Kent Nelson and Diamond: Continuing Their Master Water Dog Title Journey
Leyla Caynak for Tryon International
Mill Spring, NC - August 17, 2025 - The Movers and Shakers Portuguese Water Dog Club of the Carolinas took over the White Oak Cross Country course pond at Tryon International for the 2025 Blue Ridge Splash Water Trials. Kent Nelson (Mill Spring, NC), Water Trial Chairman, and his Portuguese Water Dog (PWD) Diamond took to the water with their 2025 title “Master Water Dog 9”. Diamond was the first female and youngest dog to receive this title.
Kent Nelson and Diamond
©Leyla Caynak for Tryon International
According to the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America (PWDCA), “MWD is the highest titling level offered by the PWDCA. This level demonstrates a dog’s versatility and proficiency in performing advanced level tasks, which reflect the breed’s historical value as an accomplished courier and contributing crew member. Dogs at this level are expected to be able to discriminate between objects, consistently take direction at a distance, and combine tasks previously performed alone, requiring increased levels of stamina.”
Partners since 2017, Kent and Diamond have not obtained these titles easily. Overcoming several major health issues throughout her career, Diamond tackled post procedure complications, Dilated Cardiomyopathy, and most recently a Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) partial tear. Kent shared, “now she's doing great, and she just has a blast! She's probably one of the few dogs that will be out there having fun through everything without getting bored.”
Kent Nelson and Diamond celebrating their second Master Level "pass" for the weekend
©Leyla Caynak for Tryon International
Nelson, who also trains PWDs, explained, “if your dog has a good sit, a good come, and a good stay, that's the foundation that will transmit to the water.” Teaching people to train their dogs based on four topics - happiness, consistency, direction, and timing. “What people miss is that their dogs are communicating with the hand signals and body language more than anything,” he concluded.
Across the several discipline levels - Junior, Apprentice, Working, Courier and Master, Nelson shared the most difficult task these dogs have to complete. “The hardest task is when you get to courier and master, which is the reverse drop. It's a reverse retrieve, so to speak, so they're taking something away from you and leaving it. Normally they're bringing something back to you, so this is the toughest thing for almost everybody in the sport.”
Kent Nelson and Diamond
©Leyla Caynak for Tryon International
Having hosted this event for the first time at Tryon International, Kent spoke to the Tryon experience. “It's fantastic! There were just a lot of lovely people, and they were all very positive. Everybody was really very accommodating, bent over backwards for us, and we look forward to coming back again!”
Diamond a Portuguese Water Dog
©Leyla Caynak for Tryon International
If you are interested in learning more, here are the following sources; Diamond’s story, the Portuguese Water Dog breed, and the Movers and Shakers PWD Club of the Carolinas.