose talents continue to surprise those around him, yet he's devoid of ego.

He's just having dog-gone fun.

Power Puma, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, is the reigning DockDogs 2009 national champion, a prestigious title in canine jumping-performance sports.

He recently clinched the title of Iron Dog Champion at a DockDogs world qualifying event.

"You'll see, he goes straight to work," said professional trainer and Las Vegas DockDogs president Lianne Hassen.

At a training facility near the Las Vegas Beltway and Robindale Road, Puma revs up and waits for a command from owner and handler Alfredo Rivera before launching himself into the pool.

He competes in three events: Big Air, a distance leap into a regulation pool; Extreme Vertical, a height-jumping event; and Speed Retrieve, a swimming event involving tasks.

Puma's best scores include jumping 7 feet, 8 inches into the air during Extreme Vertical, jumping more than 26 feet during Big Air and shooting through a Speed Retrieval event at 5.8 seconds.

"There are world record-holders in all categories, but there are very few that can do all three," Rivera said. "Puma is one of them."

Puma trains daily and moonlights as a police demonstration and obedience work dog.

"He's bred to bite, but he'll only bite on command," Rivera said. "He needs to have manners. I need to trust him."

Rivera and Hassen have years of experience in training but just recently began competing in jumping performance sports with dogs.

The trainers use positive reinforcement. After a quick training exercise, Rivera lets Puma sniff around the property and enjoy a toy.

DockDog competitions are open to all sizes and breeds of dogs, and there are several categories of competition. The events draw large crowds and are scheduled around the world.

"I think when all dogs come out, they think they can jump 25 feet," Hassen said. "They all think they're a Puma."

When Rivera got Puma, the then-14-month-old puppy was antisocial. Now he's friendly with dogs and humans of all ages.

Rivera tested Puma's skills on a dock one day in March 2009 and watched the pooch beat competitors' jumps by more than 10 feet.

Puma's success wasn't a total fluke, Rivera said.

"It's a combination of obedience and athleticism," he said.

Puma is constantly moving and alert. Among Rivera's five dogs, Puma eats double the amount of dog food to fuel his active body. "He's a maniac," Rivera said. "He has so much energy."

Rivera hopes Puma can make history as the only dog to be a national champ twice. He said Puma's competition is ruff, er, rough.

"It's all about the day of the event and how you'll perform," he said.

One of Hassen's dogs, Rex, is one of Puma's main competitors.

"It could be any one of them," she said.

Rivera said he can tell Puma enjoys performing, and he feeds off the pooch's energy.

"Ninety-nine percent of people who do DockDogs do it because they love their dog," Rivera said.

For more information about dog athletic sports, visit dockdogs.com.

Contact Centennial and Southeast View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.