Sometimes I’m not politically correct. When I look for a dog I go to a reputable breeder. I research the lines and the breeder’s record. I get references. I test the puppies and then I select the new family member. Make no mistake, a dog entering my home is a family member with an …
Thank Goodness Dogs Can’t Read
Thank Goodness Dogs Can’t Read I was reading through the comments on one of the SAR groups listing and saw an entry where the writer was adamant that a handler should not lay their own tracks. It made me glad my dogs couldn’t read since I’ve been laying my own tracks for training for over …
German Shepherd Tracking: Splitting Hairs
Splitting Hairs I will never forget going to a board of directors meeting as we discussed a tracking standard. The first thing that happened was the discussion descended into defining tracking, trailing and splitting the hairs finer and finer. Here is how the definitions went: ¨ Tracking is when the dog follows footstep to footstep …
German Shepherd Training – Food or Fun?
Food or Fun If you go to the Leerburg website, see if you can find his article about the difference in how dogs are trained to meet the RCMP standard versus typical training in the US. It is worth reading. Historically I trained my dogs with food, gradually weaning off the amount of liver tidbits …
Belle Earn Schutzhund 1
I love Belle’s quiet determination. It is a real mental exercise to switch between her and Lektor aka “bulldozer”. As a handler you have act and respond so differently to best utilize the dog’s personality, but that’s how different dogs make a person a better handler. Belle did a wonderful job and she gave me something more. Trials have always made me nervous and have not been a pleasant experience, but thanks to Belle I intend to become more active in schutzhund and actually work toward competing at larger trials.
Lektor Goes 97 of 100 in Protection
At was a miserable day for a trial. At 7 AM when we started tracking the temperature had already hit 80 degrees and rising. There hadn’t been a drop of rain in weeks. Top it off we had spent the last month enjoying the cool breezes of the Adirondack Mountains with highs in the 60’s …
Cody Earns TD
Cody Earns TD Cody earned his AKC TD-tracking dog title April 5, 2009 in VERY strong wind conditions. The tracks were laid in an area where the grass is usually tall ,but since it is so early in the season, all the tall grass was just matted down and it was impossible to see where …
Joanna and Maggie Earn VST Title
On Sunday Nov.11, 2008 Maggie got her VST (Variable Surface Tracker) title and became Champion Tracker ! 🙂 The test took the place at the DuPage Government Center in Wheaton, Illinois. Maggie had tracked on four different surfaces which included short grass, cement, mulch and blacktop. The track was aged 3 hours and had 4 articles …
