[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Let's review........
- From: Regatta <zilla@xxxxxxx>
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 08:57:02 -0500
My humble opinion to these quotes is marked with a **
>In a message dated 7/15/2006 11:02:55 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
>inflight2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>1) 2 dogs, same breeder - ZERO reaction passed this portion of the
>test. Every other portion of the test, including the weird stranger, these
>two dogs had very little if any reaction to any of the stimuli. They
>passed. These were not house dogs, they were owned by a breeder and housed
>in a kennel.
A non reaction is a zero, not a failure, a retreat is a failure
** I don't think a non-reaction should necessarily be desireable in some of
these tests. A German shepherd dog should always be alert and at least
acknowledge that something is happening around him, at the very least these
tests should get his attention and he should show it by raising his head,
ears forward and at least looking at whatever it might be (showing
confidence and curiosity). A dog that has NO reaction very well might be a
dog who has either been exposed/trained, or is exhibiting avoidance
>2) 1 dog - flipped out at the umbrella - I watched carefully - several
>minutes (not 20 seconds) later the dog had still not touched the umbrella or
>got close to it even with a lot of coaxing. The dog passed.
sometimes 20 seconds can seem like forever, we watch our second hands when
we test.
**if a dog is not comfortable with mommy or daddy out front touching the
bad umbrella, it should not pass, 20 seconds or not. A reaction to this
visual stimuli, even leaping back and out of range would be fine, but the
dog must get a grip and at least trust it's owner that nothing bad will
happen. The body language on the dog tells a good story
>3) Same dog - Weird stranger came out - dog hung his head, looked
>nervous. Weird stranger escalated - dog ran behind the handler (was visibly
>scared). Dog passed.
again, a non reaction - I have had dogs yawn, even with Paul Root! this
is a zero, not a failure.
** This should not be marked as a non reaction, the dog did react by
avoiding the stimuli and took refuge behind the handler, that IS a poor
reaction and should never pass. Again, if the dog did not acknowledge the
weird stranger at any time, it's not a GSD reaction. A dog who runs behind
the handler is an insecure and afraid dog, no other way to put it. Head
hanging is avoidance, yawning is stress, not boredom. Sure, dogs may
exhibit signs of avoidance and stress, but it's how they handle the
stressors and recover which is how they should be graded. A dog need not
go ballistic on the weird stranger test, but it must at least stand it's
ground and show curiosity, and show some acknowledgement that there is
something going on, not retreat behind the handler
>5) Another dog, when the umbrella was popped in front of them, it
>stood there and then went after the umbrella. Failed.
that will not fail a dog, perhaps that animal failed in another area
** A dog should not be failed for taking on the umbrella, although I have
seen a couple try to take out the umbrella operator which should be a fail.
>6) Another dog, when the weird stranger came out, they looked at the
>weird stranger, stood out alert, but not overly worried. Low score.
low score over all or low score on that part of the test?
** a reaction such as this would be normal for a dog who has no exposure to
such things, it should not be penalized if it was alert and stood it's
ground, that shows confidence and curiosity at least.
>7) Same dog as 6, when the weird stranger escalated, the dog went out
>to the end of the lead and barked in warning. Low score.
are you speaking of this individual part of the test (weird stranger has
3 different levels to this test)
** This part of the testing - weird stranger - is often misconstrued (at
least this is what I have learned over the years) The dog should
acknowledge there is someone present within sight when the stranger
presents himself but should not fire off barking and being an idiot as
there is no threat at that point. Once the stranger advances and there is
a possibility of a threat, the dog should maintain watchfulness and focus
on the stranger, ideally moving out in front of the handler but standing
ground beside the handler is okay. And when the stranger makes a pointed
advance toward the team, the dog should at least maintain it's position,
moving in front of the handler would show confidence and self assurance,
those would be most important. Some dogs who have never seen such a thing
may get quite agitated and circle around behind the handler, coming back
out in front to address the threat, but they should never stay behind the
handler.
>8) Another dog, marked low on the "friendly stranger" because the dog
>wasn't "friendly back".
** I have seen the GSD marked low on this part of the testing (all breeds)
for not being "friendly" and that is wrong. A GSD who makes
acknowledgement there is a friendly stranger and then allows petting is
perfect. They should not fawn all over someone they don't know, and should
not be marked a low score for aloofness, it's a breed requirement.
>In addition to this, I would like to add, we think we know what we are
>seeing from the ring side, however, the judge or evaluator can see into
>the eyes
>of the animal, we see the handler/participants reactions and responses,
>and it
>can be very different from what you see from ringside.
** I agree, and many people only see the obvious from outside the test
area. I do have a problem with the negative obvious being overlooked
though, and testers who may not have enough experience or dog sense doing
the testing correctly. I believe the TT or TC can be a good evaluation if
conducted properly and scored fairly.
JMO
Jill
Winnipeg Canada
CH Cody TT, CH Gretchen TT,
CH Scarlett TT, Boca TT, CH Boomer TT
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