I was sorely tempted to skip Schutzhund practice tonight, after my last post, but I went. And it was a good thing I did.
(Long post, so here’s the summary — 300 Peck rocks, Laev nearly breaks my neck, and I am happy about it all.)
It’s been coming on gradually, but this weekend I finally said it aloud — I’m not sure I’m ever going to title Laev in Schutzhund.
This is really rough for me. I bought Laev (the first dog I’ve ever purchased, as opposed to adopted from a shelter or rescue group or off the street) specifically for her genetics, developed specifically for this sport. We started sport-training at 8 weeks old and have never stopped, except for the occasional time off for a minor injury or such. I’ve worked hard on this, sacrificed other activities to make training time, etc.
But we’re just not beating this gunfire thing, and without that, nothing else matters.
My breed of choice, as most people know, is the Doberman. Like most working breeds, Dobermans are high-energy dogs who like having a job to perform, and bore easily if left with nothing to do.
I recently had someone tell me, “Clicker training works for your dogs, but my dog is too stupid to learn. She can’t even figure out how to walk down the stairs; there’s no way she could learn to do tricks. She’s just dumb.”
Think your dog isn’t bright enough to train? Keep reading.
I came home last week frustrated beyond belief. Laev had several weeks before inexplicably stopped going around the empty blind when sent, choosing instead to remain in heel position, go out a few feet and…
How did I forget to mention this? I’d been having a hard time finding a CGC test for Laev, because the person who seems to run them most often around here is me. I drove…