Akira 2nd at the Dog Day Demo T&T 2010

Akira placed 2nd at the Dog Day Demo in Trinidad yesterday as the only German Shepherd Dog to compete in the category for combined Obedience and Protection. It was a well attended event with many Dog Food Sponsors and spectators all coming together to see the events which included :
Fastest Dog, Beauty Contests, and even most spectacular hit on the decoy. More like a collection of Demos, we decided that the event would be a good practice session for Akira's upcoming Schutzhund 2 Trial in July. So we did a combined 8min routine of some free-heeling and then the hurdle, followed by a 1 blind Protection Routine. The Decoy Allan Mitchell is a local decoy and member of the Universal Schutzhund Club of T&T, having been trained by some of German and Belgian helpers and K9 Instructors.

All in all we had fun, but the display of the Schutzhund routine was not enough to steal the hearts of the audience as did the pitbull, who did a made up skit combining personal protection, ringsport and obedience as well. Congrats to him, we will be looking out for this kind of competition next time.

Tiekerhook- Solid as a Rock

Interviews with GSD Legends continues with Koos Hassing - Breeder from Nederlands - Tiekerhook Kennel. Over the years Koos has been very vocal about saving certain working bloodlines and sometimes criticized for his breeding plans. I had the opportunity to sit with him at his home, then visit his training club and really get a glimpse into the laboratory of this so-called 'mad scientist.' Koos actually had Fero vom Zeuterner Himmelreich in his kennel for some time when his original owner was ill. He also had Nick vom Heiligenbösch for some time in his kennel. So it is safe to say he has seen and worked his fair share of working legends! With an extensive background in Law Enforcement his desire has been to produce a German Shepherd with the hardness and temperament for working alongside officers on the street. I have included a small clip of the hours of footage collected during our time together and I hope you enjoy it.