# I have some questions



## NadDog24 (May 14, 2020)

As some of you may know I created a thread a while back about me thinking about doing IPO with Nadja. Well I' m super paranoid and shy so talking to my parents scares me so I haven't joined a club or started yet but anyways I have some questions I need help answering about the sport.
1) Is it too late? Nadja is 9 months old 
2) How much will it cost?
3) Do you know of any good clubs near the Mt. Angel Oregon area?
4) What are some benefits?
Thanks in advance


----------



## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

9 months is definitely not too late! 

I've seen costs vary between $200-$600 for annual membership dues. It will vary depending on the club.

This website will list affiliated USCA clubs in your region : Region/Events | United Schutzhund Clubs of America

The main benefit to me is building a relationship with your dog, and learning how to better communicate with them through the training.


----------



## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

No, it's not. I started one of my dogs at 5 years old!


----------



## NadDog24 (May 14, 2020)

Thank you!


----------



## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

I started Agility with my dog at 5 years old. It's never too late for training and fun, just the results/expectations need to be tempered.


----------



## Bearshandler (Aug 29, 2019)

1. I don’t have a good answer for to late. There are some things you want the dog to do in IGP like chase, bark, and bite that are generally trained against for normal pets. There tends to be a suppression of drive in normal pet dogs that can make starting IGP harder. Some people start as soon as they get the puppy, some before that. Some prefer to wait till they are done teething. Your dog is at a very good age to start.
2. Club membership is usually in line with what @GatorDog said, 200-600 a year. Some things you may want are a prong, flat collar or fur saver, a harness, and a tug or ball on a rope to reward. There some other stuff you will want/need to trial, but you don’t have to worry about that right now. I use hotdogs to start training tracking, but you can use pretty much any food.
3. I don’t know any clubs near you off the top of my head. You can check the usca, dvg America, and gsdca sv section for clubs.
4. The biggest benefit I would say is making you a better dog trainer/handler and making your dog more behaved, more confident, and more controllable. You will also get some commands that come in handy for everyday life. It also gives you a focus for training your dog with easily defined goals. It will also function as a productive outlet for your dog.


----------



## berno von der seeweise (Mar 8, 2020)

I'm sure most will disagree and tell me how wrong I am, but I say if you can't find a trainer, can't get to a club, for whatever reason, a lot of this stuff you can try to train yourself. Just do your best with what you have until a better opportunity comes along. It's far better to train _whatever you're able _than not train at all.

commands: Dog Training Commands in Several Languages

pick through the rulebooks and glean whatever you can

dvg america rulebook: FCI IGP Rules

usca rulebook: https://www.germanshepherddog.com/w.../08/2016-USCA-Rulebook-SmallVersion-1.3-3.pdf

if you can get a friend to help a little, that's good. If you can find a friend who has a dog and wants to train as well, that works better because then you can help each other. 

TOTALLY OT, and most if not all of this stuff is outdated, but if you just really want to train something, anything, some old military manuals are free online, and you can pick through them as well. And of course youtube is our friend. 

2005: https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-19-17.pdf
1997: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a332189.pdf
1960: https://www.bits.de/NRANEU/others/amd-us-archive/FM20-20(60).pdf
1956: https://vspa.com/k9/downloads/sentry-dog-manual.pdf


----------



## BigOzzy2018 (Jan 27, 2018)

All depends on what you have done with the before you posted. If the dog was a house pet most likely had too much pet training house rules pet OB if so may be hard to start but if the dog was well bred great genetics the dog could do fine. 
I personally would never train my dog on my own for the sport as a newbie.


----------



## berno von der seeweise (Mar 8, 2020)

BigOzzy2018 said:


> I personally would never train my dog on my own for the sport as a newbie.


that's a very good point and I'm so glad you made it. The berno method described above is in* no way shape or form *meant to be suggested as a way to train for the sport.

