Youth in Schutzhund? - Page 2

Well I don't know of anyone that throws their kid into Schutzhund right off. If a child has been raised around dogs and trained their own in OB, played a little at agility and does the environmental stuff on my pups, I'd have to say she knows enough to handle her dog, at least on the practice field. I'd trust her with any of my dogs, over most any other handler on a field. The dogs outweight her, so I don't think she would be banging too hard, even if she did bang with a prong. I'm constantly on her to be firmer if anything. I wouldn't recomend Schutzhund as a learning place to start. Actually Sch is too boring for her and she wants to learn Belgian Ring. =D The object guard is just "too cool."

I was lucky to watch Daio at both the ME Regional and the Nationals when she competed. Very composed (more than T was :-) ) and handled herself well and with true sportmanship. At the Regionals, T made sure that he was not hovering and was way behind us (as I was taking photos) and at the Nationals, he was up in the stands to get a good view with the rest of his family.

4pack -- some of my friends are doing PSA -- didn't think anyone on this bpard was cognizant of that nor had any dogs interested in PSA -- good for you !! hello -- has anyone seen the kids in germnay handle dogs for show and schiutzhund protection and obedience ?? if not -- you would be greatly impressed !! -- CHANGER .. you make a vry very valid point !! yes children are very smart , imptessionable and learn what is at ahnd -- -- hope they learn in a posive manner and don't get imprinted with very negative methodologies -- i think the most important aspect for children to learn .. with any animal too -- is how each thinks , feels , learns , it's innate instincts and how the sum of all of these leads to the animals behavior

cledford, Your comments seem typical of the "old" timers in schutzhund that I have exposed to. If you don't involve youth then who carries the torch? What responsible club would allow a young person to abuse their dog? Maybe you correct a dog differently than I do, but a child should not be able to hurt an animal, nor would they need thaty much force if they are doing training correctly. It seems in that so many schutzhund people think it is so hard to train a dog for the sport, they act like they can walk on water or something and no one can do it as good as them and they are to darn insecure to share what they learned. Take a lesson from computers, young people can do more on them than most people 50 or older, they will figure out a way to outtrain the older generation as well. Desire is all you need, most people fail at first, but then go on to greatness. Involving children is also very good for the breed, continues to bring knowledge and understanding to a breed like GSD's that idiots think are naturally dangerous. Look at golf, they have many programs for the kids, and it is the fastest (and most lucritvie) growing sport in america. What if we could all sit down and watch a Sch Trial on ESPN, would that not be awesome? Who is going to do it, not the older generation. It is thought processes like yours that will allow the sport to die, but I believe enough young people can do what it takes to make Schutzhund not only more fun, but a nicer sport as well. Lots of clubs are so "my dog is better than your dog" it isnt even funny. Burns me up, it is about a dog and a handler making the most out of their individual abilities. Like in golf, I am a 5 handicap and shoot in the 70's almost everytime I play, yet I play with a guy who shoots 100's everytime. But we have fun together. Should it not be the same with our beloved GSD's and Schutzhund? Kudos to anyone willing to share it with young people, kudos to family oriented clubs. Pass the torch......

I was interested in Schutzhund as early as ten years old, but had no proper dog to train nor a mentor to teach me. I got pretty far in obedience with what dogs I had then on my own. I finally have my shepherd a decade later, but still realize how lonely the dog training world can be if you don't have anyone to help you get started, especially considering how hostile it can get. I think young people can do well with the right dog and the right mentor.

".... your children will be exposed to other's methods at club days or shows and trials..." and "...I believe strongly in teaching the younger generation how to treat their dogs with respect and dignity for a fellow thinking being. Schutzhund and other protection dog sports just might not be the right atmosphere for that teaching." (Changer) Yes, that's why when people are out of line and inappropriate in their behaviors towards others and or their dogs, people need to SPEAK UP, complain, and push for some overhaul in the sport. I don't see in any organization's constitution or bylaws that they are promoting foul or abusive language, drinking, drug use, and abusive training methods. Sorry, but I don't see any reason that people in the sport should have to tolerate having profanity screamed at them, having people drunk or high while working dogs, or need to watch dogs with multiple ecollars getting fried. This isn't only about the kids, why should adults have to put up with this either? I think youth involvement is much needed, but it also needs to be done with supervision and close mentoring.

<> I was not at the Regionals where Daio competed, but I was at Nationals and acted as one of the two people on the sidelines watching Daio like a hawk and giving her support from the sidelines. Her father was the other one. I was at the end of the field, T was at the side, right on the fence by the jump and wall. No, we didn't help her in any way that would have affected her doing it all by herself - but facts were, she was 8 years old, and she needed someone to look up and see right there, to nod and give her a "you're doing great" smile and thumbs up. T was there for her, right there next to the fence, and so was I. 8 years old - she needed that support from friends and family. She got it, and she did GREAT! Of course the dog was trained by her dad, and taught to listen to Daio and she performed perfectly for her. Excellent and something to remember - I really enjoy seeing young children, and older children too, being involved in the sport, with the direct and constant support of their parents and their trainers, and ideally - with pre-trained and titled dogs that they can learn from without having to go through the sometimes difficult and sometimes harsh training steps themselves until they are more experienced. molly

While agree with Cledford to a point about parents pushing kids to hard sometimes, I think it is important to involve them in activities that they are interested in. For example; my husband is an avid hunter and my son has gotten very into it. No one pushed him or tried to make him like it. He chose to do it and to spend time with his father. He loves this time with his dad and has even become a better shot than him. It is the 1st day of pheasant/quail season here so we'll see who gets the most birds! My children have expressed an interest in doing schutzund and although I think my son is to young (6) yet, my 15 yr.old daughter I think could do very well. She is very mature for her age and handles responsibilty very well. Do you think she should start with a puppy or should she start with an older dog? Any recommendations on a breeder that would have something that would work for her? Shelley

as I said before, I think the ideal dog for a child to start and become involved in Schutzhund sport with, is an older, titled, trained dog with a nice biddable temperament. With a dog like that, the child could learn from the dog, learn the sport AND learn training without having to do all of the multi-faceted training-from-puppy - which often involves stress (for both handler and dog), disappointment (if the pup doesn't work out for many reasons), lots and lots of time building foundation when the "fun stuff" is in working the experienced dog. My opinion. If the kid wants to raise a puppy, then raise a puppy, have fun with the puppy in the sport. But if the kid wants to be involved in the sport, then work an older experienced dog. molly

I agree with eichenluft to a point. An older titled dog would allow for immediate gratification and your daughter could learn from the dog. For a slightly bigger challenge you could get her a Sch 1 dog and let her attain the 2 and 3. Just be careful you don't buy a dog that is too much for her, unless she is as tough as my wife in which case get her whatever. On the flip side, nothing is more exciting than training a dog from puppy to adult. Yes it is hard, yes she might make mistakes, yes their are many reasons not to, but I am a big fan of training from puppy to adult on your own. The rewards are about 2000 times more rewarding. Your choice, I personally prefer the latter. Good luck!