People sometimes are fearful of certain large breeds of dogs such as German Shepherds, Pit Bulls and Rottweilers. Because of their sheer size and reputation as being aggressive, biting, attack animals, these large canines often get a bad rep. However, the breeding, training and handling of these large dogs, is key to understanding the breed and the individual animals.
Originally German Shepherds were bred to herd sheep and protect the flocks from danger. They are known for their strength, loyalty and their close bond with their humans.
You may have seen Iva and Heska being walked around the community by their Sabal Palm owners Bill and Anita Greenwald. Iva is a nearly six year old female German Shepherd, fairly small at fifty-five pounds with her beautiful long black sable coat. Genetically, she is mostly from Czechoslovakia. Heska weighs in at sixty-five to seventy pounds and has a standard coat of black and sable. Her genetics are from West Germany. Heska and Iva differ from showline German shepherds that have rusty red and black coats. They also differ from the Standard American German Shepherd lines, which have black and tan coats. If you recall the TV series of yesteryear, Rin Tin Tin was a Standard American Shepherd. Genetics play a huge role in knowing the tendencies of each line.
First off, there is a difference between working dogs and show dogs.
Working dogs that are bred for herding, tracking and protection include collies, German Shepherds, border collies, Dobermans, and numerous hunting dogs. These dogs require an active lifestyle and need walking. They tend to be suspicious of strangers and doorbells that alert them. Showline dogs are generally family-friendly companion dogs with a more laid-back temperament than working dogs.
With breeds such as Heska and Iva’s, obedience training is essential. Bill and Anita’s six-year-old Iva and her three- year-old friend Heska have had much training. The first obedience training was from the American Kennel Club/ AKC. These classes are designed for socialization and to acclimate the dog to other dogs and people. Tasks include the dogs learning to heal, sit, stay down and how to act when they encounter others. A second training for certification is a Companion Dog Title from BH, which evaluates the dog’s obedience and temperament. “BH” stands for Begleithundprufung in German, which translates to “traffic-sure companion dog test.” This training includes obeying on and off leash heeling, recalls, basic commands, and some real life challenges such as in situations in which the dogs encounter joggers, bikers, and other dogs.
Additionally, back in 2021 Iva was one of the young dogs who earned her Tracking Title Certificate through the American Kennel Club (AKC). The test involves following a 440-500 yards long track laid by a AKC judge with between three to five changes in direction, and the dog must find an item like a piece for clothing left at the end of the trail. Iva passed with flying colors!
Iva also has been certified by other tracking test programs. The Southwest Florida Schutzhund Club’s TR-1 (Tracking 1) program took about an hour and required her to lie down on a tracking course and to wait for her owner, who was at a distance on a thirty-foot search line. When she was ordered to “search!”, she had to identify an article, stop, and to lie down to show the judge she had tracked the piece of clothing.
Whereas AKC programs are basically for obedience training, dogs may also be enrolled in IGP dog training which was originally developed as a breed test for German shepherds. It consists of three IGP titles: IGP1, IGP2 and IGP3— obedience, tracking, and protection. The dog must pass all three in one trial to get the title of IGP/Schutzhund Working Dog. For the protection test, the dog is off-leash and must find a hidden stranger (helper). The dog must then sit and bark until the dog handler arrives. In more advanced trials the dog must protect its handler from an attack by the helper by biting and holding the attacker by his protective padded sleeve. At the command “out”, the dog must immediately release the attacker, sit, and continue to bark until told heel. Bill and Anita’s beloved Iva has completed the highest level of IGP training, but because Heska has hip problems, she has been unable to do the jumps and vertical wall climbs required for this certification.
Besides her advanced certificates, Iva is also a service dog for Anita. Understand, a service dog is considered a working dog and is trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.
Prior to Bill’s retirement he was a veterinarian for fifty years. Early in his career he split his practice in Southern Illinois between farm and small animals, but in 2000 he changed to pets only. He reminds us we always should get permission from a dog’s owner before attempting to approach or pet it. Also, not all dogs appreciate unfamiliar dogs approaching, and you should never let your dog rush to meet a strange dog. All dogs have the ability to bite. Some surprising breeds like Chihuahuas, Lhasa Apsos, Jack Russell Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, and Pekingese are most often involved with bites to humans.
Dogs that are loved, properly trained, and under control through voice, signal or other effective commands make wonderful companions and pets.
