Latest Trial - I get to compete with my coaches :)

Ludovic Teurbane SEKG DVG Champ, Ivan Balabanov & Me

A couple weeks ago at the SPACE Coast Trial and the Southeast Regional DVG trial held in Alachua Florida, I had a chance to compete on the same field and under the same SV Judge as my two friends and coaches Ludovic Teurbane and Ivan Balabanov

We had a great time and really got to see a nice selection of top handlers and dogs in the Sotheast region. Akira did really well and got High IPO 3 with 97-96-90 in the open trial.

Akira, happy about her IPO3 High 

So I have made the decision to take a little break from competing with Akira so she can have her puppies :)
Yes you read that right, since we are now qualified for multiple events nationally and internationally, Akira was mated to Gonso.
Gonso is one of the last sons of World Champion Asko von der Lutter and is a grandson of Janko Vorwerkswald which brings alot of balance to his pedigree.

Gonso vom Wieratal

He is a very hard and dominant male and will make a linebreeding of 4-4 on famous dogs like Tim von der Abfuhr and Yoschy von der Döllenwiese when paired with Akira.
You can see more about it here
We expect puppies in mid to end of April. We hope to have nice black and tan and solid black puppies that will be well suited as service, sport and companion animals.

This way it gives us more than enough time to compete at the WUSV 2013 in the US, in October this year !You can see more info about the upcoming competition here 

Will keep you posted on all these and more in the next blog :)

First US Trial for Judge Ivan Balabanov- Success for Akira and I

 

A couple weeks back we were fortunate to take part in the Florida Working Dog Association's IPO Trial in Gainsville Florida. Akira got High in Trial and we were extra proud of our partner Sandy and her dog Hannah who earned their IPO 1. Thanks to Mike Rivers and his group of Working dog Sportmen and women. It was a really well hosted event complete with Burgers and hot dogs at the end :) The whole event was well executed and the atmosphere was very encouraging.

What made this one even more special is that the judge Ivan Balabanov was judging his first US Trial. As you know I have been an avid follower of Ivan's system of training especially in Obedience. To have the opportunity for him to give an official Judge's critique was really something special. Ivan was very clear and helpful in his critiques and made everyone who did their trial feel comfortable and at ease. To have a Judge who has achieved so much as a competitor give the feedback like he did was very helpful.

Check out the video's below of Akira's High in Trial Obedience with 95 points and Protection 87 points. We are looking to trial again on Dec 8th & 9th in Florida again.

Travel updates

RECOVERING A LOST PASSPORT

So after many dealings with Government offices, I am almost back to normal after losing my Passport. :)) But in the meantime I got a chance to come to Trinidad and work out at the German Shepherd Breed Club of T&T and do some training here. This week I will be conducting some workshops on Obedience and Protection training so members can see where training exercises will lead into the final routine. It's the idea of training with the end in mind.



Nice long attack :))

AKIRA & I in Slovenia !!
The latest bit of Good news is that Akira and I have been nominated to represent Trinidad & Tobago in this year's Universal Sieger Show in Slovenia from June 15-17. So upon my return to training we will be polishing up for this and getting help from my friends in the US and in Germany. Wish us luck and follow us here and on Facebook

Hello Puerto Rico

Later this month, I will be going to Royal Canin Puerto Rico with fellow combatives Instructor Rondel Benjamin to teach members of the Police and Special K9 Units in addition to Spec Ops from Mexico and mainland USA. The work will cover elements of our well received Combat Strategies for the K9 Handler where the K9 and handler are taught separately and as a Team, Apprehension, Control and Restrain Protocols in hostile environments. Check out the event page here

LATER THIS MONTH I WILL LET YOU IN ON A SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING THE INTERVIEWS PROJECT.

