# First Title at Just Under 6 Months!



## GSDElsa

Well, not sure if this counts as a "title," but Medo got his "lure coursing enthusiast title" today. (Elsa went too, but totally blew me off and had a sorry showing so we won't talk about that lol).
He did SO awesome! During his first run, he got a little distracted running by all the barking dogs and the crowd of people, but then totally had the hang of it. He was a pro by his third "qualifier." 
Here's some pics and video...the woman I asked to video got confused so we only got the start and finish. And thanks to Jamie for taking some pictures!

http://youtube/Bj02ZyDIP8A

http://youtube/e9TltMmSqaI

Let me go, mom! This is my third time. I'm an expert already and I KNOW what I'm doin'!








And he's off!
































Wings--errr--ears preparing for take-off!
















Wide turn!! Wide turn! Mayday! Mayday!








I believe I can fly!








You get that bad little plastic bag bunny. YOU GET HIM!








Iz so proud uf myself!


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## KZoppa

thats awesome!!!! i say it counts! congrats!!! looks like fun!


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## GSDElsa




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## Smithie86

Congrats to you and Medo man!!!


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## JakodaCD OA

CONGRATS ! I can NOT wait until they offer this in our neck of the woods


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## VomBlack

Congrats!  I've been wanting to try it with my dogs, I think they'd like it.. whereabouts was this?


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## Wubba

Congrats to you! Very well done!


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## Mrs.K

Congrats. 

The links don't work though.

Where did you take that course?


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## JakodaCD OA

Mrs K you don't have to take a "course" to lure course..But maybe you mean where did she take the "test" or the 'lure coursing event'? 

Kinda go in au natural, if the dog has the drive to it, they'll do it..I used to do lots of lure coursing with my other shepherds and my aussies,,all it takes is ONCE for that rag to go zinging around and dogs are usually OFF and going nutty chasing it

Lots of fun to watch and do...


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## Mrs.K

JakodaCD OA said:


> Mrs K you don't have to take a "course" to lure course..But maybe you mean where did she take the "test" or the 'lure coursing event'?
> 
> Kinda go in au natural, if the dog has the drive to it, they'll do it..I used to do lots of lure coursing with my other shepherds and my aussies,,all it takes is ONCE for that rag to go zinging around and dogs are usually OFF and going nutty chasing it
> 
> Lots of fun to watch and do...


Yeah, i ment where she took the test. Indra would probably have quite some fun doing it, so if there is anything in the area, I'd love to try it out.


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## JakodaCD OA

ahh ok,,I see I have TWO coming up close to me in oct/nov,,4days, now have to see if I can get in on it


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## JanaeUlva

That's so cool! Mounds had an all dog event that had a lure course but we got there late and they weren't letting anymore dogs get in line. We stood outside the penned in area and watched but had to move away because I felt like it was teasing her. Next year I'll get there on time. Great pictures!


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## GSDElsa

Sandra and Kelli--

It's down in Freeville. The next one is the 10th of Sept. We should all go! Its super fun! Jamie (DancingCavy, but she doesn't come here really anymore) has been bugging me to go for awhile and I finally made it.

Lure Coursing Fun

I thought it was great training all-around. It really shows a dogs focus and drive to power through the people standing off to the side, the barking dogs, working 100 yards from their person. Fun event, but I was even more thrilled at the fact Medo showed me he can work through some pretty big distrations...he was the ONLY first time dog that got through even 1 run today yet alone all 3 to get the pseudo-title.


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## Castlemaid

Woohooo! Go Medo!~ RUN your heart out! (oh, never mind, he did!  )

Jealous, jealous, jealous!!! There is little out here (we are SO lucky to have a Schutzhund club!). I was just talking to a CKC perfomance event veteran this morning, and if I wanted to do CKC tracking trials or a herding instinct test, I'd have to travel far away overnight to places that offer them - we are so remote here!


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## doggiedad

it's a title, it's a title, yeah!!!!


