Bill & Cathy wrote:
Lisa M,
Great slide show! But I gotta say I was pretty creeped out by all the photos of the guys holding sticks as though they were going to beat the dog. Was the dog actually beaten with those sticks?
Cathy
HI Cathy
I train my dogs for a world recognized sport called Schutzhund. This sport originated as a breed suitablility test for the German Shepherd and when translated it means "protection dog". This suitability test has now evolved into a worldwide sport that accepts all breeds to compete.
In Schutzhund there are 3 phases of a trial the dog must pass. They include tracking, obedience, and personal protection. In the protection phase, the dog must find a hidden bad guy, corner him and bark and hold him there without touching. Then , the handler come, calls the dog back. The helper/decoy then attempts to escape. At this point the dog is to to engage the man to prevent hims from escaping. The decoy then hits the dog twice with a PADDED stick as a test of the dogs courage. Many dogs will not hold on because of this. The sticks hits are a away of exposing character weakness in a dog. If a dog lets go in a trial and does not reingage, the dog fails. It's all part of the test. The helpers in th e photos are experienced. One is certified to work trials in Canada and the other trials in the US. The training done is very professional and always safe for the dog. Thank you for your interest.
More on Schutzhund
More on Schutzhund