Combat Strategies for the K9 Handler gets reviews from Australia and the UK

Since its release last year Combat Strategies for the K9 Handler has gotten allot of 'off the record' reviews. This is largely due to the fact that professionally I work with many guys and gals who's livelihood goes hand in hand with their anonymity, and we sometimes don't often see the impact they have on our own lives. However, every now and then I come across colleagues in similar fields that are able to let their opinions be heard. I was so honored by the reviews I got most recently from the UK, where Dorothy Collum contributing writer at a publication called Breed Notes sent the DVD to Operational K9 Handler 'Craig Howarth' and this is an excerpt of what he had to say: 'The instruction is clear, the demonstrations are crisp and to the point a testament to the skills of those involved.The dog used for the demonstration is an experienced dog, hence the control,
the focus of the animal is of a high standard, and it might be worth mentioning the training involved to get to this standard.  I am unsure if this DVD forms a series, if it is not I feel it should be. The progression of both dog work and handler skills (UDT) would be well sought after as both on aid and conducting training.

I also wanted to post what Kris Kotsopoulos said about the DVD. Kris is a dog trainer and supplies K9's to major departments in Australia and New Zealand. I could not have said this better:

We all know that the landscape of law enforcement today is vastly more complex than that of even a decade ago. The old model for K9 and Defensive Tactics training followed the ‘one size fits all’ approach; and two or three decades back, there were few viable alternatives. Nowadays though, ignorance is no longer a plausible excuse and it is expected that professionals keep abreast with best practice in all areas of training – including K9 / Defensive Tactics.
The Problem: 
There are two parts to the problem. The first being that most large Law Enforcement agencies are simply overwhelmed with operational duties, administrative considerations and the like, that they simply do not have either the time or the resources to be keeping abreast with changes in K9 Defensive Tactics training models – most of which are taking place at an accelerated rate within the private sector. The end result of this is that the K9 / Defensive Tactics training models in use tend to be decades ‘behind the times’. The second part of the problem is that operational needs vary greatly from agency to agency and from group to group within those agencies. The idea of one all-encompassing K9  / Defensive Tactics training package that will fulfil everyone’s needs – is simply a myth.
The Solution:
In as far as it is practicable to do so, everyone should be trained in a Core Competencies K9 / Defensive Tactics package that reflects absolute best practice by today’s standards. The emphasis here should be placed on DEFENCE – with the primary goal being to maximize survival opportunities and safety for the operator. Most Law Enforcement agencies are decades behind the private sector in this area. Operators remain at greater risk than at any other time in history.

I believe Vithala Singh’s address the above issues.

Thanks to everyone so far who have taken the time to review this DVD and make it available to the men and women on the front lines with their K9's !

For more about the DVD go HERE!

Great New Book- 'HOW TO ACHIEVE PRECISION TRACKING WITH YOUR DOG'- Kris Kotsopoulos

A couple years back in Germany at dinner with Koos Hassing, I met Kris Kotsopoulos and even though we did not exchange information, something told me we would meet again. Kris is very methodical and deliberate in his speech. He has spent decades travelling the world acquiring and practising some of the most cutting edge techniques in dog training and behaviour modification.

Skip to the present, I found Kris as a local luminary in the GSD world in Australia.
Apart from his competency as an Instructor and trainer, Kris is also a very dedicated Breeder in Australia of Working dogs- Dobermans and German Shepherds. In fact he even has coveted Genetic Material from some of the greats ! Take a look at the video below of real uncut footage of Gento vom Haus Larwin in Germany!!





I got a copy of Kris' book and since then, I could not put it down. If you are a beginner, it is absolutely excellent. If you are a seasoned competitor it helps you with that extra edge. For me having done everything from failing tracking to going 1st Place in Germany in OG Heide with 99 points, I can really appreciate the layout and information in this book. I highly recommend it-

If you've ever wanted to perfect your tracking and:
Achieve 100 points in tracking? Learn how to plan and lay a track for success? Increase scent commitment? Eliminate the possibility of your dog missing articles? Learn how to lay, introduce and teach corners? Prevent overshooting of corners Slow your dog down without destroying motivation? Integrate clicker and remote trainer during tracking? Understand your dog’s olfactory ability? Shape behaviour for competition? Proof your dog for tracking reliability? Increase proficiency for Police, Search and Rescue
Check it out Here and get your COPY NOW

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick message to say Merry Christmas. I hope that you all have a wonderful time with your loved ones. If you are fortunate to be in their company celebrate, if not then hold the memories of wonderful times past, dearly in your heart.

This year was a good one for El Dorado Kennel, Akira and myself. Out A litter is doing very well, with some updates I will soon share. Also, Akira and I were fortunate to make the grade for Next year's bigger competitions - the Universal Sieger Show in Slovenia in June , and of course the WUSV in October in Austria. We hope to better our scores in a trial early in 2012.

