Interested in Schutzhund

[onyx'girl]

LOL, Lies, welcome to the world I've lived in since I began schutzhund training....never had the luxury of ride-share or others help in "motivating" the training.

I travel alone every week and the ride is much longer than if there was someone to chat with. Sadly dogs aren't real chatty. And then over thinking what happened at training is sometimes detrimental too!

[elisabeth_00117]

Money and time are big factors for me as well...

Not so much the money I spend on actual training or training aids.. but the money to GET TO THE CLUB is the biggest factor.

[onyx'girl]

Fuel prices have gone up 50 cents a gallon in the past 3 days...yaay!!!

[Packen]

First of all you have to ask yourself if you have goals to accomplish. If yes then you need a plan, if no then well it does not matter.

If 1 then you need to find a mentor that will guide you through your IPO1 at least and hopefully thru your IPO3. There are many people who train but do not accomplish anything as it was never their goal, in that case the "excuses" become the most important goal. So depending on what you and the dog are capable of, choose goals wisely.

If 2 then just visit a lot of clubs, show up and socialize, have a good time, take part in politics etc etc. Work your dog every now and then and post pictures

[elisabeth_00117]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

Fuel prices have gone up 50 cents a gallon in the past 3 days...yaay!!!

Yeah, ridiculous eh?!

Especially if you travel for work, then add on the extras like going to the clubs, etc... omg... it can break you!

[G-burg]

First of all you have to ask yourself if you have goals to accomplish. If yes then you need a plan, if no then well it does not matter.

If 1 then you need to find a mentor that will guide you through your IPO1 at least and hopefully thru your IPO3. There are many people who train but do not accomplish anything as it was never their goal, in that case the "excuses" become the most important goal. So depending on what you and the dog are capable of, choose goals wisely.

If 2 then just visit a lot of clubs, show up and socialize, have a good time, take part in politics etc etc. Work your dog every now and then and post pictures

I like your way of thinking!! Made me laugh because some of what you posted is true! That's why goals are so important..

If one is truly serious, they will conquer and overcome all the issues involved to get their dog titled..

[Liesje]

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

LOL, Lies, welcome to the world I've lived in since I began schutzhund training....never had the luxury of ride-share or others help in "motivating" the training.

I travel alone every week and the ride is much longer than if there was someone to chat with. Sadly dogs aren't real chatty. And then over thinking what happened at training is sometimes detrimental too!

I don't mind riding alone, just wish I could split the costs! And this is not just SchH. I do two other sports on a weekly basis right now (and add in three more once we can see grass). One, the closest trials are in Wisconsin. The other, everything is near Detroit or in Ohio. The clubs I train with don't have the right equipment or certifications to host their own events. At least SchH *has* trials in Michigan even if they are east side. Nikon has to go to southern Kentucky and then southern Ohio two weekends in a row in April, possibly Iowa in May and St. Louis in August.

[gsdlover91]

Thanks for all the responses.

Originally Posted by Packen

First of all you have to ask yourself if you have goals to accomplish. If yes then you need a plan, if no then well it does not matter.

If 1 then you need to find a mentor that will guide you through your IPO1 at least and hopefully thru your IPO3. There are many people who train but do not accomplish anything as it was never their goal, in that case the "excuses" become the most important goal. So depending on what you and the dog are capable of, choose goals wisely.

If 2 then just visit a lot of clubs, show up and socialize, have a good time, take part in politics etc etc. Work your dog every now and then and post pictures

I have goals that I would like to reach (obviously getting a title) but I guess whats more important to me is spending time with my dog, doing a sport that he enjoys, as well as I. Schutzhund is something that really interests me, and I do think Berlin would enjoy it as well. But in the event he didnt, I would find something else to do and not push him to get a title. Even if he DIDNT get a title, but he did enjoy the sport...I would still do schutzhund with him. So i guess my real goal is just bonding/spending time with my dog. How do I go about finding a mentor? At a club I assume? Thanks so much for all the info.

Originally Posted by elisabeth_00117

Money and time are big factors for me as well...

Not so much the money I spend on actual training or training aids.. but the money to GET TO THE CLUB is the biggest factor.

Yeah, I noticed how far of a drive it would be to any of the ones near me!

Originally Posted by Liesje

LOL I'm going to disagree with martemchik and say money is the biggest hurdle for me, not time. Even if I train on my own every day it's not for more than 10 minutes of obedience or so and tracking 3-4 times a week. These are dogs just like any other and if you bore them with an hour of obedience a day they will be pretty flat. You're better off spending the bulk of your time exercising and playing with your dog and then doing obedience for 10 minutes every other day. Money is the issue for me because of gas prices and no longer having people to carpool. That costs me more than equipment, dues, entry fees. Also it puts a lot of miles on my vehicle so regular maintenance happens at quicker intervals (oil changes every 1-2 months, etc). Training with the club is a long day but it's one day a week. The thing I struggle with on my own is not finding time to train but being motivated to do it. When I had good friends in the neighborhood we trained together fairly regularly but I'm the only one in my club from my side of the state let alone my city so I have to motivate myself to go out and track. This past year I was pretty distracted by a lot of other stuff but this year I will try my best to finish Nikon's titles.

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like money is the biggest issue, and would be for me as well. I was looking at the clubs around me, and I think they both train on Sundays, so the time wouldnt be a problem, and I already spend a portion of each day training Berlin.

Originally Posted by martemchik

Invited can also mean...email the club and they'll tell you when to come. They have a training space and just don't want people showing up. Plus most don't even post the hours they train anywhere so you'll have a hard time knowing when the training is not just where.

Robin's group is a ways away from the city. Depending on where you live it could be 2 or 3 hours lol. But it is a pretty good group if you are going to join one. Really depends on the amount of time you have to commit.

Every Sunday...leave your home at 7 probably get back around 7...

I live in the Northern suburbs...along the lake, so Robin is about 2 hours from me. I'll have to PM her and ask her about it. I think no matter what, it's looking like ill have atleast an hour and a half drive to any club or training place in the area. But, if its worth it, then I dont mind.

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

You should always be "invited" and not just show up....some clubs have a designated day for visitors.

The everyday training you are doing is fine for now, until you get him evaluated.
I'd contact Robin Huerta and see if you can visit her group!

I will PM her! Thanks

[gsdlover91]

I contacted the Indian Creek Schutzhund club and have been invited to come and watch on a visitor day (March 3), and see if it's something i'm interested in and what not, wahooo! If all goes well, the next time I visit Berlin will come with and see if he likes it

This club is also not too far at all, about an hour, according to google maps. So probably 45 minutes.