‘Rain’ Reps Spanish Water Dogs at Obedience Championships

After a long romp in a local park, most dogs are content to head home and rest. Not “Rain.” Instead, the 9-year-old Spanish Water Dog makes a beeline for the playground, climbs to the top of the slide, and happily glides down before racing back to do it again. She’ll repeat the routine as long as her owner, Colleen Nolan, lets her.

“She has a huge smile on her face,” Nolan says. However, that joyful spirit is for play mode. When Rain enters an obedience ring, she’s “all business,” Nolan explains.

It’s that balance — equal parts playful companion and focused competitor — that has helped Rain earn an invitation to the 2026 AKC National Obedience Championship. As the only Spanish Water Dog competing in this year’s event, Rain will once again represent a breed rarely seen at the highest levels of obedience.

A Partnership Years In the Making

For Nolan, simply qualifying is meaningful.

“Each year I’m grateful that Rain and I get to travel to the event and represent this wonderful breed,” she says. “Our participation validates the special bond that Rain and I have and the hundreds, if not thousands, of hours we’ve spent training.”

Rain’s journey began long before she entered her first obedience ring.

Nolan was searching for a medium-sized, intelligent working dog that reminded her of the farm dogs she grew up with. While researching several herding and working breeds, she met two Spanish Water Dogs owned by a colleague. It didn’t take long to know she’d found exactly what she was looking for.

Her first Spanish Water Dog, “Z,” introduced her to the world of AKC dog sports. Together, they earned several breed firsts in obedience, AKC Rally, Coursing Ability Tests (CAT), and Fast CAT while laying the foundation for Nolan’s future in competition.

When breeder Lisa Harper planned a litter specifically with performance in mind, Nolan knew she had found her next prospect. Rain exceeded every expectation.

Today, Rain has become the first — and currently only — Spanish Water Dog to earn both an AKC breed championship and an Obedience Trial Championship. Along the way, she has also become the first Spanish Water Dog to earn the Obedience Grand Master title and has competed at some of the sport’s most prestigious events.

Among those milestones was an invitation to the Westminster Kennel Club Masters Obedience Championship, where Rain became the first Spanish Water Dog to compete in the event.

For Nolan, competing on that stage meant more than personal achievement. “I think it showed that, like many other nontraditional obedience breeds, Spanish Water Dogs can be strong and solid obedience dogs,” she says. “It was wonderful to let her show what this breed was capable of.”

Training for Dependability

Rain’s consistency has become one of her greatest strengths. Rather than dazzling spectators with speed or flashy performances, she earns high scores through reliability and precision.

“People often comment that she knows her job,” Nolan says. “When she’s in the ring, she does her job and is all business.” That dependability is built through months of thoughtful preparation.

About two months before a major event, Nolan gradually increases training sessions while mixing in distractions, proofing exercises, and practicing in different environments. She trains with friends, simulates competition conditions, and makes sure Rain has opportunities to work around other dogs.

But the days when she’s not practicing obedience are just as important. Some days are devoted to scent work. Others are reserved for hikes, retrieving games, or simply exploring parks together.

“Training and trialing should be fun for you and your dog,” Nolan says. “Resetting and refreshing is very important.”

Giving Back to the Sport

Since retiring in 2023, Nolan has been able to devote even more time to her passion. In addition to continuing to compete with Rain, she volunteers teaching advanced competition obedience classes through the Catoctin Kennel Club and enjoys mentoring other handlers.

Helping students has strengthened her own training, she says, because every dog-handler team presents new challenges and new ways of thinking.

“I want to help others who are interested in starting obedience or who want to improve and reach their goals,” Nolan says. “So many people have helped and encouraged me on my journey, and I feel like I’m paying that forward.”

Finding Joy in the Journey

At home, though, Rain is simply part of the family.

She enjoys morning play sessions with the other dogs in the household, especially the family’s youngest Spanish Water Dog, “Splash.” She loves retrieving games, dog parkour over logs and benches, and quiet moments curled up beside Nolan after an active day.

As Rain prepares for her third appearance at the National Obedience Championship, Nolan isn’t measuring success solely by placements or scores. Her goal is much simpler.

“I want to go in and come out of the ring with a happy dog,” she says. “If we have a good connection, a clean performance, and if we make a mistake, we’re able to bounce back with confidence, then it will have been a successful event regardless of where we place.”

Just as importantly, she hopes Rain continues to broaden people’s expectations of what a Spanish Water Dog — and any nontraditional obedience breed — can accomplish.

“I hope people realize that it’s possible to strive for and reach high goals at any age,” Nolan says. “Regardless of your dog’s breed, you can achieve those goals. There are people who are there to help you on your journey.”

For Nolan, every trip around the obedience ring is about more than another ribbon.

It’s an opportunity for Rain to represent a beloved breed, inspire future competitors, and perhaps encourage someone watching from ringside to imagine what’s possible with the right dog by their side.