Also, I am about to announce some more cool additions to our journey, and I am sure it will be as exciting for you as we continue on our journey in the Sport Dog World.

The German Shepherd Dog Reflections Book and DVD, will be published in 2012, and more exciting opportunities are opening up with possible televising in the US of some of the Interviews :

Merry Christmas to All

Glædelig Jul

 Gajan Kristnaskon
Hyvää Joulua
 
Joyeux Noël
 
Froehliche Weihnachten
 
Kala Christouyenna
 
Mele Kalikimaka
 
Bada Din Mubarak Ho
 
Gledileg Jol
 
Nollaig Shona Dhuit
 
Buon Natale
 
Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
 
Sung Tan Chuk Ha
 
Natale hilare
 
Linksmu Kaledu
 
Meri Kirihimete
 
God Jul
 
Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia
 
Feliz Natal
 
Srozhdestovm Kristovim
 
Feliz Navidad
 
Maligayang Pasko
 
Suksun Wan Christmas
 
Nadolig Llawen
 
Veselé Vánoce a šťastný Nový rok!

Счастливого Рождества и Нового Года!

Vrolijk kerstfeest en een Gelukkig nieuwjaar!

Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!

Καλά Χριστούγεννα και Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος!

Kellemes Karácsonyi Ünnepeket és Boldog Új Évet!

חג שמח ו שנה טובה

الزواج في عيد الميلاد ورأس السنة الميلادية

結婚聖誕節和新年快樂

Coaching from Ivan Balabanov

Check out a little video I put together of me and Akira getting some coaching from Ivan Balabanov. For more on Ivan check out his training videos.

We had a great time and learned alot as always. Looking forward to great results in the upcoming trial.

Getting Closer to completion

A little glimpse into some of the subjects of the Interviews. Getting closer to completion as I make my way to Europe on my last research trip before publishing the book and DVD entitled:
'German Shepherd Dog Refelctions' a compilation of Interviews with some of the most Legendary breeders in the Show Lines, Working Lines and Sport, Police and Herding as well. Looking forward to your feedback as this project is getting closer to completion.

Edelweiss-Universal Sieger Show in Austria

Edelweiss is no longer reserved for the Sound of Music for those who remember, nor the Salzburg Festival
This year sees the inaugural event of a Universal Sieger Show in Austria. It will be a combination of the Conformation or anatomical assessments together with a score emanating from the Schutzhund 3 competition. Therefore it is a step to demonstrating the breed with as many facets of beauty as well as functionality, as seen thus far. Although we tried very hard to make it, Akira and I did not qualify. However this year Trinidad and Tobago will be represented by my close friend Christopher Seeyave of the German Shepherd Breed Club in Trinidad. He will be competing with 2 time WUSV competitor Glen vom Hexenkeller. Glen is a Tyson von der Schiffslache son and you can see his latest performance in international competition here:



Eric Wight (GB) with Glen vom Hexenkeller from IPO.nu on Vimeo.

We wish Christopher best of luck, and although I could not join him, I hope all his hard work pays off and that he gets a great score in the competition. 

Remembering Joseph Donald Tackett

Joseph Donald Tackett, 73, of Dayton passed away on Fri., May13, 2011 at Odyssey Hospice in Houston.
Joe was preceded in death by his wife, Victoria Tackett in 2009. Joe was best known for his great training of German Shepherd's for over 60 years and a Master Judge for that breed. He was one of the early founders of the United States Schutzhund Club. He was the founder of the Good Shepherd German Shepherd Club of Dayton.
Joe leaves behind his most trusted friends, Axel, Mercy, Ivan, Ariel, and Snowball; as well as many human friends. Please view, sign and share memories of Joe in his guestbook at www.sterlingfuneralhome.com

Last Year Joe judged the Trial in Trinidad under the German Shepherd Breed Club  and Akira was awarded her Schutzhund 2 title. Joe was knowledgeable and very gracious when imparting his experience. He will be missed.

 

 Joe Tacket with Allan Mitchell at my home as we marked the first time a Schutzhund Trial was conducted in Trinidad using 2 Local Helpers!!