# First dogs and sports



## Sarah Best (Oct 3, 2010)

Im just curious what was every ones first protection sport dog and what sport did you start off with? Did you get the dog for the sport or did you already have a dog and started that one in a sport?


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

First sport: Schutzhund (started in 2006)
First dog: Malinois/GSD X (started the sport for something for him to do)


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## Dave Colborn (Mar 25, 2009)

I bought a dog for PSA. A malinois. Sold her, got another mal. Sold him and now have a boxer. The sport is secondary to me having a dog that suits my needs around the house. He does both, well.


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## Jackie Lockard (Oct 20, 2009)

A Lab, doing Schutzhund with him. Had the dog, liked the sport, decided to train the dog I had and he turned out to be an ace in it.


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## Edward Egan (Mar 4, 2009)

Bought a puppy, learned about Schutzhund while waiting for the dog. Gave it a try and got hooked.


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## Dave Colborn (Mar 25, 2009)

Jackie Lockard said:


> A Lab, doing Schutzhund with him. Had the dog, liked the sport, decided to train the dog I had and he turned out to be an ace in it.



Jackie, have you got any video?


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## Jackie Lockard (Oct 20, 2009)

Dave Colborn said:


> Jackie, have you got any video?


Uploading as we speak. SchH1 today.


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## Dave Colborn (Mar 25, 2009)

Jackie Lockard said:


> Uploading as we speak. SchH1 today.


Congrats!!!!! That has to feel good!!!


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## leslie cassian (Jun 3, 2007)

Got a malinois, then realized I needed to do something with him. Started in schutzhund because it's the only protection sport active around here.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

A GSD, schH, 1981 or 82. Got the pup because I always wanted a GSD pup, previous to that I had GSDs from the pound. The breeder told me about schH, turned me on to a club near me, so I started going.


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## Laura Bollschweiler (Apr 25, 2008)

I had a dog and was doing AKC with him. A friend was doing Schutzhund and she was super to let me tag along with her. Did it with the dog who wasn't suitable but learned a lot and moved on to GSD's.

Laura


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

First dog - Dobermann (Dante's Inferno)
Did AKC obedience with Dante, he was killed when he was only 1.5 years old, got another male Dobe named Stryker. Started with him in personal protection, then discovered protection sports and started training him in French Ring in 1991 or 92. Before I got into protection sports I also had a Boxer, APBT/AST, Giant Schnauzer. Evaluated a few of them when I started FR, and Stryker, the Dobe, was the best prospect. Retired him due to Wobblers before we ever trialed, tried a few more Dobes, but at the same time fell in love with the Malinois and eventually decided to get one in 1993.


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## Jonathan Phaneuf (Sep 13, 2010)

Got interested in Ringsports (French/Mondio) and lucked into getting my Malinois.


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## Tracey Hughes (Jul 13, 2007)

Rescued my first dog, Santana, an APBT in 1992 took her to OB classes and when she was 3 years old, I found the sport of Schutzhund and titled her to SchH 3. Loved it ever since..


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## Cayla Morrow (Sep 5, 2010)

I'm working my first dog in my first sport now. Was researching GSDs just as a pet initially, found out about SchH, then PSA, and was addicted before I even started training. 

Bought my first dog (female GSD) in February for PSA, and so far it's going well :grin:


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## Sarah Best (Oct 3, 2010)

My first working dog will be bought for shutzhund but the breed is still up in the air right now.


But once I pick a club ill probaly start work with my current rott/gsd until my pup comes home so I can be better prepared for the pups training.


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## Kara Fitzpatrick (Dec 2, 2009)

starting working my doberman from vom Landgraf in 2009 in Schutzhund. Then later met my husband, got into french ring after meeting him and traveling and training in France. Now we have another doberman we are training in French ring-my dog's nephew.


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## Alison Grubb (Nov 18, 2009)

My first dog was a rescue, a Pit Bull mix. I got into Schutzhund after having him for about a year and was lucky to have a shelter dog who could do a good bit of the work. He was enough to entertain me before I got some American Bulldogs and a Mali along the way. The original is now a spoiled house dog.


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

First working dogs were 2 German Shorthaired Pointers in 1980, they were good at pointing and retrieving Chuckers and Partridges, they lived a long life (15 years). Got interested in Schutzhund lately as had to give up primary hobbies (fast bikes) as family life started and it took longer to heal broken bones. Little did I know SchH was pretty addicting and time consuming  Bought Gnash at 7 weeks in 2009 and then got him a lil bro Creasy this summer at 8 weeks old. Both doing very well in their sport.


