Detection dogs in action: breeding, selection and challenges - part 2 of the interview with Horst-Dieter Träger
In the second part of this interview, Horst-Dieter Träger talks about the special characteristics and abilities of sniffer dogs, their breeding and training, as well as the challenges and perspectives in the fight against drug smuggling.
The dream of dog sports
During a conversation with Eileen Brendel, we gain exciting insights into her first steps in dog sports. After successfully mastering her first obedience test with her Hovawart dog Milla, she reflects on her beginnings, challenges and passion for this sport. Eileen shares her motivation as a youth ambassador at K9 and Sports and encourages young people to actively participate in this exciting world.
Fiete's special journey: therapy and sports dog - a success story
In the following article, Fanny, Fiete's owner, will tell you about the impressive connection between man and dog as well as Fiete's remarkable abilities both as a therapy dog and in the demanding IGP sport and make it clear that both aspects are by no means mutually exclusive.
Hubert Aiwanger praises the young talent at the SV youth and junior championship in Dingolfing
The SV youth and junior championship took place in Dingolfing at the weekend, where young participants showed their skills in dealing with German Shepherd dogs. Hubert Aiwanger, who attended the event, emphasized the importance of offspring and practical animal protection in his speech. He criticized the animal welfare regulations that were often issued by people with little experience and argued that politicians and theorists should not interfere in the breeding goals. The event not only offered exciting competitions, but also an opportunity to celebrate the next generation of German Shepherd handlers.
K9 and Sports & HOVAWART
RALF MEINS, Polizeibeamter, Jahrgang 1966, war von 1993 bis 2018 Mitglied im RZV. Er hatte 3 Hovawarte.
Unter dem Zwingernamen AUS DEM OLDESLOER LAND hat er einen Wurf gezüchtet. Mit seiner Hündin AMIRA VOM TORFMEER wur
de er im Oktober 2009 Deutscher Meister RZV im IGP-Sport. Heute ist er Mitglied im DMC und führt einen Malinois. Er engagiert
sich für K9 and Sports, weil er darüber aufklären möchte, wie wichtig Gebrauchshundeeigenschaften nicht nur für Polizei, Zoll und
andere, diensthundeführende Behörden sind, sondern zum Beispiel in Rettungshundestaffeln.
No alternative to a detection dog!
Horst-Dieter Träger is an ambassador for “K9andSports” and was a customs dog handler and trainer before his retirement. He talks about his service with the dog and the demands on the four-legged friend.
Insight into Dog Breeding: Health, Temperament, and Selection – An Interview with Astrid Hübner (Part 2)
In the second part of our conversation with Astrid Hübner from Malinois Diversity, she shares her views on maintaining genetic diversity through cross-breeding and talks about topics such as popular sire syndrome, inbreeding coefficients and the genetic identification of dog breeds.
Insight into Dog Breeding: Health, Temperament, and Selection - An Interview with Astrid Hübner (Part 1)
In an interview with K9andSports, Astrid Hübner, founder of the "Malinois Diversity" project, shares her experiences and insights into dog breeding. She describes her journey and highlights the importance of health tests for breeding dogs. Furthermore, she discusses various aspects of breeding selection, including temperament traits and environmental behavior, as well as the challenges of selection for different dog sports.
Statement on Ban of Working Dog Sports in Austria
In this letter, we address the pressing issue of the impending ban on working dog sports in Austria. As an organization deeply committed to the preservation of capable and healthy working dogs, we aim to present our concerns and arguments against this ban. Within this correspondence, we shed light on the diverse roles that working dogs play in society and illustrate the potential adverse effects of such a prohibition. We invite you to delve into our arguments and engage with this crucial issue.
"New Times in SV: 'The Era of Going Alone is Over!'
"We as the German Shepherd Dog Club (SV) e.V. have been very reserved in recent years regarding education in training activities and specifically in protection work. ... it requires ordinary protection work photos of situations as they are seen day by day on our training grounds. Also, there has been no further attempt to explain the reasons for protection dog sports. ... therefore, the SV board has decided to support and promote K9andSports. The era of going alone is over!"
An Interview with Florian Knabl
"TAKE MATTERS INTO
YOUR OWN HANDS"
A strong work ethic, resilience, and noise tolerance – that
are just a few traits of working dogs. The initiative K9and
Sports advocates for working dog breeds. Their goal is to preserve the
exceptional qualities of service dogs used in roles such as police, military, or
Customs, explained by organizer Florian Knabl.
Versatile School Therapy Dogs: A Teacher, Her Four-Legged Colleagues, and Their Passion for IGP Sport.