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## Jason L

Way to go!!!!


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## Samba

So much fun! Congratulations on the coursing!


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## Liesje

Congrats! This is Nikon's favorite thing. Working on a U-CAX....


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## NancyJ

Sooooo having put so much effort into NOT having the SAR dogs chase quickly moving small objects......woudn't that be sort of a training conflict? 

Just the other day Grim almost stepped on a baby fawn (they freeze until you are right on top of them then take off like a rocket) and I could tell he wanted to chase it but one phooey and he though better of it.


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## Mrs.K

I'd say there is a huge different between chasing a rag an chasing an animal, just like there is a huge difference between biting a sleeve an an actual human arm, Nancy.


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## NancyJ

You may have a point. I do try to have all of my dog's drive satisfaction come from search work though.


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## Mrs.K

Yeah, but I also believe that it's beneficial to throw something else in there, from time to time, you know, to keep it interesting and spice it up.


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## Liesje

My Nikon *always* wants to chase small animals. Haven't really been able to or cared to train that out of him, but I don't do SAR. He would not be a good SAR candidate or SD candidate because he will chase unless I can tell him no first. With lure coursing, I can embrace his weakness


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## benjamin1

good job


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## GSDElsa

Seriously if going lure coursing occasionally is going to ruin my dog for sar then his nerves and thresholds are way too low and we have no business doing sar in the first place. I liken this to doing protection with your dog (which I know you don't agree with either but this is for the rest of the folks)..if your dog is so civil that you constantly fret your dog might mistaken a wandering lost child for a bad man in a sleeve then your dog is way too sharp and unstable to be doing sar as well.

Doing other venues imo tela you a lot about your dog. Yeah he chased a plastic bag. And afterwards he went and chilled with me in the grass calmly watching other dogs. And was no more likely to go chasing squirrels yesterday than he was any other day before.


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## NancyJ

Justine, I just questioned the wisdom of doing this with a SAR prospect. 

I say that because of numerous dogs who have problems with VISUAL stimulation by moving animals. It is a very common problem. There are actually other SAR handlers who start their air scent dogs in trailing (no runaways) because they don't want the dog working with visual stimulus. To introduce air scent they do so with a "J" hook problem on a trail.

I guess there are just going to have to be different schools of thought on this. Yes, I do believe that as a working dog a SAR dog should have ONE and only ONE job. 

I don't feel why you see a need to attack my *dog* as opposed to a *viewpoint*; I said not one iota negative about your dog. He seems to be a very nice one. As far as my own dog I don't know what I have ever said that would have you think he is sharp OR civil but he is not. Never had a dog with such a high threshold that nothing rattles him. Concerning stability - If I can and have worked my dog offlead in the vicinity of Pitts lunging on chains with an armed police officer ready to fire if the chain breaks,and he is completely unfazed I am just not going to worry about it. The dog has certified nationally several years in a row and has multiple finds in the real world.


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## GSDElsa

Hu? What are you talking about. I'm t taking the general "you"not you you. You don't do protection work with grim so I'm not sure how you thought I was talking about him? Just to clear up I was not.

I realize that some dog are such big prey monsters this could be a problem. And I AM questioning the wisdom of using a dog for sar that is so obsessed with movement you can't do a basic sar exercise with them. But that's just my opinion.


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## cliffson1

Folks....lol There is no wrong or right in this equation...its all about the specific dogs. This is an utility breed. This is also a breed that has great discernment....when well bred. This is a breed that can excell in herding(prey drive), service work for the impaired, blind, (this dog definitely cannot take off on moving objects whether animals or objects while the leash leads to the impaired person), and Law Enforcement( high need for defense drive and scent work), and the SAME dog can do all three if they have good training, good nervebase, and good instincts. If the dog has a good on and off switch and has the proper threshholds, you think the dog can't be trained to know the difference once trained. A dog trained is obedient to the commands given, a sound dog can be trained to do this with all types of distractions. 
The specialization breeding of today, and the subsequent specialization thinking of many that participate in these venues, has led to many limiting the use of this breed dramatically in recent years. A GOOD German Shepherd could excell at SAR doing it Jocoy's way or doing it Justine's way. Just depends on the training.
This is the reason some of us strive so hard to breed BALANCED dogs of impeccable nerve....it allows you to do almost anything with the dog. 
Folks, you both are right...in your own dog's right...smile.


