Interviews with
Vit -
Das Schäferhunde Magazine focus on 1st time Competitors at the
WUSV 2009.
I would like to Thank
Astrid Labuch for her help in getting this out as she did and for all her assistance in Germany !
Please introduce yourself to our readers!
My Name is
Vithala ‘
Vit’ Singh. I was born in Trinidad and Tobago. I started with German Shepherds from my father who had them for family guardians and personal protection. I am 29 years old and work as a Law Enforcement Trainer in the US and in Trinidad. I am currently writing a Book and producing a DVD on the German Shepherd Dog 110 year later. A compilation of Interviews with persons in the Show, Working, herding Police and Utility world. www.interviewswithvit.blogspot.com
Since when are you involved into schutzhund sport?
I have been involved in
Schutzhund training since 2003 and have been one of the persons in Trinidad trying to regularise the sport nationally.
How did you come by doing schutzhund sport?I have always been interested in the working dog for family guardians and for law enforcement. I thought
schutzhund sport was a great hobby to meet the talented trainers and also to assess dogs for the
characteristics I find to be
breedworthy.
How successful have you been with your dogs, so far?For me the success we have experienced is in bringing a greater awareness to the local people about the sport in general and what is required to make
schutzhund into a recognised national sport. The culture we are learning about
competing with the dogs and training toward a
specific goal, is the success I have had.
What are the rules for the qualification for the WUSV world championship in your country?Right now, the rules are the top 5 dogs with the highest
qualification. Meaning, for now, we may have 1 or 2 trials per year. So we have many imported dogs that have been successful in the nationals or
LGA or provincial competitions in
countries like Germany, Belgium and the USA. So we look at the total picture on an individual basis,
because we need to encourage more
participation now, rather than put a limit on the number of dogs making a team. Our goal is to have 10 dogs locally that are competing for the top 5 spots. Then we would be more strict in our qualification process, with a minimum score and best average over 3 trials per year and so on.
How old was your dog when you got it and how old is it today? Do you prefer to train a dog from a puppy or an already trained dog? Why?
I have had many dogs over the years. I have purchased adults and raised puppies. I think for most people locally it is easier to have a dog that is already trained. But I am really starting to like working with a young dog and imprinting him and producing the routines in the method I was trained.
Please describe the character, temperament and the drive of your current dog?
I currently have two dogs of my own. The
first is my male Axel
vom Ajaxturm. He is a hard, temperament full ,
drivey male. Easy to handle and very quick to respond to direction. I was lucky with him as he was able to work as a security dog and be stable in the family. When I got him, there was no
schutzhund locally and it is a pity ‚cause i think he could have done well.
My other most recent dog is
Akira vom Foesterhaus, and I will make the Sch 1 & 2 with her in January. She is a really nice sport dog,
linebred on Troll v.d.
Boesen Nachbarshaft, and actually will have puppies soon from
Fanto v.d.
Lobdeburg,
LGA 09. I like that she is a breeding female that I am working with and titling from scratch and really getting to see her hard character,
while still remaining feminine.
In which environment do you work with your dog? Do you have any help i.e. in a club?
We have a club, the German Shepherd Breed Club of Trinidad and Tobago and we work in a small collective group to help one another. But we also have help from renowned Belgium and
German judges and Helpers. I even get a lot of help from my friend and coach Ivan
Balabanov from the USA.
Do you breed? If yes, please tell us about your breeding goals. What are you doing to reach them, since you don’t have access to many stud dogs?
Yes, I do breed under
vom Wolfstal kennels. I have just started really over the last couple years. I think the best dogs are in the bigger societies like Europe and North America. So I will breed once per year and carry my female to Europe and come back. For me this is enough for now. There is a lot of imported blood locally and for me it is sufficient to breed one or maybe two litters per year. I am writing a book on the
German Shepherd Dog 110 years later, and in it I have researched many methods, and compiled interviews with over 35 persons in the breed. I think there will be a return to this type of smaller breeding to keep quality. I want to look at health and temperament as an overall measure. Also, the ability to handle stress and changes in environment and stimuli. There are some strong working bloodlines that I would like to keep present and close to my program. But I want to pay attention to not over using the popular lines and ending up with health issues. I think also in
Trinidad, we have a strong national need for protection, civil but controllable animals, maybe more so than in Germany and I am always looking for individuals and bloodlines that can safely produce these traits...