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## Jennifer Marshall (Dec 13, 2007)

I discovered mondio in 2007, went to a club in Cali and got hookedn I got an AB pup in 2008 and started training him in mondio. So far so good got the 1st leg of our MR1 in our 1st trial back in June. Just got another AB, a 9wk old female, for mondio... pics coming soon


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## Jhun Brioso (Dec 28, 2009)

First dog was a dobe. Got a few mals and trained them to personal protection/ Reality. Now i have a 2 year old mali & got hooked up in Belgian Ring ( NVBK style ). So far we're doing good.


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## Sarah Best (Oct 3, 2010)

Jennifer Marshall said:


> I discovered mondio in 2007, went to a club in Cali and got hookedn I got an AB pup in 2008 and started training him in mondio. So far so good got the 1st leg of our MR1 in our 1st trial back in June. Just got another AB, a 9wk old female, for mondio... pics coming soon


Ill be looking foward to those pictures 

I love ABs and for some odd reason my obsession has recently grown. I'm just getting my hands on everything I can read about them. I've also been stalkin a few AB breeders as well. Valor being one of them. :-D


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

My first dog was a Landseer, Ben. I started off in Swiss Working Dog Trials, now Swiss VPG, the tracking element was a track made by me with one corner and a dumbell at the end. I had to set the dog off at the start and let him work it out himself, pick up the dumbell and come back to me.

There was also search square which had to be quarted by the dog, 3 articles, points for systematic quartering.

Protection was walking through the forest where the helper stood - the dog had to protect me and this was Ben's big moment - he was blowing through his lips and the helper thrust the log at him which he bit in to.

Later there was guarding an object - from being a young dog he got full points for this. The judge could stroke him, give him food, all permissible (!!) but as soon as he bent down to grab the object, Ben stopped him.

At the protection level in level 2, Ben failed completely, he came on to the field with me - the helper ran and Ben let him - he stood stoically by my side. His side transport was admirable. If the helper had attacked me then he would have had Ben at his throat but this wasn't the idea of the working trials.


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

At 12 I got my first dog which was a pit. It didn't occur to me until today that even back then I was interested in scent work. But it wasn't until a few years ago that I started wanting to work with dogs in this capacity in a more structured or formal manner.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Trained my first dog (GSD/Collie) with a book in 57. First formal OB class was 60s with a St. Bernard. Trained, taught and competed in AKC OB in the late 70s through the 80s, into the 90s. Did a fair amount of showing in the breed ring at that time also. Natural earthwork with terriers in the 90s till 6 or so yrs ago when my knees said it was time to quit digging. SAR & Schutzhund almost 8 yrs ago. Did some herding also. 
Slowed down some when the FIL came to live with us 7-8 yrs ago. Had to give up most everything with the dogs the past yr. He passed this spring at 98. 
Not sure what direction I'm going but I'd still like to get Thunder's UD and Trooper's CD in the spring.
I've found out that dog training is dog training. It's all about figuring out what makes the dog tick. Nothing more, nothing less.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

It wasn't sport but it was working with dogs. I went to my first dog school in Wiesbaden Germany in 1966. With the exception of a couple of years, my 23 year career was with the Military Working Dog Program. I'm pretty proud of the fact that I started off as a one striper dog handler and retired as the Superintendent of the DOD Dog School. When I retired I was fortunate to have a couple of options and went to work for a Federal Agency. After a couple of years, I decided I'd rather go with a state police unit, where I've been for the past 20+ years. There have been very few assignments that I did not think I had the best job going. 

DFrost


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## Louise Jollyman (Jun 2, 2009)

My family had a rough collie when I was a kid, and I trained him to do basic obedience and agility stuff in the back yard. While pet sitting later on I met a sable GSD and decided that I wanted one. 

Once settled with job and house etc I did a load of research and bought a working line pup to do agility and obedience with. When he was 5 months old we went to a schutzhund trial but most of the folks there were weird and unfriendly, the local trainer said if we wanted to do schutzhund to leave the pup alone for 18 months and when we couldn't live with him anymore to bring him to him for training. We didn't want to do that so decided schutzhund wasn't for us, then quite by chance we were in a park and met a schutzhund club which were training there in September 2001. 

10 years on, that pup is SchH3 VPG3 IPO3 FH UD NA CGC TC BH AD WUSV and retired and I am now training his son Brimwylf Apollo SchH3 IPO3 CD AD. My husband started with a Golden Retriever who he did AKC obedience and Sch OB titles with, then he moved to the dark side and has a female we imported as a pup from Germany, Gana von den Wannaer Hohen SchH3 AD TC CGC KKl1

Louise


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## Faisal Khan (Apr 16, 2009)

Hey Lou, was the chance meeting in 2001 with our club?


