Schutzhund? What is it?

Everything I read recommended that I train my new AB puppy early and establish my position as pack leader, since this breed tends to be stubborn and dominant. My wife and I had been watching "The Dog Whisperer", so I adopted Cesar Millan's "calm dominance" and "exercise, discipline, and then affection" mantras. I also enrolled Lola in a puppy obedience class. The trainer, Evelyn Rossi of "A Step Above" obedience school, ran the classes. When she saw Lola, she asked if I was interested in working her in Schutzhund. She trained Sunday mornings with the Mid Island Schutzhund Club and she invited me to drop by. I didn't know much about Schutzhund, except that it was German and that the commands sounded harsh, and the dogs were taught to bite. That wasn't what I wanted for a family pet, but I was curious. This breed is a working dog, so I wanted to provide her with some kind of a job to keep her calm and happy.

One Sunday morning in July I drove out to eastern Long Island to see what Schutzhund was all about. The club meets on a sod farm. By the time I found the place, there were already a few people out on the huge field laying down tracks. By 10:00a.m., they began obedience training. I'd never seen such well trained dogs up close before. The real fun started, though, during the protection training phase. I got to see Josh Markow in action with his Schutzhund III dog Coal. I was amazed by the force of this dog's hits on the sleeve. At one point Josh gave me an up close demonstration of how to play "two ball". On the retrieve, Coal came running like a freight train towards us and sent Josh flying. As a hockey fan, it reminded me of a defenseman executing a perfect hip check.

Joe Moldovan is the resident guru of the club. He knows what he's doing and doesn't suffer fools gladly. Being a fool myself, he explained to me in no uncertain terms everything I was already doing wrong with my puppy. I knew I had a lot to learn.

By the end of the day, I'd seen some incredible dogs in action, met a whole bunch of interesting and friendly dog people, and had been told that my sweet little pup was a real schutzhund prospect. I was excited and confused.

Chris Quinn: 'Dog Whisperer' might just keep Fido, and you, in line

San Antonio Express-News

Have you ever entertained company and watched as the family dog walked up, flopped down, stared you right in the face for a minute, then proceed to lick himself in unseemly places?

And when he was done, he again looked you in the eye and was like, "So, what of it?"

He then casually buries his face into the crotch of a guest, and when finally shooed off, looks back at you with a seeming smirk and wagging his tail in a snooty fashion?

It is as if they are thinking that just because they are flexible and without shame, they can do whatever they want and we should bow to their superior skills. But maybe it is a sense of genetic and species memory.

Maybe Modern Dog is thinking back to a time when Primitive Man worshipped them. Because think about it . . , There you are in prehistoric times, sitting picking grass and being bored because there is no Xbox. All of a sudden a hairy four-legged thing walks up, plops down and begins to lick himself in places unbecoming in front of company.

Can you imagine the sheer shock of such a thing? And remember, this is the first time we as a species ever saw: 1. a dog and 2. a public display of what would become "unacceptable behavior."

And being Primitive Man, you would then spend roughly three days trying to replicate the feat.

Modern Man, however, has advanced to the point where we spend only 10 to 20 minutes in an attempt before realizing it is an unachievable and pretty much useless action.

But Primitive Man, no way. Day 1: trying; Day 2: trying a different method; Day 3: Still trying, all due to male stubbornness. And the whole time there sits the dog, watching.

Predictably, in his failure to replicate the act, Primitive Man would eventually worship the dog.

Fast-forward to the present and here we all are, man and dog . . . and woman, living together in harmony. Since that first meeting, dog has gone from awe-inspiring deity to servant, then protector and finally, best friend.

Yet, never mistake that deep down, dog remembers. He remembers a time when he sat and watched a hairy, doltish, bipedal, almost ape roll around on the ground for three days trying to, well, be doggish.

Scary? Yes.

And what does all of this have to do with TV?

Not much. But consider this. In the parlance of our times and adhering to national thought, if it weren't for the invention of the vacuum cleaner we might all be speaking Dog. (Dogs fear vacuums like we fear death.)

And then came Cesar Millan.

Baby, I am floored by Cesar Millan and "Dog Whisperer," airing at 7 p.m. Fridays and various weekday mornings on National Geographic. Cesar — aka the Dog Whisperer — is clearly the smartest man in America. Why he is not yet ruling us all, I have no clue.

He is an animal behaviorist who "rehabilitates dogs and trains people." He also may be . . . a witch! No, no, only kidding. He is no Brujo, although his uncanny ability to work with dogs and modify their behavior is amazing and may have you reaching for an egg.

As he notes, dogs get their cues from their owners. I agree that there are no bad dogs, just crazy owners. And this is part of the fun of the show. You can guess the mental or emotional problem of the owners.

