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You might expect the dog鈥檚 competing in the AKC Diving Dogs Challenge to be Labrador Retrievers, Portuguese Water Dogs, or another water-loving breed. But among the greatest is 鈥淪ounders,鈥� who holds eight of the nine diving dog records in the world 鈥� and he鈥檚 a Whippet!

This year鈥檚 AKC Diving Dogs Challenge, held in collaboration with , takes place February 24-25, and will feature many breeds and mixed breeds ready and willing to leap into a pool of water. How did this unconventional breed for water sports become one of the top competitors?

Whippets May Not Be Water Dogs

Laurel Behnke, who breeds Whippets through , knew Sounders was the dog for her as soon as he was born. A litter from two of her beloved dogs, 鈥淓nglish鈥� and 鈥淐hili,鈥� was so special to her that, for the first time ever, she kept two of the puppies. They were 鈥淏litz鈥� and his brother Sounders 鈥� the only two dogs to have ever jumped 36 feet in the sport of diving dogs.

And that鈥檚 quite an accomplishment for a breed not normally associated with water sports. 鈥淲hippets are not water dogs,鈥� Behnke says. 鈥淚 have stood poolside on multiple occasions with spectators watching who ask, 鈥榃hat breed is the best?鈥� Labs, they assume. I love telling them 鈥榃hippets!鈥� They are shocked.鈥�

In fact, Behnke thinks one of the best contributions of Whippets like Sounders to the sport of diving dogs is showing the public what a non-water-loving dog can do. After watching their amazing performance, people think maybe their dog could participate too.

Get to Know the Multi-Talented Sounders

But Sounders isn鈥檛 just a diving dog. In fact, Behnke and her Whippets have tried just about every dog sport there is including the usual for Sighthounds like racing, AKC Lure Coursing, and conformation, as well as the more unexpected like barn hunt, agility, and Disc Dog. That鈥檚 because Behnke鈥檚 favorite dog sport, besides agility which she says she鈥檚 terrible at, is anything the dog likes to do. And each of her family鈥檚 dogs has different activities they like and are good at.

Laurel Behnke

Behnke lists Sounders鈥� favorite sports as racing, then disc dog, then diving. But while he was an amazing racing dog, Sounders can鈥檛 race anymore. Unfortunately, when he was almost 2 years old, he injured his foot racing at a national event. 鈥淲e had two surgeries to repair it, but he was never able to return to racing. Which was tragic for us all as he loves it,鈥� says Behnke. 鈥淲e decided to try diving with him as it would be easy on his foot.鈥�

Sounders Once Refused to Jump

Behnke had already successfully participated in diving dogs with Sounders鈥� sire Chili and some of her other dogs. So, to start Sounders鈥� training, she took him and his brother Blitz to a local pool for humans. Behnke went in the water first and started tossing toys around to encourage the dogs to fetch. And it worked. Sounders quickly swam off the ramp and, with encouragement, jumped off the side of the pool. 鈥淲hippets have very high FOMO (fear of missing out), and they are very competitive. So, they all wanted to be first to the toy. Plus, I was in the water,鈥� she explains.

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It looked like Sounders was ready for his first diving dogs event. But when Behnke took him on the dock for his first 鈥渢ry it鈥� attempt, he refused to jump! She says he wanted nothing to do with the big, bottomless pool. But she persevered and took him to a second event that summer, where he made his first official jump of eight feet. That was in 2016. Since then, he鈥檚 quickly gained enthusiasm for the sport and has jumped longer and longer distances at each event.

Behnke thinks the reason comes down to Sounders鈥� slow rate of maturity. Many Whippets aren鈥檛 fully mature until 2 or 3 years of age. 鈥淪ome need that maturity to get confident enough to jump off the dock,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was all about confidence and his drive for the toy. He wanted that toy so bad, he was willing to jump!鈥�

Setting Record After Record

In the sport of diving dogs, dogs run down a dock and jump into a pool of water. Sometimes the goal is to retrieve a bumper from the end of the pool, sometimes it鈥檚 grabbing a bumper that鈥檚 hanging above the pool, and sometimes it鈥檚 jumping the farthest, measured from the end of the dock to the base of the dog鈥檚 tail when they break the water.

Behnke is proud to say Sounders is the only dog to ever hold all four records, including Speed Retrieve, retrieving a bumper from the far end of the pool in 3.094 seconds; Extreme Vertical, a high jump of nine feet; and Big Air, a jump with a distance of 32 feet and 10 inches. Finally, he holds the Iron Dog Challenge record, which combines all three of the previous categories.

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But Sounders didn鈥檛 stop there. He also holds the North American Diving Dogs Air Retrieve record at 30 feet, and along with distance records with other organizations, the North American Diving Dogs Distance Jump record at 36 feet and 11 inches. He鈥檚 also the for the farthest jump by a dog (dock jumping) with a distance of 36 feet and five inches.

Sounders鈥� jumps are so long, Behnke says, that multiple organizations have had to get bigger pools to accommodate him and other Whippets and Whippet-mixes. 鈥淗e is an absolute game change to the sport,鈥� she says. 鈥淣o dog in the world has ever jumped as far as he has. The only other dog to even reach 36 feet is his brother Blitz.鈥�

Looking Forward to Another Competition

Laurel Behnke

Behnke鈥檚 favorite thing about Sounders is his easy-going, laid back temperament. She says he can sit on the couch with her all weekend or accompany her on a week-long marathon event. He鈥檚 super bonded to Behnke鈥檚 whole family but is equally sweet to everyone he meets. 鈥淧eople love taking selfies with him, and he loves meeting new people,鈥� she says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 never met a person or dog he doesn鈥檛 like. Unless the dog is near his dock, then the trash talking begins!鈥�

Behnke believes the secret to Sounders鈥� success in diving dogs is his breeding. He gets drive and athleticism from his parents, English and Chili. And although Sounders turns 9 on April 24^th, he鈥檚 still competing and setting records. Behnke and Sounders are excited about the AKC Diving Dogs Challenge, where they鈥檒l be participating in Air Retrieve. And who knows, maybe there鈥檚 another record in their future.