Today I retire my first Schutzhund Dog - Page 1

Today I retire my first Schutzhund dog Molly. For the past three years I have had the privilege and honor to learn the sport with her by my side. A dog with tremendous courage and spirit, she will have a special place in my heart for the joy and confidence she has given me. A dog that gave me all she had and surprised a few along the way. It would have been great to end on a high note, but regardless, I am very proud of her. I will miss her quirky ways, but know it is the right time for her to take it easy. She deserves that and more. Thank you, Molly for helping me find something that I love to do and for the opportunity to meet such wonderful people along the way. The bond we share is truly magical and I can just hope that I find that in another dog someday.

Felice vom Amulree aka Molly, SchI, CD, RA, CGC, TDI

Cheryl

Cheryl, Thanks for sharing the sentiment and bond you share with Molly. Beautifully spoken. I hope she has a long and relaxing sentiment. There is another thread about "what makes a good dog trainer"; I think it takes many, many opportunities to work with special dogs like you describe. Renee

Should read: I hope she has a long and RELAXING retirement.

Lucky Molly, Lucky you.  That's what it's all about....

Cheryl and Molly,,,
            Congrats on all your accomplishments...much to be proud of....

                     Here is to a happy new season in life...


          Deanna...: )

hopefully not fully retired?!
my old girl loved taking bites clear past 10 yrs old, she was a sch3.

Something people often forget is these old retired dogs are excellent for training new decoys!  They are typically "safe" for the decoys to work and they enjoy getting to come out to the club as well, keeps them active too :).

Vickie
www.PowerHausKennels.com

Thank you everyone.  Molly is almost 5 and I have decided to retire her due to ongoing health issues.  In addition she has severe HD, which resulted in her in ability to clear the jumps without touching (which was ok by me).  She never showed any signs of pain and I had her xrayed last year to compare them to the ones taken at 2 to determine if there was any negative impact to her training.  The vet didn't see any changes, so we continued.  After her Schutzhund I in May she sufferred a severe complication due to her EPI and Sibo and dropped to 48 lbs.  Heart rate dropped to 60 bpm and kidneys were shutting down.  A specialist  provided new treatment which immediately worked and gave us the ok to continue.  Since the weather changed, we have noticed subtle things.  She has begun to avoid the jumps and will stop and stare at her crate in the back of the truck.  She used to fly into it before.  In addition she started letting go of the sleeve during driving after the escape bite.  I think that is putting too much strain on her hips.  She does not show any outward signs and if she had, I would have retired her earlier, however she does really love to work.  She doesn't know that she is not hitting hard and that she is not fast.  I was very proud of her this weekend because she did do everything I asked, but just not with the power and grips necessary to achieve her title. 

In addition my trainer and our helper have been great working with me thru these issues.  Most probably would have just sent us on our way.  For them both, I am grateful because without having the chance to work Molly I would not have learned so much about the sport as well as gained invaluable experience trialing.  In the begining I was terrified to take her out on the field and work her in front of people let alone ever trialing her. 

Molly will continue to come everywhere with me and I will still take her out and work on her moving exercises and heeling, etc.  She blew her moving stand, so just for my own personal satisfaction, I would like to proof her on that.  She also is one of the founding dogs in the American Cancer Society's Bark for Life  and is always in demand to represent us in their various events.  She will continue to be a great ambassador for our breed.

Luckily I prepared for this day and acquired a working line pup earlier this year.  She is 11 mos old and ready to work.  I am hoping that all I learned training and competing Molly will help me be a better handler for Brenna.

Thank you again,

Cheryl

Molly will now live and still take a bite out of the bad guys :)))
Always,
Cee

Renofan, I had to "retire" my male at the age of 3 after an accident. He just got his three and I was ready for Regionals.
He cant jump. The sad think is the injury caused the sciatic nerve to be pinched. He is ok but anytime he turns weird or jumps weird, the nerve blocks and he falls. It unlocks after few seconds and like nothing had happened.

I track him. I had to do something with a 3 year old dog. SO we got his Fh2 and I am hoping to get IPO FH next year and maybe even compete in tracking.

It sucks whe the dog has it all but something is stopping them from the performance!
It sucks because he was ready for his PSA title... I am still pretty upset about it. but he doesnt know he is a little"disabled" he thinks he rocks the world when he searches places!

I know how you feel.. Molly is pretty happy to do whatever you tell her to do!

Pack