Olympic's Emeril - Schutzhund 2

Arlo and me and his High SchH 2 trophy, 84, 77, 75. For full results, click Here

October 3rd & 4th 2009, the Durham Schutzhund Club hosted a fall trial with Judge Nikki Banfield, USA. I had entered Arlo in this trial just a week prior to the event, as although I had planned to enter a fall trial, Arlo had been ill the previous week due to ingesting large quantities of wood.... that's another story. Because of this, I was not sure he was feeling well enough to trial. It turned out he was feeling great, and our practice sessions at the Durham club really impressed me. It seemed that Arlo was finally able to transfer what he has learned to a new location much more easily now. Along with this and some great words of advice from training director Peter Lauder, I was feeling confident going into this trial. Overall, our performance was good. Leading up to the trial I struggled once again to overcome and control my nerves. My nerves got the better of me during the tracking phase, as for the first time that I can remember, the spectators were allowed to come down onto the tracking field. Every other trial I have attended or been entered in, the spectators were required to stay up on the road. They were very close to us, we were the last to track, there were many people there watching, some of whom have world level experience, and well..... this unsettled me. I'm sure my nervousness translated into Arlo's performance, as the conditions were outstanding, plush sod, lots of dew, no detectable wind, the track was visible.... he could have easily put in a 95+ point performance, but instead we ended up with 84. I am not going to complain about that, as he did very well considering my state of being. I had also lost some points due to a misunderstanding of the rules... once again, another story.

Leading up the obedience routine, I was feeling quite unwell... nausea, nervousness, panic! I really don't know why I get into this state of mind, Arlo is a very reliable OB dog, not a high scoring one, but quite predictable. Once we started working, I quickly settled into my "trial mind", "in the ring state", "in the zone".... I don't really know the correct term for this, but it happens almost always when I run agility, which is far more often than I enter a SchH trial. No matter what I am feeling or worried about waiting to go on the field, it all virtually disappears once my dog and I start working together as a team. All I see is my dog, me, and the judge. It's as if no one else is even there, I forget completely all about everyone else. It is a nice state of mind to be in. Arlo and I worked great together, and what a wonderful feeling being out there with my canine partner working as a team. We lost quite a few points on little things... things I admit, I have not worked on at all. I have since begun to work on those "little" things that turned into big point losses once added up, as I do intend to trial with Arlo again. Even though our score was quite low, I did get many comments from the spectators about how nice we looked out there together, including a "nice job in OB" from a 2-time WUSV competitor. But, my favourite comment was from the judge... in her critique, she said that it is obvious that the handler and the dog have an excellent working relationship together. :-)
Arlo did his best work for me, and that is all I can ever ask for.

The protection phase was the one I was most worried about. His bitework has progressively gotten less intense over the years, and this can certainly be attributed to his illness, however I just cannot be certain how much his illness contributes to his performance. However, he had worked great with the helper Jason at our practice sessions before the trial. He was actually more fired up than he has been in a while... a good sign. His protection routine in the trial was very flat, and I did loose a little bit of control a couple of times. I have been told that nervous handlers can have an adverse affect on a dog in trial, but it was difficult for me to tell how much this was an issue for him. We squeaked by with 75 points... a pass, but not enough to move on to a SchH 3 level. One must score minimum 80 points in the protection phase to be eligible to progress. So, we must try again if we want to move on. The following morning Arlo did have a fever of over 40 degrees Celsius, which could certainly have been a contributing factor to his level of intensity on the trial field. The day of the trial I saw no signs of him feeling ill, and I was very diligent to watch for these.

Overall, my experience was good, and I am happy I decided to enter. The judge Nikki Banfield was outstanding, super nice to the competitors, very fair, and very detailed in her critiques, which I found to be very helpful. I felt it was a privilege to have trialed under her. At the end of the trial, she told everyone that the dogs only know what we (the handlers) teach them, so if we are having training issues, then we are to go home and look in the mirror, as it is us and only us who are responsible for those. Then she told everyone to go home and hug their dogs. I think that message really hit home for a lot of people, as it is so true. Our dogs only know what we have taught them...

A big thanks to friends Graham and Josie for the great photos. My camera does not have a good zoom lens yet, but we will have one soon.




Heeling the "J" pattern.



Dumbbell throw over the jump



Retrieve over the frame


Long down


Waiting for our critique


Bark and hold, Jason Peter is the helper


Back transport


Setting up for the "out"


Judge Nikki Banfield after our protection routine critique congratulating Arlo and I on a successful SchH 2 title.


Fun shot after all the awards were handed out.... Josie caught this one of Arlo looking up at his trophy....

Arlo - TD, Tracking Dog

All of the dogs passed their TD test today, Ben & Joanne, Lianne & Brody, Myself & Arlo, Judge Sharon Smith, and Sandra with Murphy.


Myself & Arlo with Judge Sharon Smith, and Arlo's plaque, ribbon, and glove.


Me accepting our award, the plaque, ribbon, and a copy of our Tracking score sheet, with Judge Sharon Smith.


