# Breeders competing at high levels



## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

Not really sure how to title this, hopefully it makes sense. 

The thread about Drago got me thinking about breeders and how often they compete with dogs they have bred at the highest levels. I know Gary H has competed and stood at stud two if the more recent popular stud. But he did not breed them. Which is common, no knock on Gary or his program. 

But I am wondering if people could name some of the breeders that have bred and competed with their own dogs at high levels? How rare is that? Or am I just not realizing it when it happens. Sometimes I know a handlers name but not their kennel name. But it seems that even the top kennels get their dogs from other kennels. I know the dogs that get to those levels in sport are rare. But should it not be the goal of a breeding program to get there? IDK. 

Or, are breeding programs more focused on the bitch line and the strong boys sold to competitors and trainers that have the time to dedicate to competing? How often to bitches get to the highest levels? 





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## Betty (Aug 11, 2002)

Claudia Romard comes to mind.

She competed in the BSP with Bandit when she was very young and I believe is competing with some of her young dogs now.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Breeders going to the top with bitches is a bit more difficult due to dealing with the heat cycles or litters. I give them credit when they title a bitch to a 3 or multiple 3's even if it is club/regional level. Nationals are harder/the cost and limited time available to trial when you deal with the heat cycles makes it a huge challenge. And most breeders don't have or keep the stud dogs, the bitch line is what they focus on. Stud owners do have it much easier!


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

gsdsar said:


> Or, are breeding programs more focused on the bitch line and the strong boys sold to competitors and trainers that have the time to dedicate to competing? How often to bitches get to the highest levels?


I think that's definitely a factor, for the reasons Jane pointed out.

I also think a factor is that doing a good job as a breeder requires a lot of knowledge, time, commitment, and a mostly different skillset from being a top-level competitor in any sport. If you are going all-out in one thing, you probably don't have time to get real high in the other.

That said, there are a couple that I can think of in IPO. Ivan B with Ot Vitosha Malinois. Gabor at von Tajgetosz. Jim Hill at von Wyndmoor.

In competition obedience, Denise Fenzi with Sprite Tervuren and a bunch of Golden Retriever people. In agility, Derede Arthur at Haute Volee (also Tervuren) and a bunch of Border Collie people.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Deb Zappia and Jody Potter. Jody's bitch Nike, from her N litter, is a SchH3 and competed at Nationals in 2012


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

Jody Potter and Deb Zappia definitely. Kevin Lanouette was competing with his dog Wum until 2011 I believe, but the dog is retired now. Laurie Coppola and her BHOT dogs. Mario Gomes and his Mal. Chris Gaumont (sp?) and her BHOT dogs. Sure there's more that I forgot lol 

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## Zahnburg (Nov 13, 2009)

I think this is an excellent question. How is it that people have faith in a breeder and their breeding program when that breeder only trials with imported IPO3 dogs? To me, if a breeder has faith in their own program they would be willing, perhaps eager, to take a puppy from their own program to trial. 

My dog Buck was from my breeding program and I trialed him at the national level but he was unfortunately injured before we had the chance to show at more trials. I am currently working one of his daughters, Fancy, whom I hope to be trialing at top levels soon.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

GatorDog said:


> Jody Potter and Deb Zappia definitely. Kevin Lanouette was competing with his dog Wum until 2011 I believe, but the dog is retired now. Laurie Coppola and her BHOT dogs. Mario Gomes and his Mal. Chris Gaumont (sp?) and her BHOT dogs. Sure there's more that I forgot lol
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Do you know their kennel names? 


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## Packen (Sep 14, 2008)

There are breeders who compete and have good success at National and World levels, these are not your typical forum breeders though.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

gsdsar said:


> Do you know their kennel names?
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


vom Sitz von der Hose - Jody
vom Olgameister - Deb
zur Bindenburg - Kevin
von der Rennbahn - Laurie
vom klienen Teich - Chris


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Ajay Singh with his dog Chief vom Patiala. vom Patiala German Shepherds | Breeder of Working-line German Shepherds

Definitely Jim Hill Home

Gabor: k9imports | von Tajgetosz German Shepherds | German Shepherd Breeders

Louise Jollyman (can't remember her kennel name off the top of my head). 

