SHADE’S PAST DOGS
Shade currently shares her home with Talic and Ones.
However, she’s also shared her heart with Reik, Changer, Quannah, Beauty, Ender, Jesse, Shadow, and Ryche. Below are their stories.
REIK aka “Reiki”
Reiki vom Aegis RN, CDX,FR 1, IPO 3, FH1
Reiki was Ender’s nephew and did his uncle proud with his trainability and work ethic. Reik cemented my reputation as a trainer who could remain competitive in Schutzhund at the National level, while not using correction based tools. I’ve never met a more clear headed dog, who could still hear me and control himself at ultra high levels of arousal. Reik gave me lots for free, made me look like a good trainer and was incredibly generous with his ability to figure out what I was trying to convey. He was a natural tracker, a dog with balanced drives in protection and the work ethic and motivation to perform in the long Schutzhund obedience routine. In our off season from competing in IPO, we played around in French Ring and he taught me how absolutely fun ring protection can be.
Reik’s highest scores in IPO were 100 in tracking (At Regionals), 97 in obedience and 98 in protection (at Nationals). He also obtained 199 out of 200 while earning the last leg of his CDX in AKC obedience. Reik won the IPO 1 competition at the AWMA Championship in September 2008, the IPO 2 competition at the DVG Nationals in June 2009, and placed 2nd at the IPO 3 WDDA Nationals in 2012, 5th at the 2010 AWDF and 7th at the 2012 AWDF.
Reik and I worked our way through the rally titles, and achieved our RN with scores of 99,100 and 97.
CHANGER aka “Che”
Exchanger vom Adler Stein
Titles: BH, CDX
Che earned his beautiful silver face and his nickname, the “Silver Fox”, by 11 years old. He ruled the house over the younger dogs. While Che didn’t have nearly the titles that the other dogs have, he was my business partner in my physical lessons, standing in for the distraction dog in BAT sessions.
He also taught me about reactivity, arousal, dog aggression and resource guarding and proven a huge help to my knowledge of dog behavior. I would not be the trainer I am today if it weren’t for Changer. And on the not so serious side, what a goof!
QUANAH aka “Quannie”
Temple of the Tree’s Darwin
Quannie is my first Maliniois, first because I’m betting there will be more! Fast and quick and so smart, Quannie taught me quickly that he was no German Shepherd. Joyful about everything, happy and excited about life, Quannie was the middle dog, between Reik and Ones.
While he doesn’t have the titles on paper, Quanah taught me a lot about R+ training, and how I had such a lot to learn as a competition trainer! I learned to shape behaviors and “clicker train” with Quanah, and he put up with my crappy timing and not clear criteria. In the end, I had to honor that Quanah wanted to be a lover, not a fighter, and that IPO was not really his thing. I re-homed him a couple of years ago with my good friends, and I still see him a couple times a year.
Beauty
The Beauty von Grunheide
Titles: OB 1
After her brother Ender’s tragic death, I “borrowed” Beauty from my friends the Ficks 3 days a week and we worked together in competition obedience and Schutzhund. She kept me sane and functioning and taught me what it was like to take an older dog with established habits and work toward precise competition behaviors. In the process we obtained our BH, our OB 1, and 1 leg of our CD. Beauty was a joy to teach, quick and fast and such a great work ethic.
Ender
Talender von Grunheide: SCH 3, FH, CDX
Ender was my second Schutzhund 3 dog and the first one where I had an idea of what I was doing! Affectionate and social, he participated at high levels in both AKC and Schutzhund, and as my dog training business partner, also performed tricks at fairs and at my elementary school presentations.
Ender touched hearts and caused an impression wherever he went, making it even worse when he died suddenly of a twisted colon in September 2005, at just 3.5 years of age. In that short talented life, Ender received 100 out of 100 points in the tracking phase in his Sch 2, 100 out of 100 in the obedience phase in his Sch 3, 97 out of 100 in protection in his Sch 3, and 198.5 out of 200 in his CDX. Luckily his genes live on in Reik and Ones.
Jesse
Briareus von Burgberg
Titles: Schutzhund 3, AD
Topping the scales at a fit 95 pounds, Jess was my first working line German Shepherd and my first attempt at “channeling” a dog’s natural desires and drives rather than squelching them. He was such a great companion, and a real GSD, strong and protective yet with a stable temperament.
When he failed his Sch 2 level twice, he started me on my journey of thinking outside the box and trying new ways of explaining things to the dog. We did eventually obtain our Sch 3, a feat I am proud of to this day. Jess also added greatly to my training business, giving me the confidence that I could train and problem solve as well as showing off his impressive self.
Shadow
Rudy’s Shadow Dancer
Titles: Schutzhund 1
Shadow was Jesse’s mother who I bought when she was 3.5 years old. Wow! She knew exactly what she wanted to do; kill my cats, fight my other dogs, chase deer and livestock, etc… She had motivations and prey drive that hadn’t been channeled towards humans or toys and she was one tough girl! We compromised. She made friends with the cat but never with my other bitch.
Ryche
Foxfield’s Queensryche
Ryche was my first German Shepherd and my first dog as an adult. Fresh out of college, all I wanted was a dog and freedom from writing English papers. Ryche introduced me to the magic of German Shepherds, but she also introduced me to behavior problems because she wanted to bite anyone that acknowledged her.
I tried many different methods, and trainers before I found Schutzhund. It was almost like being satisfied in her need to bite led to her becoming more stable and discerning about who to bite. She ruled the household until the day she died, outliving 2 younger dogs, and lying in the living room supervising everyone.