Welcome to the United Schutzhund Clubs of America - Page 6

Thanks Mary, and good luck to you too.  We are building now on our Washington property, hopefully I will be able to move up next year.  By the way I bought a new Dodge Nitro on the last day of  May of last year and I have put 22,500 miles on it as of today.  Those are almost all schutzhund miles too!!! 

Have another drink Randy.

As a new GSD owner (Thanks Chris), I find these threads very interesting and entertaining because IMO the "clubs" I have contacted trying to find somewhere to train and enhance my dog are not interested in anything but exclusion. That applies to both USCA and WDA. When I contemplated getting a new pup I was psyched about finally getting into a sport I have really wanted to participate in for years.  After my pup arrived and I started checking into the regional clubs here I came to realize that frankly they apparently were not interested in new members or even in having somebody come by and observe.  I have contacted all of the clubs in and around my area in Texas listed on USCA and WDA web sites and have been informed that a.) They are a paper club and only have training for "pay" (read dog training facility)  b:) aren't accepting any new members as it detracts from the training time of the current club members c:) aren't interested in you unless you "know somebody" or d:) just don't respond to any emails or inquiries about how to participate or meet with them at all. The only club that was polite and invited me to meet with them was over 300 miles away so it was impractical. So with my limited experience (albiet negative) in trying to join a club I can understand how the parent organization is just as fragmented and exclusionary. There isn't any reason for me or any other GSD owner to join USCA or WDA if you can't find a:) a club to join, b:) no help from the parent organization in forming new clubs, c:) the membership is so elitist you feel like an homeless person dropped into a debutant ball.  Perhaps if clubs were actually that and really interested in moving not only the dog but the sport forward by promoting events, recruiting new members and highlighting all the positive traits the GSD has all of this petty bickering would become mute and trials and events would become more prevalent and viewed in a positive light.  After all the GSD is the second or third most registered dog in the country but the participation of the breed in the sport that was created for it is miniscule by comparison.   I know that this does not apply to all people currently working hard in the sport and who are open to growing and enhancing not only the sport and the breed. To those folks, cudo's.   Just my opinion based on my experience.

Liesjers- there are PLENTY of clubs, at least in my area. Having to choose between one half or the other is just a bummer. I have just enough time to work my own dogs, getting involved with clubs and trial hosting, etc., is just not something I have time for. So if I'm hypocritical for complaining but not giving back, ah well. Maybe when my kids are older and I'm not working full time on top of trying to work my dogs I'll have time time to be more active in the poltics. Right now I lack not only the time but the interest, and I know I'm not alone. I just want to train my dogs, have fun, and go on with my life.

jdwintx, I had a similar experience, although plenty of people were nice about it, most of the clubs told me they were full or were just a paper club that doesn't train, or a club that only trains casually and never holds trials.  Our solution was to start a new club.  It took a while but it was worth the effort.  Most of our members have their first Schutzhund dog and those with lots of experience have the patience of a saint!

KCzaja, I don't think you are a hypocrite and we all have limits to how much we can participate.  I'm mainly annoyed with those that point fingers at one organization for not having enough events in their area as some sort of proof that the other organization is better, but the finger pointers are not the ones doing all the hard work making sure that there are clubs and trials available.  They are using someone else's hard work and throwing it in other people's faces.  I don't think this is unique to one organization, it depends on the locale.  To me it's like people that constantly bitch about one political party and never go out and vote. 

On one hand it's nice to only be about training the dogs, but on the other hand if we all want to trial and have opportunities to trial, someone has to put in the work hosting the trials and pay the tab.  I think this is why we have so many problems in both organizations.  People are only concerned with how things help them personally and their dogs but not the organization or the breed as a whole.  If everyone had the same attitude and no one got involved to start new clubs for more members or host more shows and trials, we'd have nothing.

Liesjers do you not leave room for the possibility that those of who prefer to remain with the organization that affords  more opportunities  to trial are also the same people who belong to the various clubs that are putting on said trials and doing the grunt work putting on those trials, and paying their club dues, and entry fees?   Why would you assume people who stay with  USA because of the amount of trials are not helping USA?  And yes, for me, logic dictates the organization that puts on 3 times the amount  of trials  in my region  IS  the organization that is best for ME.  And sure we start new clubs - USA clubs.   I have a very good friend who just started a WDA club, I say good!  Finally, from my prospective, I happen to believe USA is the better organization as a whole for the breed, so of course I would stay with them.  So how is this selfish again?

