Breed Improvement Suggestions for the UK GSD Breed Council - Page 21

Training clubs

Estwyn

From a dim and distant memory i thought the Sheff GSD training was down near Chesterfield now if you live in sheffield thats about 30 / 40 mins you have 2 sch clubs in that range and 1 a little further away

On a genereal comment re training clubs you could all start your own they all started like that and with a forum like this and others its easy to start a thread and solicite any interest plus contact your local breed club for a note of members local to you, many things are possible with the right amount of effort

Reason - its no so easy to get a club up and running.  These days the EU have introduced a rule that is currently enabling halls etc. to evict dog clubs from their venues, under a health and safety clause.  With this, the risk of 1 dog hair to a allergic person is enough for them to remove all dog clubs from their premises - its so wrong and something that should be dealt with.

Locally one of our clubs (a mixed breed  one) has been given notice to vacate and after 27 other venue's were contacted and it was made very clear to the club that dog clubs were not welcome in their premises.  Unless this trend stops it will be very difficult to set up a club unless a single individual has a lot of land and can make the space for the training club.

We  jsut rent a 2 acre field £50 quid a month and wear rainclothes when the weather is bad look, at the GSDL WB website (ex BSA) you will se new clubs popping up all the time

This issue is not too big. The principles are simple:
I offer a draft programme.

1) a two tier registration system.

2) the higher tier is for thos dogs that have passed an Approved Breed Survey,

3) The Approved Breed Survey will contain the following (LIST ITEMS)

4) The Breed Survey may contain other items (subject to agreement) (LIST EXAMPLES)

5) Obtain agreement "in principle" with the Kennel Club as soon as possible.

6) Once agreement in principle with the KC is obtained "formulate the Breed Survey" (existing Breed Survey is the basis)

7) obtain agreement of the Breed Clubs of the Final Draft of the Breed Survey.

8) Discuss and agree the "final draft" of the Breed Survey with the Kennel Club.

9) Breed Clubs agree the implementation Date of the NEW BREED SURVEY, to coincide with the Kennel Clubs introduction of the TWO TIER REGISTRATION SYSTEM for GSD.

10) Publish the NEW Breed Survey.

11) Evaluate the Breed Survey periodically, and introduce new health tests as and when they become available.

Videx

Good start lets see if the posters who can make it happen run with it or at least respond!

I wish we could get a field round here for that price!  We have been seriously looking at moving out of the area so that we can have better access to facilities.  Unfortunately in the south space is a premium and what isnt filled with horses is owned by money grabbing people who have kicked the horses off and are waiting for planning and wont let us near it (what a waste).

Most of the indoor rings are already grabbed by the agility classes and they are so over subscribed I've been on  a waiting list for 6 months!

Videx - good suggestion - lets hope the powers that be start to listen and implement the change and we can improve our breed and shame the poor breeders out there.

To Reason and All

I think your suggestion that :- (Offlead gaiting, gun test ,short down stay, play with a stranger with a toy, jump a simple obsticale it would at least be a start ) be part of the Character test of a Breed Council Survey is a perfect start and I see no reason why it could not be implemented with immediate effect . Lets face it guys by the time it gets to BC Survey age any well adjusted dog belonging to responsible owner should fly through all of those things, so no escuses not to introduce immediately. The only thing I would add to this is that the dogs be tested out in Open view at a Breed Championship show.

Then we need to ask the KC, no correction, TELL the KC that the GSD Breed Council not only recommends but wants a Two Tier Registration System because they want the Breed to Improve and that the Top Tier Registrations should only be given to litters bred from parents who have either passed a Breed Council Survey or in the case of Imports the equivelent in their country of origin  (i.e German Korung) etc.  With the bad publicity the KC is currently recieving since the controversial BBC broadcast there couldn't be a better time for us to start Demanding !!  

This is possibly our best chance of a way forward, it must be taken up now before the impetus is lost.

Regards

Sue B

Sue B

I am a newcomer to GSD and Schutzhund but not to dogs.

I have competed in Working Trials for many years with "another" breed and my GSD competes in WT and in Schutzhund having an AD SchH2 CDex UDex WDex to his name at the moment.

I can vouch for the fact that the Schutzhund "lot" are just as friendly and welcoming to newbies as WT are, in fact having had a dog which has done every discipline bar obedience and flyball (WT, Agility, Gundog work, breed showing, Schutzhund tests) I do not consider I live in any "camp".

I even got a Breed Survey Class 1 with my GSD last year and went to the Sieger with him where he came last with a G rating.

I took a bit of stick from the show people for putting him in in the first place, but I put him in as it was all new to me and like to experience everything for myself before I pass comment.

I cannot see why showing and working should be mutually exclusive but then perhaps I am naieve in the extreme.

I have always thought that health tests relevant to each breed should be mandatory, as I have always thought working quals should be (whether Schutzhund or not); there is always the FH1 and 2  and AD for those people not wanting to get involved in protection or there are the CD UD WD and TD titles in Working Trials available for the same reason.

I had a nice early night last night & felt rather gloomy about all this.  Fist time I've had a chance to look today (I'm at work) & I'm so excited... we're no longer bickering but agreeing with each other & it looks like we've got the basis for our "first draft"!  Oh! & I've won £50 on my Premium Bonds!

Reason, glad you're still here & fighting fit! 

Well done on your win

And isnt it a turn around????