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## Louise Jollyman (Jun 2, 2009)

Yes, Faisal, it was DFWWD before it became a USA club.


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## Marta Wajngarten (Jul 30, 2006)

I ended up with a rescue corso in late 07, we did obedience and various things to get him under control and give him some thing productive to do. Worked with a few different trainers and at the end of 09 we ended up training with a guy who also runs a schutzhund club, who planted the seed in my head: you should put a BH on him, come check out the club. 5 months later he had a BH and we were training schutzhund. Then I saw some one training FR at a near by club, thought it was way more fun. At this point I was also doing flyball, agility, rally-o with the Corso and it was getting a little much for him to keep up so got a Dutchie and made the switch to FR as our protection sport with both dogs.


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## Selena van Leeuwen (Mar 29, 2006)

Got a 16 mo Mal from. My parents when i left home, halusetha's Mick, started ipo about 2 yrs later although i always said i wouldnt sport or breed a dog ( my parents did and kne how time consuming it was)....welll we know how that ended, right?


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## Ryan Venables (Sep 15, 2010)

I grew up with Beagles. First noticed Mals when I was a police officer, although I had no K9 aspirations, and thought they were just small GSD's.

Wife and I wanted a Shepherd type dog, so we researched, decided on a Mal as a pet, found a breeder and got our female. Started off by CKC Conformation, championed her. Went to Rally and CKC Obedience, numerous titles there. Breeder had always spoken about SchH, but never actually did anything despite her claims. 

I was actually stopped by a lady in our neighbourhood who breeds and competes w/ Black Russian Terriers in SchH. We did that for a year, and this summer I made the switch to French Ring, as I really detest tracking (although the Mal is very good at it)... we just formed a club recently (SOAR Ringsport) and hope to be the newest CRA club in 2012.

We also just got a pup, specifically for French Ring, earlier this year... looking forward to the future w/ these guys!


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## Ellen Piepers (Nov 6, 2008)

My first dog (apart from the dogs we had when i grew up) was a rescue dog from no traceable descent, who loved any kind of search games. Then several years later I met the guy who was going to end up married to, and he'd been in KNPV for many years, but had stopped training due to his work. So after some time with me and me stimulating him to pick up KNPV again, he bought me a 1.5 years old second-hand malinois which he tested to , she was supposed to be a staysee if she had enough character for biting. He didn't really buy her solely for training, she was supposed to stay anyway.

Then after some time, he didn't feel comfortable at his new club's training style and decided to stop with her (got himself another dog to train). As I wasn't welcome at the club being a woman, I played around with her for a while and then joined a KNPV club that only trained the KNPV search dog programme. That was my first dog sports ever. We both enjoyed it a lot and got several certificates. Then my husband changed club again (and doesn't regret it either), and then it was suggested there that I'd train my dog for PH1 as well. So I did and we earned a very nice PH1. With that dog I'm still training for more Search dog exams (no rush as she won't leave anyway).

And a couple of months back I got my first pup, again a malinois, actually, her mother is my adult bitch's litter mate. That one will be trained for both the PH1 programme and Search dog too.


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## sarah lewis (May 27, 2011)

This is my SchH dog lol

Didn't buy him for it but he does alright, makes life interesting.


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## Aaron Myracle (May 2, 2011)

Really depends on what you mean by "first dog", I suppose.

The first dog I deliberately sought out for myself [rather than a rescue, a family dog, etc] was the dog I currently have.

WL GSD bitch. I didn't select her for Schutzhund, though. I was looking more at SAR work, and focused on a social, confident dog with a good nose.
I didn't ever bother to evaluate for grip.

I found myself in a situation after I had the dog, when I realized that the SAR options that had looked so good before I had the pup quickly became ugly and unattractive once I had a dog. Now I had a working puppy and no work.

My spouse encouraged French Ring, having done FR and PP with previous dogs. We sought out those same trainers, only to find they weren't active anymore, and this Schutzhund club was leasing their training field from them.

We literally drove out to the address the FR club had listed on their site after getting no answer to emails or phone messages. Took a minute to realize that the people training on the field were using a sleeve and not a suit.

So, I hung around and watched and said, what the hell? Why not? The nearest active FR club was a few hours drive, one way.

Been with that Schutzhund club ever since.


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