Trish Sansbary Ohio Breeder of AKC German Sheph

The sad thing is, I am not sure there are even that many B/HOT dogs in this country, let alone those at the top, especially in SchH/IPO.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

lhczth said:


> Ajay Singh with his dog Chief vom Patiala. vom Patiala German Shepherds | Breeder of Working-line German Shepherds
> 
> Definitely Jim Hill Home
> 
> ...


If they are truly HOT, let alone BHOT  I do know that at least the ones we have mentioned do definitely train their own dogs though..

Louise is Brymwylf. 

I also forgot Don Yelle and Ivana Karlsen at Rebel Yelle.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Very hard to fake B/HOT, but HOT, unfortunately, is another story (and another topic).


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

lhczth said:


> Very hard to fake B/HOT, but HOT, unfortunately, is another story (and another topic).


Definitely. 


Frank Phillips competes with his dogs too.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

The breeder I wanted to get a puppy from, but currently have a younger foster dog from them. Both of their breeding bitches are IPO3 (multiple times) and also just got their PAM from the GSDCA. One of the bitches (with the breeder as the handler) competed in the 2012 USCA nationals in 2012.

Sorry but they're close friends (which is why I was the first one contacted for this returned dog) so I feel a bit awkward naming them or their kennel online. But they're a very small operation and the truth is the dogs/titling for them is more important and fun than breeding the bitches and reaping the rewards of their labor. I think its very tough to do what they do, especially with bitches. Many times those high level stud dogs aren't really part of a breeding operation. They're owned by people that do a lot of work with their dogs and after they've done what they've done they'll then stud them out.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

Very few people are competitive with dogs they bred at a National level....many of those mentioned get dogs at 1-3 years of age - either titled or nearly ready to title and then compete....I only saw two, maybe 3 people mentioned who actually raised a puppy to go to a National level trial with their own puppy and even then, also buy dogs that are started.... Debbie competed with Jai, a son of Escobar, her new dog Iron was imported as a puppy, Louise has raised her own dogs, both purchased and bred, Gabor also has done both, Frank Phillips competed Nationally with a son of his male, I don't remember Kevin or Jim Hill competing with anything they raised, or bred...

National level takes more than a good dog - it takes a support team to hold down the home fort and take care of dogs and time and resources and money....thousands of dollars that are not in everyone's budget...

Lee


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

lhczth said:


> Very hard to fake B/HOT, but HOT, unfortunately, is another story (and another topic).


Sounds like there's some interesting gossip behind that one...


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

It has been awhile since Jim competed with one of his dogs, but he has.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Frank, though, is not a breeder so his dogs are not B/HOT.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Raino Fluegge - vom Kiebitzende

Canadian Nationals and WUSV with B/HOT 

http://www.germanshepherddogs.ca/


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

Many of Raino's dogs have competed nationally-nice dogs-plus his club is so fun to train with _and I rarely say that about schutzhund clubs!!


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

Glyn Clayton with Hellequin v Eichenluft-Ror's mom Kandi Jacopino with Hawk-Rorie's uncle and Molly Graf with a number of dogs one of them Rorie's grandmother Adra


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Yes, Molly did compete a number of times with Eagle. Not sure if she competed at big events with any of her other dogs that she bred. 

Hawk was not B/HOT.


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## G-burg (Nov 10, 2002)

holland said:


> Glyn Clayton with Hellequin v Eichenluft-Ror's mom Kandi Jacopino with Hawk-Rorie's uncle and Molly Graf with a number of dogs one of them Rorie's grandmother Adra



I'm pretty certain Glyn and Kandi's dog's were bred by Molly.. and I believe they are littermates..


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

Thanks all. Very interesting thread. Some if the names I recognize. Some I don't. I have been out of the SchH arena for so long, not even thinking about pedigree and competitors. 


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

Its hard for breeders to compete at high levels. Like Lee said, with having to travel and make sure someone is home to care for things there. If you have only a couple dogs and raise, train, compete with one or two pups, then its possible. If you have multiple dogs and planned breedings of bitches, then harder to leave them in someone else's care. I know Jody did go with Debbie, she had someone stay with her pups. If the breeders can focus on producing quality dogs, the competitors can focus on competing.


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