For example, my own little ongoing theory has hypothesized the following. Bipolar owner = constant barkers; lazy self-absorbed owner = moody dogs prone to property destruction; misplaced affection/co-dependant owners = frequent runaways; people who watch "American Idol" or "Dancing With The Stars" = pee-ers; and finally, those annoying "my baby does no wrong" and "this is not an animal but is equal to a human child" = dogs that bite and are as crazy as their owners. (Granted, I may be projecting a bit here, but go with me on this. It's a well-founded theory based on absolutely nothing.)

See, I grew up with dogs. Lots of dogs. There was hardly a time in my life when there was not a dog within 5 to 10 feet of me. My family loves the heck out of dogs — dogs every freaking place.

Truth is, I would be happy with a pet sock, or maybe a nice pet 2007 Dodge Charger.

I vowed never again to own a dog. But after watching the "Dog Whisperer," the fire has been rekindled. I am ready to give it another go. However, I am not as spry as I was when I was 9. I could really hurt my back this time. What can I say? I am male. And we males never admit defeat — just walk around with cricks in our necks.

Weighing in on Dog Whisperer Controversy

Today on the New York Times editorial page Author and Dog Expert Mark Derr takes issue with the methods of Author, Dog Expert and Media Star, Cesar Milan, also known as "The Dog Whisperer." Apparently Mr. Derr feels that Mr. Milan has both simplified and harshened dog training with his "cookie cutter approach" which is "designed to correct the problems resulting from a failure of the human to be the pack leader and to dominate the dog completely".
Mr. Derr, a noted dog historian, advocates a more individualistic, psychologically based and reward oriented solution to these same problems.

Well, as an Author, Dog Lover and Self Appointed Dog Expert myself, I would like to weigh in with my own very special third plan which I call" Flexible Cohabitation."

When practicing "Flexible Cohabitation" I encourage the human in the equation to view the pet companion as they would an exchange student from another planet. For instance, Neptune. Once that is accomplished, all that is required is to sit back with an ice cold beverage and allow the dog to behave as he or she wishes. And watch the show with interest and amusement.
Because unlike Mark Derr, I have never had the patience and follow through necessary to get very far with the psychology and reward approach to training. And unlike Cesar Milan, who was raised in the macho culture of Mexico, I don't have any tremendous urge to dominate. Therefore I don't expect anyone who subscribes to my plan to put themselves in harm's way or subject themselves to painful puncture wounds by doing the alpha rollover when their dog appears agressive.

No...If I want to be covered in dog hair and mud, all I need to do is sit down on my own furniture!!

But Merrill, you say, you can't mean that you are advocating letting dogs run wild through your home? To which I reply 'Obviously you have never been to my home." It is no accident that frequent visitors have compared my living room to The Bad Lands of South Dakota.

By adopting my approach, you will learn the benefits of "asphalt water skiing" (patent pending), my way of taking your dog for a walk that not only exercises the animal but also shapes and tones your own calves, thighs, biceps and abdominals. Yes, I can show you how to simply hook the pet to the leash of your choice, then hold on tight and get ready to go on the ride of your life!

And that's not all.

Under the rules of "Flexible Cohabitation" you will also learn; how allowing your dog full access to your plate at meal times can help you cut down your calorie consumption by thousands of calories a day; how letting dogs make their own rules within your home teaches a form of Zen non attachment to material goods that can increase your life span for years, if not decades.

Plus no one ever points out how bad it is for the self esteem to try and force a dog to heel or walk slower than you do. I think you'll be amazed at how much more free time you will have when you try my plan of not expecting the dog to do anything except enjoy himself . And if , for some reason, these results are not quite to your liking , you can still go to bed at night pleased with the knowledge that your dogs are happy. (Unless they sprawl across the bed on their backs, like mine do. Then you can probably sleep better on the couch.)

Duo's doggy dialogue (St Albans Observer)

HEARD of the horse whisperer? Now meet a dog listener.

Jay Adams, of School Lane, Bricket Wood, has set up a new business to help dog owners understand their canine friends with special training methods that teach them to speak to their pets in their own language.

Jay, 34, and her friend Amanda Hardeman, 29, of College Road, Abbots Langley, have set up Wagtail Animal Care, to look after dogs, cats and small animals while their owners are at work or on holiday.
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They have been inspired by writer Jan Fennell, author of bestselling book The Dog Listener, who created her own dog training methods from her study of canine behaviour, where she adapted the "pack" relationship of wolves to reflect the leadership roles between a dog and its owner.

Without the need for gadgets or aggression towards their pets, Jan's methods allow humans to build better relationships with their dogs.

Jay is practising the training methods on her own dogs.

She said: "We've been talking about it a lot. I have two really difficult dogs and after I read Jan's book, I definitely agreed with it. I've worked with animals for more than 13 years and I've seen lots of training methods. This one definitely seems to work."

Amanda said: "Each dog is different but once you have established the leadership between human and dog, it becomes a lot easier."

The training principles are the same for all dogs, focusing on food, walks, the threat of danger and reuniting after separation.

For more information about Wagtail Animal Care, visit www.wagtailanimalcare.co.uk, email info@wagtail.co.uk or telephone 07780 608789.