Today Arlo passed his CKC tracking test, the TD. The test requires the dog to navigate a track that is at least 45 minutes old, approximately 400 meters in length, with 4 to 5 corners, and one article at the end. Arlo has been training in tracking for 4 years, and I was very happy to have this opportunity to participate in this test. The test was held in memory of Terry Smith, a CKC tracking judge who was supposed to be the judge at this event. Terry passed away in May of this year of pancreatic cancer. His battle was long and hard, and he will be sadly missed by all who knew him. I will always remeber Terry as being happy, having a great sense of humour, and being very helpful at our training sessions and at trials. He was always willing to answer questions or explain things to those of us who were new to the sport. Tracking was his passion, and I am happy to be able to honour his memory today by by participating in this tracking test and making him proud by helping Arlo be successful.

This one's for you Terry. We know that you are at peace now, yet we cannot help but wish that you were still with us.

Arlo's SchH 1

Heeling during the obedience routine.Retrieve over the high jump.
Heeling in the group. (Check out the "cobra" tail)
Hold and Bark in the protection phase.
Stopping the helper during the escape.

Special thanks to one of our club members, Brigita who took these fabulous photos.

Arlo's Accomplishments 2006

In June of 2006, the German Shepherd Dog Club of Canada hosted their very first Temperament Test, the TEC. Arlo participated in the test. I entered Arlo in the TEC just for fun. I knew he would pass this test without incident. Also, any chance I get to do something positive and fun with my dogs I will definitely do it. I knew all of the different phases of the test before I entered. It was a great feeling to have such a stable minded dog with me during this test. This would be his second temperament test that he passed, the first being during his BH. In many ways the TEC was similar to the BH temperament phase. Interestingly, Arlo jumped on the jugde in the "greeting a friendly stranger" portion of the TEC, in a happy, friendly manner. It would seem that jumping up on people to greet them is something we need to work on.......... :) (see Arlo's Accomplishments 2005)
September 2006 saw us in our first attempt at CKC obedience. I had never seriously considered CKC obedience competiton, being a serious schutzhund competitor. My journey into CKC obedience started in August of this year. Our schutzhund training director signed up some of our club members for a CKC "fun match". It was the Golden Triangle German Shepherd Dog Club verses the German Shepherd Dog Club of London. Arlo and I were on the Golden Triangle team. I had never even seen a CKC obedience routine before, and went into the ring "blind". Arlo did so well, and the judge was particularly impressed with our off leash healing. I thought to myself, "I can do this CKC stuff!", and decided to enter Arlo in the German Shepherd National Specialty Show in Kitchener. What a way to make a debut, at a National Specialty! I was so nervous going into the ring, it was crazy. Arlo's first two attempts were awesome. His very first score was 194.5. He was 1.5 points away from the high in trial dog, and I lost 2 points in that routine for handler errors! They were errors I didn't even know I made. Arlo received two first place scores for his first two routines. I was very proud of him. I received a ton of feedback from fellow competitors, and from some of the spectators. Many were impressed with Arlo's focus and attentive heeling. After one of our routines, I remember there were so many people clapping for him, it was one of the best feelings I've had ever working with one of my dogs. The next day we were not so lucky, and he broke his group sit stays in his next two routines, so no title for us. Arlo does not see the point of those group sits, and we have tried 2 more times since the National. He broke his group sits again! It seems we need to work on those group sits before we earn that last elusive leg towards our CD title. I definitely recommend watching some CKC trials before you enter. If I had just a little more knowledge of CKC trial rules, I could have went home with a high in trial win that day.
One of my happiest days was when Arlo earned his Schutzhund I title October 21st, 2006, under judge Johannes Grewe. We had been working towards this title for about a year and a half. I was a nervous wreck, and the tracking phase was my biggest worry, as our tracking seemed to fall apart about a month prior to the trial. I was convinced we would fail. When Arlo passed tracking, my anxiety level dropped dramatically, and the rest of the trial was far less stressful. I was still nervous, but not hysterical. My favourite phase was the obedience phase. I loved the way Arlo worked throughout his whole obedience routine. It was beautiful, and it felt so good to have such a happy, attentive dog by my side. Arlo is truly a special boy.

Arlo's Accomplishments 2005

Arlo's first title, the "AD", is really an endurance certificate. The dog must trot for 20kms in approximately 2 hours alongside his handler who travels on a bicycle. He was 19 months old, and the judge was Dave Grant, (CAN).
In October 2005, Arlo earned his "BH" title, under judge Rudy Mietzner, SV. This was a huge accomplishment for me. The BH involves an obedience routine, plus a temperament test. The dog must pass both phases to be awarded the title. In the Schutzhund world, the temperament portion of the test varies somewhat depending on which judge you are trialing under. In Arlo's case, the temperament portion was particularly extensive and demanding, testing the dog repeatedly. Arlo did amazing, and I was never worried. Arlo is one of the most stable GSDs I have ever met. Arlo jumped up on the judge during our "Greeting a friendly stranger" test in excitement and happiness.......judges comments, "That's ok, I just want to make sure he's not going to eat me!". Definitely not..... :-).
Arlo with his medallion and certificate for his AD.