Inter-Club Training: GASA Welcomes South Metro Atlanta Schutzhund Club

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This past Saturday, December 17th, GASA welcomed South Metro Atlanta Schutzhund Club for a wonderful day of inter-club training. A great turn out by both clubs, featured a total of six helpers who worked numerous dogs at all levels of training.  Training started at 8 am with obedience. Protection began at 10:30 am and lasted until 3 pm. Thank you, South Metro, for a super day. GASA encourages inter-club training days to foster good relationships between clubs and to give club members and their dogs experience on different fields and training with different people. The pictures above represent just a few of the dogs and handlers from both clubs.

 

GASA Members Going to Trial at Coal Mountain Schutzhund Association

An eventful weekend coming up for GASA!

We will not have training at the club field on Saturday due to the Coal Mountain Schutzhund Association trial on Saturday (Dec. 3).  Gary McGillivary will be seeking a SchH 2 (IPO 2), and Philippa Fendler will be seeking a BH at the trial.  Training Director Fabian Walker will be attending the trial to support our members as well as to support the Coal Mountain club’s annual trial.  As with all local trials, GASA members are encouraged to attend the trial in lieu of Saturday training.  Those who are new to the sport will particularly benefit from attending local trials to gain a better understanding of the sport.  Here are the directions:

Location:

6917 Matt Highway Cumming, GA 30028

Directions: 400N. Turn left onto Browns Bridge Rd/GA-369 and travel approximately 7 miles. 6917 Matt Hwy will be on left, 0.6 miles past Whitmire Rd.

If you reach McBrayer Rd., you’ve gone about 0.6 miles too far.

PLEASE NOTE:  The trial starts with SchH 1, 2 and 3 obedience at 7:30 am on Saturday!!  You should arrive early (between 7 am and 7:15 am) or risk missing this important part of the trial.  Tracking will be conducted on Sunday (Dec. 4) instead of Saturday.

As usual, there will probably be training opportunities after the end of the trial events on Saturday.

See you there!

Peter Spanos

GASA President

Preparing for Trial!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Two of GASA’s club members will be competing at the Coal Mountain Schutzhund Association trial this weekend (December 3 and 4). Gary  McGillivary and his dog, Diebel, are in the hunt for a IPO 2 title and Phillipa Fendler and her dog, Champ, are going for a BH. If you’re in the area, come on out and support Coal Mountain Schutzhund Association and all the competitors. The judge is Nathaniel Roque.

Training at GASA is in full trial preparation mode, not just for Gary and Phillipa, but also for other members who are planning to compete at GASA’s upcoming club trial February 25 – 26, 2012.  You may have seen our ad in the latest issue of the USCA magazine. Also, see the GASA website for more information and an entry form.

Competitors are welcome to train with us on Saturday mornings beginning around 8 am with obedience and protection starting at 11 am. Visitors are always welcome. We hope to see you there!

The photos above were taken at Saturday’s club training and are copyright protected by BJ Spanos Ink Photography.  Enjoy!

Another GASA Member Has Success

Rebecca Buchman is pleased to announce that a puppy she recently bred, Xander von Buchmann, took VP1 at the North American Sieger show in the 9 to 12 month longcoat class. He also won Best American Bred dog award in the entire age group, which included stock coats and longcoats of both genders. This was was Laura Plumley, Xander’s owners’. first time ever competing at a show. Laura brought in a top handler from Germany to handle Xander in this show. Xander is the first longcoat to be awarded a VP1 at the North American Sieger show. Another of Rebecca’s puppies, Jaxer von Buchmann (from another breeding), earned his VP1 in the 6 to 9 month male category in a show in Ohio. Both Jax and Rebecca’s dog Shelby will be in the Sieger Show this spring. Xander may be going as well. Below are a few pictures of Xander and Jax. Congratulations, Rebecca!

Xander von Buchman

Xander von Buchmann

Jaxer von Buchmann

Jaxer Von Buchman

Success for GASA Members at Two North Carolina Events

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Fabian Walker and Gary McGillivary were very successful at the Brushy Mountain trial on Saturday. Fabian and Sly were awarded the BH with the following (entire and word for word) critique from Judge Mike Hamilton: “Experienced trainer, polished performance. What else can I say?” Judge Hamilton did not even bother to take notes of Fabian and Sly’s routine, which in Schutzhund means that the judge cannot find anything wrong, even a little thing. Very nice!

Gary and Deibel won High in Trial, High IPO 1 and High Protection with 94 in tracking, 91 in obedience and 97 in protection. Judge Hamilton had a lot of praise for them as well and awarded full points on most of the elements in all three phases. Again, very nice!

I am proud to say that GASA was well-represented this weekend, not only by having the most well-trained and consistently top performing two dogs in the trial but also that we had 10 club members either attending or showing at the trial. For an event held more than four hours driving time away, this is outstanding and shows tremendous team spirit that we all need to succeed. Remember, Schutzhund is a team sport! Both Fabian and Gary were very pleased!