How is the dog sport organized in your country?it is not. We are working toward this goal. The goal is to have 3-4 National trials every year, to be able to take a local dog from
BH to Sch3 in a
reasonable time frame and to allow the owners time to understand the
intricacies of the sport an training while so doing.
Was it difficult for you to participate at the WUSV world championship? If yes, how did you solve your problems?
It was the first time anyone from the West Indies/ Caribbean was ever there. It was a huge honour and responsibility. But we did not know about all the little details necessary to
compete at this level. It was wonderful,
cause we were able to learn this in a fun and inclusive environment. I have many German friends, and also from all around the world, that were understanding of our eff
ort to travel 7000km to just get to the competition. With
quarantine restrictions
locally,
financial constraints and skill
development at a basic level, we managed to still pull it off . This year I handled a friend’s dog, as he was very handler strong and I only had 10 days to really prepare. So I think it was quite an achievement. Unfortunately, the dog became ill, the weather for me was a great change for me. But this is high l
evel competition. Basically all problems can be solved with determination,
confidence and concentration. A little bit of luck helps too.
So I want to know from my readers, breeders and followers about stories of German Shepherds that did not make it to the very top in the Seiger Show, or the Bundesseiger, or any competition. Maybe a Police or Utility Dog, that you believe was important and did not get the recognition. Chek out the pic and link about GSD's in the Middle East and if you or anyone in the Military has a cool GSD Story let me know. 
K9 skills, but also make k9 handlers safer in the times of ambush and life threatening danger. The seminar is carded for early March and I know many people locally will appreciate this information. For me, it would be a chance to help Akira sharpen up on her skills necessary for Schutzhund 2. I will try to put some videos of our training with Bernhard Flinks up for your viewing.
In protection she missed the blind and had some control issues, but still scored 90 points- with a nice hold in the blind, escape attack and long attack!
The First Schutzhund Trial for the year in Trinidad and Tobago has brought Decoys from all over the country to do the Certification Program under Mike West - Teaching Helper (GSDCA-WDA) from the U.S.A. accompanied by his lovely wife Lucy. A total of 6 Decoys were certified as at the Club Trial Level and I was fortunate to take part.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Linksmų Kalėdų ir Laimingų Naujųjų Metų!
Like Fax Adelmannsfelder Land pictured here with his owner Birgit Gotlieb who achieved with him: 4x Teilnehmer DM DHV, 4x Quali LGA, 3x Kreismeister, 4x unter den ersten 10 der Landesmeisterschaft HSVRM, 2x LG-FH, 2x Landesmeisterschaft der Fährtenhunde.
After all the bright lights at the stadium we say Goodbye, to our many friends and supporters. Although Xito was ill for the last two phases, we earned the respect of our fellow competitors. We were there in the line-up and we tried very hard. So now we have more experience and many more admirers and friends. Next year we will be in Spain and we will be better. I now have a lot of work to do for the book and DVD and I may be travelling back to Germany to do more research, and maybe launch at next year's Seiger Show.
To be a fly on the wall or a flea in the grass really, today was exceptional. I got to witness a lesson from Karl Heinz, expert Sheep herder, and ovelooking as usual was Karl Fueller ( on the right) with his dog Urie vom Kirschental. Marion Fueller, helpeed alot with the translations, but Karl made it easier with his gestures and him showing the young American shepherd, who visited just for a lesson, how it's done. Much excitement as at one point, I thought the sheep didn't perceive my presence and might run me over. But the German Shepherd Dog, from Karl Heinz, rescued me by making them stop. Amazing dogs, amazing people.... I am off to see Xito my dog for the competition and my friend Frederick Garbo - his owner, in a little bit. And tomorrow we go to the Doellenwiese Kennel....
The Picture says it all. Ute Razcak has maintained a strong breeding program with a solid foundation on her female lines. They have produced some strong working dogs and continue the tradition to this day. At this year's BSP I will have a chance to sit with her and ask her questions about her using one of my all-
time favourites Lasco Westfalensproß for the J, L, P, Q andR litters! Thanks Ute for being part of my project. See you at the BSP