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## JakodaCD OA

I answered this from my experience on the other board but will do so here for those that didn't see it.

I did ALOT of LCoursing with two of my gsd's and aussies at one point. Lucky in that a club had LC once a week that was available to me, as well as a friend who did JRT stuff, and had the LC set up..

They LOVED it, were intense, driven, and really amped up when doing it..I also did obed/some conformation/mostly agility at the time..I had no problems with crossing over to other things AND doing LC . My aussie, well she's a project, and has always chased anything that moves.. My GSD's at the time, had always been easy to shut off if they decided they were going after, say, a live critter.

At the LC I used to attend, they also had obed rings going/conformation going..I never had a problem going from one to the next in the same nite

So my experience was, my dogs knew the difference in whatever we were doing at the time and crossing over was never a problem.

I certainly agree it depends on the dog.


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## Mrs.K

you know, I never understood why a dog shouldn't do something different just to spice it up. We all need a break from something we do so we don't burn out and dogs are no different. 

A shepherd is a Jack of all Trades. Luckily I come from a place where it is believed that a Shepherd can specialize in many different venues and succeed in them because it's like Cliff said, a matter of training.


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## NancyJ

GSDElsa said:


> Hu? What are you talking about. I'm t taking the general "you"not you you. You don't do protection work with grim so I'm not sure how you thought I was talking about him? Just to clear up I was not.
> 
> I realize that some dog are such big prey monsters this could be a problem. And I AM questioning the wisdom of using a dog for sar that is so obsessed with movement you can't do a basic sar exercise with them. But that's just my opinion.


I figured you were adressing me because you specifically said "which I know you don't agree with either but this is for the rest of the folks" - I misunderstood, my aplogies.


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## NancyJ

Mrs.K said:


> you know, I never understood why a dog shouldn't do something different just to spice it up. We all need a break from something we do so we don't burn out and dogs are no different.
> 
> A shepherd is a Jack of all Trades. Luckily I come from a place where it is believed that a Shepherd can specialize in many different venues and succeed in them because it's like Cliff said, a matter of training.


I think you can do something different within the SAR venue there are enough oddballs problems to keep a dog busy in training all its life. So I don't think dogs need a break from doing SAR work but they need a broad base of experiences within that venue.


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## GSDElsa

jocoyn said:


> I figured you were adressing me because you specifically said "which I know you don't agree with either but this is for the rest of the folks" - I misunderstood, my aplogies.


Well that part I was addressing you  But just in the sense that I was giving the "protection dog" trained example and I already know that you and your team do not accept dogs that do bitework. But no, sorry for the misunderstanding, the rest was just talking in the general sense if somone had a dog that was protection trained but worried about the dog being too sharp and too civil then the dog doesn't belong doing SAR.


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## GSDElsa

Nancy, I completely agree with you that SAR is A JOB. And for a lot of dogs, it should be the ONLY job. With that said, I've seen a lot of dogs that are, say, SchH titled and a certified wilderness dog. I do not think (and am not doing such) that it is wise to push a young dog into TRAINING for too many different things at once. 

Conversly, I EXPECT my [hopefully future] SAR dog to be thrown into any kind of new environment, element, sport, or venue and perform superbly. Superbly in my book does not mean performing flawlessly with pressure to be perfect. Superbly in my book means staying levelheaded, ignoring distractions, and continuing to work....DESPITE working in a drive not normally utilized.