Lena, a primary school teacher from the Palatinate region. Her dogs Anni (Border Collie, 7 years old) and Saru (Malinois, 3 years old) are school and riding companion dogs, as well as active in IGP sports. They have undergone extensive training, are calm in their interactions with children, and have experience in the film industry. We critically question the working dog sport and emphasize responsible training.
Who walks down the street with a protection sleeve? - Dr. Esther Schalke
Dr. Feddersen-Petersen once said the following: 'As a criterion for breeding selection, I consider today's 'protection work' (strictly conducted in a playful manner according to the examination regulations) to be indispensable.' For example, I consider the DMC approval to be much more meaningful.
Roswitha Dannenberg, SV President: "The current situation and the fact that our sport is under attack shows us that we have to explain and inform - more than ever!"
Our dogsport is much more than only Protection. But Protection is an important part of our IGP-Sport and our SV Körungen (breeding selection tests).
And it will stay that way!
Simone Stroh, Ambassador and Veterinarian: "IGP and Protection have amazing advantages for us and our dogs and should not be outlawed because of single incidents."
Dogs that are trained in IGP Protection bring a lot of positive traits to the table.
1. They are balanced and both mentally and from a physical perspective stable. They get to work according to their breed characteristics ...
Ralf Meins, Police Officer in Hamburg: "Speaking up against Working Dogs is the same as speaking up against K9 program administrators."
Hamburg is a city with 1.8 Million inhabitants - and not all of them handle things peacefully. I have numerous stories of days at duty which were not at all pleasant.
It is common that you need to solve conflict situations as an Officer. And what I learned is that only the presence of K9s often deescalate by their mere presence.
Sicherheit Nord, security company of the Bundeswehr: 'We support the mentioned working dog sports because they form the foundation of a functioning breeding program.'
We emphasize that all dogs are trained in a modern and animal welfare-compliant manner. To make this possible, it is essential for the legislator to differentiate between pure family companion dogs and those that fulfill an
additional role in society.
Astrid Kalff, Search and Rescue Dog Handler with numerous real deployments, including Turkey 2023: 'In our view, IGP work is very beneficial for search and rescue dog work...'
We endorse the parallel training in search and rescue dog work and
and IGP because the fundamental structure, with regard
with regard to 'drive resilience' (resilience of behavior), tractability, and
resilience forms a solid foundation
for search and rescue dog work.
Daniele Strazzeri, Vice President of SV: 'This is not a dog sport where we make the dogs aggressive.'
In IGP competitions and tests, we select for breeding.
For agencies with service dogs, it is crucial that dogs are bred to be useful
that dogs are bred to be useful for them; to
come into service as protection dogs, as detection dogs for
drugs, or as search and rescue dogs for missing persons.
Trisha Harper, TSA Sicherheitsspezialistin, Heimatschutzministerium USA: “Wenn wir IGP oder verwandte Sportarten abschaffen, erweisen wir den Diensthundeführern einen Bärendienst!”
The working dog sports have all originated with the goal
of evaluating the quality of breeding for
future service dogs.
If we were to lose even one of them,
we would be doing a disservice to the K9 handlers.
Who walks down the street with a protection sleeve? - Dr. Esther Schalke
Dr. Feddersen-Petersen once said the following: 'As a criterion for breeding selection, I consider today's 'protection work' (strictly conducted in a playful manner according to the examination regulations) to be indispensable.' For example, I consider the DMC approval to be much more meaningful.
Adi Hazut, retired K9 handler, Israel Defense Forces: 'If we lose dog sports, police and military forces worldwide will suffer significant losses!'
Adi Hazut, retired K9 handler, Israel Defense Forces: 'The dogs fighting alongside us against terrorism come from the world of dog sports.'
Dobermann Verein e.V.: ...a clear YES to the preservation and promotion of the IGP working dog sport!
The working dog sport originated from police dog sports, and for good reason.
Advancements in training, ensuring the preservation of a usable...
Dr. Marianne Fischer, Veterinarian: 'Our working dogs are important for our society.'
That we need protection dog sports to maintain high-quality dogs for our agencies with service dogs for rescue, search, and protection is undisputed. However, even in private and everyday life, we can only benefit from the nerve strength and environmental security of our dogs.
VIKA BEZUS, Ukrainian National Guard, Breeder: 'Our working dogs are important for our society.'
Our working dogs are important for our society. Dog sports ensure that there are enough well-trained dogs available.
I am not sure if everyone realizes that there is a connection between sports and service:
Sports test the nerves; we see if our dog is still under control and cooperates with the handler over a long distance. In the context of IGP tests, we determine if our dogs are ready for deployment.
At some point, the lives of people depend on it!
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