What I love and hate about Sch........ - Page 3

It's probably a people thing in general.  The people that treat their sport, whatever it is (agility, Schutzhund, riding, chess, etc.) competitively have little patience for those who don't.  The more elite a sport is, and the more time that needs invested to really make it in it, probably increases these emotions.  I have an obedience club I train with and they are very welcoming to anyone, but I don't think anyone there has hopes yet towards a UD, much less a OTCH... we are all just people who love to train and spend time with our dogs... we have different training philosophies, methods, and past accomplishments... but we are there to learn, not create the next champion.  My experience with obedience/rally trials is warm and supportive.  Many people there are titling their first dog, whereas the AKC agility trials are mostly people working towards their MACHs (sometimes MACH 2s, 3s, etc.). 

I am far off the original topic now.  So I'll add this: I LOVE the focus a good Schutzhund dog has in obedience!!  In AKC Obedience that isn't required and can be detrimental if the dog tends to crowd you because of it.

I suppose the advanatge is that you can compete against other countries if you are intressted in that. Other than that I find SCH a bit boring and artificial, more so than other protectionsports, too much obedience in the tracking and no practical search exercizes, the bitework a bit too easy and boring. But I can appreciate a strong dog doing a nice SCH-routine and realize there is much work behind it.

"I just was wondering out loud if grip sports are the weirdo chess club members who are the popular kids in the USA dog world?"

I knew you were just having fun.  I think the grip sports are the Fonzies: have a bad reputation, they're the motorcycle gang, but they're really the best people you could ever meet, and are NOT what they appear to be to the uninformed!

Sadly, I think the "popular kids" nowadays are those who think having a dog spend ANY time outside is literally a crime.  I hear it all the time.  Have an outdoor run?  You're CRUEL.  Have a dog spend a night outside, even with a straw-filled insulated doghouse?  You're a monster.  I was showing a co-worker photos of a litter of puppies (not mine).  The puppies were adorable and you know what she said?  "They're on STONES!"  She was horrified.  The photos were taken in a large, immaculately clean, gravelled dog yard.  "You mean they lie on STONES?  That's horrible!"  She couldn't get past it.  Of course there was a beautiful dog house and shade trees, and the puppies spent a lot of time inside the actual home of the breeder.  But their exercise yard was gravelled - much cleaner and parasite free than grass or dirt!  And she has 3 dogs of her own. Obviously not working dogs.  Meanwhile she NEVER takes her dogs for a walk.  Actually, now that I think about it, of all the people in my neighborhood who own dogs, and it's probably the majority of households, I can only think of TWO other houses who EVER take their dogs off the property for a walk, and a "walk" for these poor canines is: for one of them it's once around the block, and for the other it's once a day down to the corner and back (literally less than a 2-minute walk).  That's IT. 

But that's how you're supposed to raise a dog today.  It NEVER goes outside and is NEVER off a leash.  EVER.

I do like your analogy better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tess
I belonged to a motor cycle Gang when i was young and i am a nice Guy, well i think i am

zdog
If any trainers talk about me behind my back then i would not know would i,
I guess they might but i would not think it negative otherwise they would give me up as a lost cause and that has not happened yet, and i do not think it will in the future
There are some good generous people about, who want to see others do good and if they do good then that is benifit to the club
My main club has been going on now for over 60 years and the Guys are proud of it Many great Handlers and Dogs have passed on over time from this Club
The point is to work hard at what you want to do if you slack and show no interest then yes you will be given up as a lost cause and probably be talked about because you will have given up yourself
Me i love it sometimes i go and it is not so great the Dog does not work as well as you expect, then another time you train and everything clicks it is great
Saturday i tracked Goran He was not so good and made a few mistakes, This Morning i tracked him again he went like a dream, and he knew it you could see the dog was pleased with himself and of course they love to be praised
 He is flesh and Blood and they and us get an off day, So these top Guys who help know that things will not always go right even with there own dogs but they train again to put it right and normally thinks work out
Steve1

I agree, the point is to have a great time.  That's just it, most of us do.  I think our club is pretty cool and most of the people i've met are generally good people.  But like any group there's always a few that standout the most, and usually it's not for good reasons.

steve1, that's what I meant.  That you ARE a nice guy, but some people probably heard "motorcycle gang" and thought the worst.  Same with grip sports.  People think "how horrible" without knowing anything about the people or the dogs involved.

sueincc
Kitkat if I recall, you went to ONE trial and afterwards you were very complimentary about the way you were treated at that trial. 
    Everyone at Shelley's was very nice.Those are NOT the sch people I was referring to, In fact, YOU, are one of those that I consider rude. If there is a Band Wagon of insult, YOU are one of the first ones to jump on it, as are a few others ON THIS BOARD !!!

    As I recall, when I said I was going to the trial, I was told, don't go by some, and just generally discouraged by others. Those are the sch people I was referring to.

      I had a great time at Shelleys.Hell, Shelly is ONE OF THE BEST people involved in the sport. She's honest, truthful and funny! Jackie was GREAT, John, more helpful than anyone knows, and so on and so on. 
                              ENCOURAGEMENT... If they liked me or not. THAT should be the name of the game!
     I have several people I have met from the board that I talk to, PM and e-mail. EVERYONE OF WHICH is Good People.
Sometimes they tell you what you'd really rather not hear, but can say it with class and cooth.They have better things to do than lie in wait of someone to attack.
    If I never get a dog titled , I'm still learning something new everyday, be it pedigrees, training, ailments, whatever. I'm not a self proclaimed KNOW-IT ALL.
     That's the reason I come here, to learn about the sport, and the dog
                            sueincc ;surely you don't want to rehash that whole business do you?   YOU CAN RE-HASH,re-trash and re-bash me sue and I would do it the same way again. If my dog is given 50/50...I'm shooting for the 50 that they will live!!!That'sa just me!
       That is one of the things I don't care for with some sch. people, NOT ALL, so PLEASE DON"T THINK I'M SAYING it is You, or most sch people. Dogs seem to be easily disposed of, when they have served their purpose in the sport.
     They are re-homed, handled by this one, that one and the other one, until like Amanda and Adrie, No-One knows WHO had them last, and that to me is wrong.
     dogs are considered assets to many breeders. A commodity easily sold and traded off.
Just check the classifieds and see how many older dogs are for sale.All my dogs are family members, the only place they go after they lived their lives, is "Maple Rest".

Kitkat:   You have NEVER heard me talk shit about other grip sports or for that matter, any other dog sports.  In fact you have    never heard me talk shit to anyone who was actually  interested in learning about schutzhund and in fact I did nothing but encourage you to title your blue dog when you started frequenting this board and defended your right to do so.  Your ONLY problem with me came about because me and many others were sick and tired of you and your buddies  hooting,  hollering and carrying on and destroying other people's threads with your stupid feud.  That and the totally bizarre thread about the poisoned dog - surely you don't want to rehash that whole business do you?

I enjoy schutzhund immensily....the people are no different than anywhere else people congregate...some good...some bad. Just like anything else in life...you'll meet people you like and dislike....even dogs you won't and will like.