PIKE COUNTY – Rich Pfeiffer shouts encouragement and directionsas his Portuguese Water Dog Annie leaps from the boat and headstoward the dock at Lake Dixie Springs.

Within a few seconds, the “note” the dog carries has beendelivered to Pfeiffer’s wife, Carole, and Annie returns to theboat.

“Good girl, Annie. Good girl,” Rich Pfeiffer says as he liftsthe dog from water.

The exercise, using a red pouch to simulate a message, recreatesone of the tasks the ancient breed performed many years ago whileworking with Portuguese fishermen. Other duties include suchfunctions as retrieving fishing nets and bringing them back toboats.

The skills will be on display this weekend as about 15 to 20Portuguese Waters Dogs and their owners come to the lake to trainfor trials later this year. Activities are scheduled 9 a.m. until 3p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 9 a.m. until noon Monday near thewaterfront homes of Mike and Lu Becker on Deadhorse Road andColville and Ann Jackson on Pineridge Road.

“This a fun day informal training,” Ann Jackson said. “Most ofthe trials start in the early summer and go through fall.”

This weekend’s event is sponsored by the Portuguese Water DogClub of the Mid Gulf Coast. Jackson said the club has about 30members from Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, North Carolina,Georgia and Florida.

The Pfeiffers, from Baton Rouge, arrived early for the weekend,during which Rich will serve as the informal trainer.

On shore Thursday, Lacey and Beverly Collier enjoyed an earlyglimpse of the training exercise. They said they like traveling thecountry in their recreational vehicle, which they called a “largemobile dog,” with their pets Storm and Little Breeze.

“They are everything you could ever want in a dog,” said LaceyCollier, a retired federal judge from Pensacola, Fla. “They aresmart, athletic and friendly.”

The Jacksons got their first water dog in 1993. They now havefour.

“They’re like potato chips. You can’t have just one,” AnnJackson said.

In fact, the Jacksons have begun breeding water dogs. TheirFerncliff is the second-leading breeder in the United States, shesaid.

Portuguese Water Dog pups range from about $1,500 for a pet toaround $2,000 if it is planned for shows and trials.

Colville Jackson said the breed, with fewer than 100 worldwidein 1950, almost became extinct. He said a prominent Portugueseshipping magnate assumed the project of rescuing the dogs from theverge of extinction.

Today, the number of dogs is still relatively small, andbreeders take strides to ensure the purity of the breed ismaintained, Ann Jackson said. Citing 2004 statistics, ColvilleJackson said the American Kennel Club registered 144 PortugueseWater Dogs last year compared to almost 17,000 Labradors.

Jackson said visitors are welcome to come and watch thetraining. She said dogs and owners will gather at Keith Byrd’spavilion around 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.