As the handler of my IGP 3-trained German Shepherd, Arthur, I am aware of how much time, patience, and passion goes into working dog sports.

But when I received confirmation of my participation in the TV show "Top Dog Germany – The Best Dog in Germany," I knew this would be a very special opportunity to showcase our sport to a large audience. To be precise, 1.35 million people have tuned in so far.

Last year we already applied extensively and were among the many thousands of disappointed people who were rejected.

This year everything was different. With the IGP 3 exam firmly in mind, I completely forgot about TopDog Germany. I sent the application offhand and didn't expect a response.

But this year we were convincing! The acceptance came quickly, and the anticipation exploded!

There is a lot of preparation to do – outfit, interviews, planning, taking vacation and, last but not least, practicing about 40 tricks and obstacles.

However, our focus remained on the IGP 3 test. We successfully completed it at the beginning of May, after which Arthur had a well-deserved break.

This left us with only 1.5 weeks of preparation time before filming.

I was able to teach Arthur a total of 35 tricks in 1.5 weeks. Loading the washing machine, bowling, launching rockets—many tricks took Arthur only 2-3 minutes to learn.

The action continued on location: strange dogs and people in close quarters, pitch-dark studios, photo shoots, rehearsals – and the IGP dog, reliable, resilient, and completely cool in the middle of it all. Arthur enchanted and impressed both the staff and the presenters.

The course was also different from anything we know from the IGP: unusual obstacles, new tasks, and the pressure to perform under time and in the spotlight.

In many areas, pure trust and the close bond we received from sports have helped us move forward.

Why this appearance was so important:

For me, it wasn't just about a good performance and the personal challenge together with my dog, but also about showing what a well-trained sporting dog is capable of. TopDog Germany gave us the opportunity to reach millions of people and convey that behind every dog-human team lies not only sport, but also trust, partnership, and years of hard work.

Additionally, Arthur and I had the honor of giving interviews about our participation to three major media outlets.

The Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz has already reported on Arthur, and here, too, the working dog sport was mentioned and presented in a positive light.

Many thanks to K9andSports for your efforts, my dog Arthur, and all the friends who supported me.

Arthur's episode airs on August 22nd at 8:15 PM on RTL. The episode can be streamed one week in advance on RTL+.