Our first Schutzhund Trial

 I can't offer you any specific help on Schutzhund, but I can offer good wishes for the trial!  Just remember to BREATHE, and get there early so you can walk around and shake off any nerves.  Give both you and Rafe some time to get adjusted to the sounds and smells of the venue.  Maybe talk to other competitors and see how their first trials went, start up a conversation.  For me, I find that this calms me down, as it takes my mind off the approaching event.

Good luck!  I can't wait to hear how it goes.  

I have no experience with Shutzhund but I wish you good luck and no nerves. I get nervous too and talking to other people is good advice and it takes your mind off yourself.  Trust your dog is what I repeat over and over before any type of competition or trial. 

Wishing you tons of luck...you will rule all!

Thanks, guys!  I'll try to get there in time to be able to practice on the field.  That's what I'm most worried about...he is used to training in different places, but this is a REALLY different place...lol!  I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.  And remember to breathe...  ;)

Good luck!  Kudos to using a different field.  It kinda irks me when I see so many dogs titling and getting High In Trial but always on their own training fields.  Maybe I'm just jealous b/c right now both of my training clubs don't ever host anything so EVERY field/course/ring is always new to us.

Haha, well, at least you HAVE a club! ;) The people I train with are just trainers with similar interests, not an actual club (which has its good and bad points).  I thought clubs were required to have a trial at least once per year (schutzhund clubs anyway)?  I think it would be good to start out on a familiar field for your first trial, just so you don't have SO many different things going on (new field, first trial, new people, new helper, etc., etc.), but I do think that you should definitely test your dog in more than one place.  It's a little unfair to only trial on your own field!

Yes you have to have one a year but not your first year and we haven't submitted our papers yet, so we are not an official WDA club until they accept our papers.

Our main problem is that our best/most experienced people haven't actually done SchH, they are ringsport people and people who train and/or handle police K9s.  So for example, when police K9s are tracking, they don't care about tight corners, air scenting, downing on top of the object...because their goal is to find the person or thing as quickly as possible.  Our TD uses lots of hand signals for obedience and commanding his dog.  For the police the dogs have to be accurate and driven, but there's not so many rules.

I am really interested in SchH please keep on posting, I haven't seen many *new* threads about it.

 It's a fun sport...if you can afford it/find a club xD

Xeph

 It's a fun sport...if you can afford it/find a club xD

I am interested for the future when I get a Rottie right now its impossible due to x reasons. But the more I read the better.

 I will openly admit some clubs are prejudiced and will not work anything but German Working line dogs.  I am lucky that my club was one of those that did not discriminate.  There were working lines, showlines, a Rottie that showed up on occasion, and a couple of Boxers :-)

Sorry OP I think we took it OT. Thanks Xeph.

Sowilu

Sorry OP I think we took it OT. Thanks Xeph.

I don't mind at all!  I'd also love to have more discussion on Schutzhund.  If you're really interested in learning what its all about, go to as many trials as you can.  A lot of them are few and far between, depending on where you live (I've been waiting for this trial for almost a year!). 

 As far as some clubs refusing to work with anything but German working-lines...wth?  I know there are people out there like that, but it's just ridiculous.  I mean, yes, those dogs are more likely to be easily trained and succeed, but just because a dog isn't from German working lines doesn't mean it can't work.  My dog is from a shelter, some random mixed breed dog, and he kicks butt!  Likely if you find a club that thinks this way, you wouldn't want to participate anyway.  They sound like very close-minded people.  Meh...glad I've never been to one like that...they'd probably massacre me...lol!  Sorry, got on my soap box a little...  ;)  I'm glad you found a good club that doesn't think like this, Xeph.

 And Leisje - I'm kind of in the same boat with you!  Our two "main trainers" that know about tracking and protection work stuff don't really have big schutzhund backgrounds either.  The one does and has titled dogs before, but it's been a Looooong time ago, so she's a little "old school."  The other trained personal protection dogs, which is a little different that a schutzhund dog.  I'm sure you guys will be ok, though.  :)  How does the WDA work?  I've always been curious about that.  I'm a member of USA, but I'd thought about looking into WDA as well.  Is it only for purebred dogs?  I'd thought it was kind of an AKC thing...?

As far as I can tell, WDA is just like USA except WDA titles ARE recognized on FCI pedigrees (that's really the only reason we chose to apply as a WDA club rather than USA).  Both have trials, Sieger shows for conformation...  I am a member of the WDA but I am not a member of the GSDCA.  I have zero interest in AKC conformation, though we do AKC rally because UKC does not offer it.