But just commands, obedience, focus, clearly defined goals, more behaved, more confident, more cohesive, and a productive outlet. I mean if it's a question of backyard training vs no training at all, I say go on out back and train. My daughter brings her dog over for me to decoy and it's great. We call it "family time" 

obviously we ain't never goin' to the czech nationals here, but it's better than nothing; and believe you me I built up a lot more pressure on that dog than any legit club would ever allow.


----------



## Chip Blasiole (May 3, 2013)

80% of training is what you don’t do.


----------



## Chip Blasiole (May 3, 2013)

Berno asked me expound. I should have said 80% of good training is what you don’t do meaning making mistakes in your foundation training which can leads to hundreds of repetitions of training something either incorrectly or that might work in the short run but create major problems in the long run. This factor is not so salient in pet training but can be very costly in sport and especially in real life operational dogs where the result of bad training can result in injury or death.


----------



## berno von der seeweise (Mar 8, 2020)

yay! Chip!! excellent points. couldn't agree more. I'm strictly advocating "some training vs no training," pet prey play, equipment association, rated E for everyone, good clean fun. No false illusions about civil defense or any of that. Be forewarned, *if you have serious goals and aspirations about participating in orthodox organized activities*, the berno method is quite likely to do more harm than good.

hopefully this kid can get to a real trainer and a real club. 

looks like *DVG* may be the best bet because salem and portland?

FCI IGP Rules


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Contact Nia in Olympia.




__





Cascade Schutzhund Club (DVG)


The premier Schutzhund club in Washington State. Good Dogs, Good People. Good Training.



www.cascadeschutzhundclub.com





Long drives are common in our sport and Cascade is probably the best club in your area.


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Here's a map of all the clubs. 








USCA Club Map - Google My Maps


Map of approximate locations of current Full Member USCA clubs in the US, updated Dec 2019.




www.google.com


----------



## berno von der seeweise (Mar 8, 2020)

I just want to reiterate, if you can get to a real trainer/real club, please disregard everything I said above.

but if you can't get to a trainer/club, just do the best you can. If you invest the time now, at 9 months old, that dog will pay dividends by rewarding you for the next 9+ yrs. If nothing else, just focus on obedience. The breed THRIVES on training.


----------



## Chip Blasiole (May 3, 2013)

I'd say at the very least, read some books on training dogs using operant learning. A very good book is "Purely Positive Training." Way too many people don't know the four pillars of operant learning in dog training or what they involve-positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment. The book I referenced is excellent for foundation training, but positive only training will not work for more advanced training.


----------



## NadDog24 (May 14, 2020)

My dad can help me out quite a bit when he's home, he's one of the top tactical dog trainers in Oregon. He helped me get Nads started in her obedience. She knows how to heel, sit, down, focus, recall, and out. We have most of the equipment in our shop so that won't be too much of a problem. Thank you for all the suggestions and advice they've been very helpful.


----------



## berno von der seeweise (Mar 8, 2020)

well now I'm embarrassed  your father's forgotten WAY MORE than I'll ever know. Talk to him.

but speaking of kinfolks, if Chip mentored my mentors, doesn't that make him my _Grandmentor_?


----------



## NadDog24 (May 14, 2020)

I will definitely be talking to dad as soon as I gather up the courage.


----------



## berno von der seeweise (Mar 8, 2020)

seriously, listen up now, don't talk to strangers on the internet about it. Speak to a trusted adult in your real life. Mom, aunt, uncle, older sister, whoever. I'll bet it all works out way easier than you think. You're psyching yourself out.


----------



## NadDog24 (May 14, 2020)

Good news! Dad is helping us learn the obedience routine as well as some tracking work. We will be starting bitework in the next week or so. He knows of a club nearby too so we’ll be checking them out too. I’m so happy


----------



## Kathrynil (Dec 2, 2019)

NadDog24 said:


> Good news! Dad is helping us learn the obedience routine as well as some tracking work. We will be starting bitework in the next week or so. He knows of a club nearby too so we’ll be checking them out too. I’m so happy


Glad you talked to your parents.


----------