I think it is way too narrow minded to say that this is unwise to throw this kind of thing into SAR training. Trust me when I tell you that I was VERY congnizant of my dog's behavior both during and after each run. How does he respond to those distractions when working 100 yards from me? Can he stay in drive and focused or does he want to run over to or from the barking dogs and crowd of people? What happens when I tell him "all done?" Does he need to be dragged off the field whining for the plastic bag? Or does he immediately focus back on me and shut off? What does he do right after we leave the field and the other dogs go? Can he stay calm despite the excitement happening both beside him in the form of other dogs going crazy as well as a dog running the course? Or does he mentally check out and obsess over what is going on out there?

Trust me when I say that if any of the "undesirables" were seen that I would have seriously considered his stability, mindset, and suitability for continuing on the path of doing SAR. I have no problem putting my dog through low-key subconsious "tests" on the path of "real" training via occasionally trying new things fun for BOTH of us. The bottom line is, if doing lure coursing stirs up some kind of unwanted and undesirable behavior NOW, I am of the mindset that crack will start to form at SOME point--whether during training or during a search--and WILL become a problem.

I certainly understand the point and reasoning behind controlled environments and maintanance of certain dogs (or simply because of training preference). But that type of dog is not the one that I want to be out there with.


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## Mrs.K

> Can he stay in drive and focused or does he want to run over to or from the barking dogs and crowd of people? * What happens when I tell him "all done?" Does he need to be dragged off the field whining for the plastic bag?*


Indra whines and cries for her ball when the helper walks away. The minute I take the ball out of the car (even if she's in the crate) she knows whats going to happen. I also have to drag her off the field when we do bitework because she has not reached that level of obedience yet and once she's in the car she's not done working. 

99% of the time it's a trained behavior and has nothing to do with mental stability. It's part of the drive we want. We want the dogs to be intense and to hunt and search and part of that is to actually have the mindset not to quit that easily. 

Either you have a dog that is hunting any livin beeing on the planet, or you don't. My dog has been chasing rags ever since she was a puppy. Maybe not as fast as the lure coursing but a flirt pole is no different, it's the same concept. They are chasing. 

Playing fetch is a chase game too, they are chasing a ball. If they are playing with other dogs, they are chasing each other. Dogs love to chase but there is a distinguished difference between all that and actually going off chasing any bird, geese, deer or rabbit they see. 

If they are out of sight, we have to trust our dogs not to do any of that an to actually stay on the job. So far, in the past 8 months I have not had any reason to not trust my dog. She's been working out of sight, and recently in urban areas where a lot of dogs were in their yard or tethered outside, charging the fence and she could have taken the bait to attack those tethered dogs. She didn't. She stayed on the job working the scent even though those tethered dogs went crazy an nuts. She completely ignored them, so I do believe that she is actually doing her job and not running off once she sees a bird flying or a bunny running off.
Now if we are on a walk, she actually does look and notice them and if one of them got loose it'd be "Game on!".


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## Liesje

I have to wear special shoes for lure coursing runs so I can get Nikon on and off the field!


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## GSDElsa

What do you wear? Like soccer cleats? Lol


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## Liesje

I should, but don't have any. The last several times he's done lure coursing I've either been doing conformation (dressier shoes) or dock diving (water shoes), but Nikon goes CRAZY when he sees the lure getting reset so I have to wear whatever shoes I have with the best traction! I made that mistake the first time, thinking I could just heel him from conformation down to the course and back. Afterward it's easier to get him off since it's been so stinkin hot he gets gassed. He did his last two runs soaking wet, it was so hot waiting even in the shade I kept hosing him off, and at the competition we were at it was sort of a first come first serve so if you left you lost your spot in line. NOT fun holding your dog right there for a dozen other runs!


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## GSDElsa

Haha...next time you go I want to see you in cleats, shinguards, and wearing some gloves! 

I have a fun imagine of you sliding down a hill in your slacks and dress shoes right now 

Jamie says that there is an actual AKC sanctioned lure coursing event coming here soon. Hopefully she can get the "real" title on Ris!


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