There are many different types of showing that you can do with your pup. It all depends on what you want to do. This is also something that you should think about when picking out your puppy. Are you interested in high levels of obedience, or have you seen Agility on T.V. and think that would be fun? Maybe you would like to do Schutzhund. The best way to decide is to start going to every dog show that you can find and watch to see if this is something that you would like to do. Some training is very time consuming and takes years to complete, make sure to ask a lot of questions of people that are showing to make sure this is a sport that you would like to do.
Here is something to remember: When was the last time you found someone giving away thier trained dog. Very rare, why? Because they and the dog are happy with their relationship.
We are going to be showing our dogs in the German Shows called the Seiger, and in UKC. UKC also judges the dogs against standard. There is a great deal to learn about this type of showing, but can be a great deal of fun. Here is a link to a UKC show in September. UKC dog show I will be showing Vic and maybe Mika. Hope to see you there!
This type of basic training is a must for all dogs, whether you want to show or just have a pet. You may find that when you are done with your basic obedience class that you have just had so much fun, (make sure you find a trainer that you really like, this person will be your mentor for the next year or so.) and find that you might like to get a ribbon for "fido". Your CD is the basic AKC obedience title that you can get. I suggest you get onto the AKC website and order the book for all the regulations for this type of showing. Also let your trainer know that you are interested. He or She can help you during the training of your dog.
Here are some step by step pictures when getting a leg towards your CD. Vic getting his 1st CD leg
To learn more about Obediance Showing click on this link to the AKC Obedience website
Agility is a great deal of fun and will keep you and your dog in pretty good shape. This is a very positive type of training and your dog must have his/her basic obedience under all types of distractions. Even if you are not a real competitive person this is a lot of fun and titles are pretty easy to get. I highly recommend this sport for all dog owners. Even if you don't want to show.
To learn all you want to know about Agility click on this link to the The Dog Agility Page
Schutzhund is 'THE' German Shepherd sport. But it is very hard to find a good helper. Let me know if this is something that you would be interested in and I will help you. It is very easy to ruin your dog by having a bad helper. In Schutzhund your dog will perform a high level of obedience, tracking, and controlled bite work. This sport takes a great deal of time, and money. You will have to join a club and train a couple days a week with them plus training everyday at home. If you are highly motivated this may be the sport for you. There are several books that you can read to learn more on this subject. I will be getting a list up of suggested reading material soon.
To begon to learn all you want to know about Schutzhund click on this link to the The Schutzhund Dog
To learn more about Schutzhund click on this link to the United Schutzhund Club of America
I am just going to give a link to a website that has a great deal of information. She defiantly deserves the credit for putting this page together. Don't forget to back click to get back to us. This is a sport that I am interested in I just haven't gotten the sheep yet.
All you would want to know about herding and more click here Herding informationThere are so many things that you can do with your "pet". I highly recomend getting involved in something. It helps the bond between you and your new family member. It also stops the bordom that many dogs face every day. The firt thing that you have to do is teach your dog to learn. Please get into an obedience class, go and visit every trainer in your area and watch all thier classes, basic to advanced. Your kids (if old enough) can train the dog. This link gives you many more links to different types of training and showing. I am not saying that all this information in the "best" info, but it will get you started in you search for what will make you and your dog the best team.
To learn more about differen types of training click on this link to the German Shepherd reading material
