Italian School for Lifeguard Dogs

If you ever find yourself in danger on an Italian beach, you may be surprised to see a lifeguard dog coming to your rescue. Thanks to a man named Ferruccio Pilenga, lifeguard dogs are performing water rescues all over Italy. (1, 2)

Pilenga started the Italian School of Water Rescue Dogs over 30 years ago. At the time, it was just him and his Newfoundland dog. Today, the school for lifeguard dogs has 10 locations around Italy and employs 30 instructors. (1, 2)

Pilenga’s program trains dogs and their owners to perform water rescues together. The training takes at least a year. When dog and owner are licensed, they volunteer their services as a rescue team. (1, 2)

“[The philosophy is to] have a dog with the rescue instinct and so when its owner goes into the water, it takes off and goes to save and bring back to shore,” Pilenga told ABC News. “This is guided by us obviously with training techniques.” (1)

Newfoundland Dog Breed 

While Pilenga and his team will train any breed to be a lifeguard dog, he considers Newfoundland dogs to be especially suited to the job. While you may not expect these giant dogs (a male can weigh up to 150 pounds) to be great swimmers, they have a long history with the sea. (1, 3)

For many years, Newfoundlands were shipboard working dogs and were known for their ability to save drowning men from the ocean. They’re excellent swimmers and even have partially webbed feet. Newfoundlands are so respected for their water rescues that their skills have been compared to Saint Bernards’ mountain rescues in the Alps. (3)

Newfoundlands are eager to please, which makes them generally easy to train. And while their size may make them look fierce, Newfoundlands are known for their patience and sweet temperament, which makes them great dogs for children. They’ve earned the nickname “nanny dogs”, a reputation that was strengthened by the dog Nana in Peter Pan. (3)

Another famous Newfoundland was Seaman, a dog who accompanied Lewis and Clarke on their excursion. He assisted the expedition as a hunter and guard dog. And once, he chased away a buffalo that was charging the camp. (3)

Lifeguard Dogs and Owners Work as a Team

In training at Pilenga’s lifeguard dog school, the owners and pups start by practicing obedience training and recall. They practice hooking the dogs up to the harness they will wear in the water. They use the harness to practice a technique called “flying” that involves pulling the dog up in the air. Then, they practice retrievals, even jumping out of helicopters on some occasions. (1)

“When we go to carry out a rescue, we are a team,” Pilenga said, describing the training to ABC News. “So if I’m tired, I can rely on the dog… if the dog is tired, it can rely on me.” (1)

The owner holds onto the dog’s harness in the water, working together to reach the person that needs rescuing. “[The] big advantage is that in this way I save a lot of energy, I am not tired when I reach the person,” Pilenga said. (1)

About 400 dogs in Italy have been licensed as lifeguard dogs through Pilenga’s training program. His team has also trained dogs in Germany and Switzerland. (1)

Licensed volunteers stand watch on beaches in their free time. The Italian Coast Guard and Port Authority have also found them helpful. (1, 2)

“The dogs assist our operations during the summer months,” Fabio Moro, a first marshal harbor coachman who works for the Italian Coast Guard, told ABC News. “Rescue dogs help us keep these areas under control.” (1)