Dog Community

Another iDog schutzhund dog?!

Posted : 11/6/2010 6:32:21 PM

For those who haven't already seen the great news via facebook, I figured I'd share some awesome news: Kes passed his schutzhund evaluation at a local club this afternoon!!!! Smile

Kes was worked with 3 other pups. Our TD (I think he'd be considered the TD, but not sure if that's his official title lol) started with a puppy rag on a rope, all dogs were given about 7' of lead (on agitation collars), and he worked to get each dog interested in the rag as he moved around the circle. Kes was a bit distracted at first, but by the second or third pass he was intent on it and was allowed to take it from the TD before he moved to the next dog.

The TD then started using a tug for Kes (different things for different pups at this point) - large round jute (I think) with 2 handles. Kes needed to bark for it before getting it and he did so happily once he figured out that it was working for once lol.

Once Kes was grabbing the tug well (no hesitation, full mouth bites), the TD let him take it, we jogged him around in a circle and back to the TD, got the tug away, and then repeated a few times.

At the end Kes got the tug and we took it back to the car with us. He was very proud of himself! Big Smile

The TD said that he "didn't see any reason why he couldn't do [schutzhund]" - he was confident despite being in a new location and working with a new person, no hesitation on grabbing the tug, decent bites, but a few bad habits to work through (using his feet when tugging primarily).

We go back on Thursday at 3p! The people in the club were very welcoming and really helped me feel at ease, so I'm looking forward to working with everyone in the future. The people watching the eval totally understood me being all psyched about his eval and everyone is very welcoming of different breeds. In the club there are GSD, malinois, rotties, am. bulldogs, giant schnauzers, and pitties! The TD even told me an awesome story about a mix that a schutzhund judge rescued from a shelter and won something national with in 1988 or so. Smile

AgileGSD

Posted : 11/7/2010 10:03:23 AM

Wow that's really cool! Schutzhund is fun, just wish I had time to pursue it.

Liesje

Posted : 11/8/2010 10:42:18 AM

Awesome! You'll have fun!

I give major props to the helpers that can work the other breeds. They really have to have that knack for "reading" dogs. With the GSDs, you look at the pedigree and you have a good idea how to work the dog and bring out the active aggression but with a mix or a different breed there isn't that advantage of knowing ahead of time what makes them tick.

stardog85

Posted : 11/14/2010 10:50:50 AM

Yea, I really like that our trainer is able to explain his thought processes a bit (I ask, otherwise he'll keep it to himself lol). It's even tougher with Kes since we don't know his full breed mix.

Update from yesterday for those who are interested:

During our work in protection, the helper said he had "excellent bites" and "if we were in a race we could have him on the sleeve and doing a bark and hold in 10 sessions"! Of course we're not in a race so we'll be taking it slow and steady.

An idea of our current progression: He started on a puppy rag and switched to a large tug at the end of the first session, worked on a large tug at practice Thursday, and is now on a 3 handled "bite pillow" - should be interesting to see what we do next week.

The trainer also wants to get Kes started on tracking next week so onward and upward! I was told to bring a pack of hotdogs and a knife to next Saturday's practice lol.

I'm just soooo proud of my boy and so excited to have the opportunity to train in a sport that I was never sure I'd have a dog with the right temperament/drives for. Big Smile

FrisbyPI

Posted : 11/14/2010 10:59:35 AM

Thanks for the update! Do keep sharing your progress reports--it's so fun to hear of mixed breeds in Schutzhund. Sounds like Kes is really having fun!