Stefan Mannesbart and Kaiser deserve a “shout out”, a “round of applause” and other recognition for serving as the “dummy dog” team during the BH routines, not once, not twice but a record-breaking three times. I cannot think of anyone anywhere that has volunteered and successfully performed three BH routines in a single day just to enable others to title their dogs. And it was not even our club’s trial!

Also, Barbara and John Battersby competed this weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Rottweiler Klub (MARK) in Mooresville, North Carolina. Their young male Rotteweiler, Kooper vom Schwarzen-Eis, achieved the following results under Judge Carsten Henriksen (FCI Denmark): V1 in the 18-24 month Youth class and went on the be the show’s Youth Sieger. And, once again – very nice!

Congratulations to Fabian, Gary, John and Barbara, and thank you to those who traveled to Statesville, North Carolina to support our club members! We only wish we could be in two places at once: Statesville and Mooresville!

Peter Spanos
GASA President

Ronny van Den Berghe Demonstrates Obedience Training

Outstanding obedience training session by multiple time world champion Ronny van Den Berghe.  This video demonstrates the methods used at GASA. I encourage you to view the video and consider using these methods in your own training.

Happy Training -

Peter Spanos, GASA President

 

Exciting News – Kooper Titles at Two Rotteweiler Shows

Some exciting news to report!

John and Barbara Battersby’s young Rottweiler, Kooper, earned a V1 18 – 24 Months Class Under Judge Uwe Petermann (ARDK) at the Southeastern Working Rottweiler Klub (SWRK), which was held in Charleston, South Carolina on September 10^th.

He also won the 18 – 24 Months Class under Judge Frank Beiboer (Netherlands) and was Youth Select Sieger at the Bluegrass Working Rottweiler Club (USRC) in Franklin, Kentucky on September 17^th.

What this means for those of us not up to scratch on Rottweiler show titles is as a young dog Kooper is doing very well under experienced and respected Rottweiler judges.  Both judges commented that Kooper will only get better as he develops.

Kooper’s Schutzhund (IPO) training also is progressing nicely!

Congratulations John and Barbara!!

Inter-club Training Day: Coal Mountain Schutzhund Association and GASA

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On Saturday, August 20th, Coal Mountain Schutzhund Association graciously hosted an inter-club training day with GASA. More than 20 dogs and their handlers attended. Thank you to Dennis VanderLinde and all the members of Coal Mountain for a great day! We hope to host you at the GASA club field in the very near future.

The slide show shows just a few highlights of the day’s training!  Enjoy!

Preparing for the Fall Trial Season

While training in summer’s heat and humidity can be daunting, it also is a great time to assess if you’ll be ready for trail soon. If you plan to trial your dog in the fall or winter, now is also the time to begin serious preparations, including tracking!! With that in mind, here is a list of scheduled trials coming up in our area:

November 5-6  Central Alabama Schutzhund Club (Birmingham) (Judge: Mike Hamilton)

December 3-4  Coal Mountain Schutzhund Club (Judge: Nathaniel Roque)

February 25-26  Greater Atlanta Schutzhund Association (Judge: Randall Hoadley)

March 3-4 Coal Mountain Schutzhund Club (Judge: Ann Marie Chaffin)

I encourage you to discuss your plans with GASA Training Director Fabian Walker and to take advantage of the trial preparation experience of Fabian and several other GASA members who have trained their dogs to SchH 3 and have shown at regional and national events. Together we can achieve great things!

A post with more details about the changes in IPO rules is still in the works.  Thanks for your patience!

Peter Spanos, GASA President

Highlights of Summer at GASA

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Although the heat and humidity is enough to wilt even the hardiest of souls, it has not dampened the spirits of GASA members or their dogs nor has it slowed down training and our efforts to make our club facilities the best they can be.  So, c’mon out on Saturdays, beginning around 8 am to 8:30 am for obedience and 11 am for protection. Practice tracking fields are nearby, too!

The following are a few highlights of recent and upcoming activities at GASA:

• GASA’s 2012 Club Trial will be held February 25 – 26, 2012, with Randall Hoadley judging the event. Titles offered include BH; IPO 1, 2 and 3; OB 1, 2, and 3; TR 1, 2 and 3. More details to follow soon!
• Welcome and congratulations to our new full members: Amanda Haddix and Evan Pohl. GASA now has 25 full members and 5 active three-month trial members.
• Congratulations to John Battersby, who was elected as vice president by unanimous vote.
• GASA’s new protection training platform is complete, with the addition of a metal roof. Not only does it already serve us well for training, but it will be ideal for spectators at our trials.
• As you may have heard, the United Schutzhund Clubs of America has adopted the new FCI rules, effective January 1, 2012. The next post will address this change in more detail. Look for it in the next week or so!

Peter Spanos, GASA President