I'm not assuming that at all, and I'm not criticizing USA  or you personally.  At this point I have more criticisms of WDA and that is where I am a member.  What you describe are the kinds of clubs and people that both organizations need.  However there are plenty of people bitching about this or that that have never helped organize a club or host a trial or show or seminar.  This is my reaction in general, not just this one thread and the people in it.  The PDB is not the only place where this issue has come up.

The organization best for me is the one that lets me be involved and hears my voice/vote.  There aren't trials, shows, or clubs for either org in my area (west Michigan) but it evens out if I expand 2-3 hours.  Going west there is plenty of WDA and some USA and going south or east there is plenty of USA and some WDA.  I would have been perfectly happy to be a card holding dues paying member of BOTH organizations.

As would I, and if the Johannes amendment goes away I will most likely join WDA, but my heart is with USA, I will not leave USA to join WDA just to protest  the Johannes amendment.   

I think that is fair.  You obviously have plenty of experience training and trialing and have an informed decision and some loyalty one way or the other.  I would rather have people join the WDA because they want to expand and promote the organization than join simply out of protest, so I'm in agreement with you on that.  I would rather have people disagree on which organization is better for the breed than having people just joining willy-nilly whichever one is closer without any thought put into how the organization is run and how they intend to participate beyond just training their dogs.  I would just like to see more people committed to being involved, regardless of which they choose.  Again this is not a criticism of anyone in this thread, I do not know you guys personally so I cannot make judgements, but I do know many young people and novices that are only in it for themselves and their dog and have no intention of truly participating in either organization.

I am guilty of it myself, I know.  I enter multiple dogs in many UKC events (conformation and other sports/performance events) and then catch myself complaining about changing the location of the big annual Premier event, or who was chosen to judge or this or that and have to remind myself that I don't have much right to complain when I've never made the effort to get involved with the clubs who host the shows and trials or volunteer to help out.

I agree, everyone needs to help out, participate in one fashion or another.  I'm not good at the running of an organization, but I am good at grunt work.  Everyone needs to do what they can. 

I agree with jdwintx.
 
I've visited to 2 different clubs in the past year, both outta my state and just the presence of me there.. I felt shut everyone down or turned them off. Both clubs knew I was gonna stop by to check them out with my dog, I mean I phoned weeks in advance and it all sounded like a fun time and both clubs told me to bring my dog and have fun.

When I got there, it's like everyone stopped training and congregated around me and my dog with nothing but questions about my dog IE: pedigree, training, titles, accomplishments etc .. and I really didn't feel the need to answer most of them.

When I told them my dog and I are new to all this (like I did on the phone), it's like they didn't like that idea all of a sudden. It just reminded me of them wanting dogs that are already trained or a certain pedigree and can just go out there and compete with the rest of their dogs right away. My dog and I know the basics, just never played on a real training field with pros. So we would both need to learn.

The one club wouldn't let me and my dog on the field, I had to give my dog to one of the members to take to the training field and that didn't go over too good with my Mal after 5 mins into it. So with that club, they said she was handler aggressive and a liability. That club pissed me off because if I would have known I wasn't allowed to train my own dog I would have never drove 400 miles to check this place out.

The second club was alright but the training area was small and all the members were 50 plus years old. The decoy was older and I felt bad when my dog knocked him off his feet. So, that club wasn't for me either or even young dogs. IMO.

Shelley's club is where I had planned when I had the brainy idea to get involved .. now she moved and I have no backup plan. Kinda sucks for us her club isn't there anymore.

About the only place I see worth the effort in PA is the Hegins Valley Police and Schutzhund  .. but they require United Schutzhund Clubs of America membership plus other stipulations that compared to other clubs is a little steep. A friend of mine took me there a couple years ago and it was ideal training .. but a higher class of people than I'm used to being around. I prefer the not so perfect crowd or backwoods type if I'm dishing out big cash.

 Just seems clubs around here really don't wanna see new people getting anywhere with a new dog or the prices and/or stipulations for membership are that of a noose in regards to Schutzhund.

JMO.