Lack of quality working lines in the UK - Page 4

THANK YOU gsm44

That's him how the hell did I miss that lol I go on champ dogs all the time!!!!!

Hi Steve

We are awash with good working line dogs, but, not with suitable handlers/trainers for them!

In UK, the Schutzhund scene is very small and divided, many are not seriously competitive and most enthusiasts are ordinary working folk  - the cost of going to USA is simply not within easy reach.  I certainly couldn't afford it, even if I was competitive.  Until comparatively recently, it was not even possible to bring a dog back from USA  with it going into quarantine kennels for 6 months!

I think you will find the reason only one dog went to the WUSV is more a matter of affordability than training ability.

Margaret N-J

Its very simple Steve, SchH in the uk is not very big and not everyone can afford to go to a championship so far away.

Leigh, the problem you have seems to be a money thing. The police do not pay big money for good dogs and if you want to deal with this sort of dogs you have to get them cheap. But who is selling good dogs to you for the benefit of your profit if they can sell direct to the police? There are loads of good dogs about in the UK not only from foreign bloodlines.

Since the police do not care very much about the bloodlines, what they need is suitable dogs, you have to go out and see dogs. test them, bring the goods out of them and then offer them to the police.

All you need is a good eye and good skills to get it out of the dogs.

All the best

Ulf

Kaffirdog & Ulf

As you know the next WUSV is in Germany , that is not too far or expensive, a bit of travelling to do but okay if some are keen enough to go for it

I agree the USA would have been  expensive and so it was for the competitors over here in Belgium just the same

But the VVDH helped a bit ,the ones who went and dis not compete certain things wre done to help raise the money for them to go

Everything was booked prior and the whole team went together Dogs and all

It takes some planning but it was done,and remember, the whole of Belgium is no bigger than the south coast of England

And regards Trainers etc over there i do not know about that,

But i do know many from the UK come over to train with us at our club during the winter and indeed the Summer

In Jan or Feb we are expecting one or two and a couple were here only last month

They enjoy themselves and mix in, and everyone here  enjoys there company we all muck in together

Plus they bring me over some Swedes, and Strong Chedder Cheese, which is a treat for us. we treat it like Gold Dust

Steve

kaffirdog ' We are awash with good working line dogs, but, not with suitable handlers/trainers for them! '

And that is problem, too many high drive dogs being bred, unmanageable for the inexperienced hand therefore totally unsuitable as normal family companions but with such a glut of pups to get rid of will all these breeders keep the ones they have no suitable homes for? Doubtful, so more and more unmanageble ,hypo dogs end up causing countless problems for their owners or find themselves thrown out into the street or rescue kennel.

AS

I agrre with you Steve, but as I said since SchH was introduced in the UK only in the early 90ths its still has to develope in training, structure and so on. I am sure there will be more competitors from the UK next year in Germany. I cant take part as my dog hasnt even a BH yet and its still a long way to go, but I am optimistic for 2010.

BTW, how can you like cheddar cheese when your neighbour, the dutches, make the best cheese in the world

All the best

Ulf

Hi AS

Where do you get the idea that working line dogs are unmanageable and hyper?  Most working line dogs are high energy, but confident and level headed with a versatile attitude that can adapt to most situations so when I say "there are not the handlers for them", I meant serious trainers who can develop the dogs drives to the full and know how to direct them to take them to the top in Schutzhund - it is still a very new and minority dogsport in UK and new converts have to unlearn their previous conception of dog training before they can progress.  It is true that working line dogs do not make good prisoners in a confined kennel environment because they need mental stimulation and human contact, but do very well in an environment where they free to be part of the family life, properly exercised and played with.  It is a mistake to confuse "hyperactivity "(which is usually a product of unsettled nerves) with "high drive" which has the potential to be as high as you choose to develop it or a lot lower if you don't. 

I have The Management, litter brothers, both HOT Schutzhund qualified (by Pasco v Peko Haus, they don't come much tougher or higher drive than that) plus Floh, K9Ulfs Sch H III Malinois bitch (higher drive than most GSDs you will ever meet), all harmoniously living free in the house and barely know they are there most of the time.  Offer them an outing or some work to do and they come to life in a heartbeat.  Many on this forum have working line dogs as house dogs and I have yet to see a post from one who wishes they got a showline dog instead, so I don't think my working line dogs are exceptions to the rule.

Margaret N-J

a bored dog is a destructive one .... you cant have a working line GSD and treat it like a lap dog

the only time I have heard anyone say they didn't get on with having a working line was a lady who walked her working line gsd round the block once a day ??!! he was bored stupid and wasn't allowed toys or any interaction with other dogs ...so he got destructive (like any dog would in that situation)

I agree with Margaret 100%, most of my last litter went into active pet homes and i am yet to receive a complaint :)

Ulf

You are Joking

Dutch Cheese the best in the world, i do not think so,it does not have the flavour of the English strong Chedder

Plus you do not see much Dutch Cheese here in Belgium and a Dutchman said the same thing to me about there cheese being great

I replied its all a fraud anyway, You only get part of what you buy, Most of your cheeses have holes in it and we get 25% less cheese than we should get for our money

He could not answer that one

Steve

Steve

lol, good one, despite the holes in the cheese dont weigh anything, just nessecary during the curing process.Anyway I will stick then with the german cheese.

Now we should get back to the subject or will we otherwise get our arses kicked?

Do you have some helpers over there who can put in action what I want to do in bitework with my dog? Its a genuine question as I cant travel too often to Germany for training or get the helper over here.

All the best

Ulf