Sample video ffrom NASS 2005 - Page 2

Not to mention, you are also handling a really good dog, Louise.

"Not to mention, you are also handling a really good dog, Louise." Thank goodness--just take a look at dog number 24 in the performance test at the 2005 USA Sieger Show in Carson City. I'm just trying to give the benefit of the doubt to some of the well-known breeders with multiple working class dogs entered in the same show. I haven't a clue if the dog in question is "a really good dog". However, I can't imagine why a breeder would keep a male that does marginal bitework.

Why would someone enter a dog in a show that is not ready? If you are handling multiple dogs, should'nt they all be ready to perform the task? If you are a breeder looking for a stud, would you breed to a dog that performed as poorly as in the example video? This is a problem folks! If this dog was "pronounced", on paper this dog would appear to be an acceptable stud. If judges want to pass poor performing dogs in the perfomance arena we should collectively remember these dogs. Why? So that when someone inquires of such a dog, the correct story of what was observed can be told. The problem here in the USA is that we purchase dogs sight unseen. Then we have so much invested in the dog we feel forced to work with what we have and end up with what was on the video clip. I'm personally into the working lines. To me, there is no difference between a non performing working line dog and a non performing show line dog. Neither is good for the breed and they are both poor examples of the breeds history.

"The problem here in the USA is that we purchase dogs sight unseen." The "exampled dog" was not purchased sight unseen. So what if he was only SchH1, so was I-kon vom Olympus.

The example dog will surely be adverticed for stud with a pronounced rating. As long as it looks good on paper, everyone is happy. Are all judges guilty of this?? never seeing a dog fail to get pronounced unless it runs off field. And how about a good stick hit on both dog and judge to wake them up.

I may be wrong but I don't think I am, not only did the first dog get pronounced he went VA5. Sorry but give me a break! Why do the bite work if it doesn't mean anything. I was at the show and the male bite work was almost pathetic. Although I think the VA1 dog would make a wonderful bitch.

To clarify this subject: I have not seen the video in question. But if the "first dog" is as described, that is Zeb v. Kirchenwald. He is my husband's dog. Zeb is SchH 1 and had not done any protection work since his breed survey in April 2005. He had 2 practice sesssions in the two days before the NASS bitework. Just as the dog reached the off line mark, the blind blew over. The helper came in front of the blind to reset it. Then the dog had to start over. I know as well as everyone else how "not pretty" the attack out of the blind was. Zeb's long bite was fine. Why was the dog shown? Because my husband wanted to show HIS dog. Given everything else that he puts up with, I consider this a small return request in the grand scheme of things. In the end, poor Zeb had to run the class alone, since his brother, Zeke, was running towards the head of the pack. About Zeke (2005 NASS VA-5, First Place American Bred): So far as I know, Zeke's protection work is not pictured in the sample video. Zeke is my personal dog and has always done solid protection work (save for the crash and burn at Reno last year that left bystanders catcalling the helper...). Zeke passed bite work at the German Sieger Show and worked regularly on German Bundessieger Prufung helpers without any problems. What I suspect happened on the part of the videographers, is that they wanted to do me a "favor" and present my dog in the sample video. As luck would have it, they chose the wrong dog to feature. Would that they had chosen to feature Thea v. Kirchenwald's protection work... Oh well, just more fodder for the doggie gossip mills. Thank you Sharyn, for the "benefit of the doubt." Those who were there also know that I was the NASS Show Chair and was wearing at least 50 different hats that weekend. Another thread on this site was concerned with a female being "spooked" at the gunshots at NASS. Here is the real story, per the official ring steward of that class: The ring steward saw the dog freak and drag the owner out of the ring. She mentioned this to the judge. When the dog re-entered the ring, Herr Schweikert called that dog and one other one directly in front of him to assess gun sureness. The dog had no problem. Obviously, whatever spooked the dog had nothing to do with gun sureness. And just as obviously, those who would be so quick to denigrate this female were not watching when she proved herself to be solid. Gayle Kirkwood

No, Kevin, I must disagree. The VA-5 dog to which you reference is Zeke v Kirchenwald. On my personal home video of the NASS working males' bitework, I can clearly identify Zeke's catalog number, 1024, on the handler's bib. In my video of Zeke's performance test in Pittsburgh, he was not without fault but was "pronounced"--far, far better than his work in Carson City (which I also have on the official DVD). You may recall that we met at the show in Carson City. The first dog dog on the NASS sample video is,indeed, Zeb v Kirchenwald, a litter brother to VA-5 Zeke. Zeb went V-15 (sorry, not as V-16--as I stated in my first contribution to this thread) at NASS. Easy for one to confuse the brothers as they are very similar in appearance. The only other working class Kirchenwald male at NASS was Pitt--listed in the official results as EZ. Kevin, you ask: "Why do the bite work if it doesn't mean anything ?" Unhappily, the bitework is judged as pass or fail and can be pretty sloppy. Therefore, a flawless, fine-tuned performance test has nothing to do with a dog's final placing. Fred asks: " Are all judges guilty of this??" Apparently--yes,even those who have a reputation of being "working-line friendly". Your dog may tend to fare better if you have political clout and a German handler for the gaiting. No sour grapes about NASS--I attended as a spectator. Nor any comments about your statement that the VA-1 male "would make a wonderful bitch".

Gayle, no disrespect intended in this thread. Because of my priority to my dog, I couldn't possibly wear "50 different hats". Give your husband a truly exhilarating thrill with HIS dog: let HIM train, fine-tune Zeb, and handle him in his next protection routine.

Louise, While my husband would like to train HIS dog, his profession keeps him globetrotting for about 3 weeks out of every 4. And this is one of those cases where it is much easier for me to step in and handle the dog than to try and train my husband! After 35 years of trying, I know better than to attempt the impossible!