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More on the State of the Biting Dog Sports and the Working Dog

By Kevin Sheldahl

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It has certainly been an enourmous change for the breed clubs to completely turn the performance test over to the FCI and the international interpretations of the IPO rules.

We have seen arguments over the stick hits, changes to a very logical progression in the IPO 1,2 & 3 routines. But, really it is the intangibles that have changed the most. IPO is no longer a breed test or a individual training goal. It is simply not a breed test any longer nor does it seem to fulfill the original goal of furthering the working dog through testing and training. It is a thing unto itself. In some respects it almost seems to be performance art. Lets look at heeling, or what we seem to be promoting as heeling today.

“Under discipline or control” is one definition of heeling. Let's look at the term bring to heel: this certainly explains the term “heel”. Does this today appear what is displayed in IPO? Not, really. I am trying to avoid comparing the old schutzhund routines to todays and yet I cannot help but remember the SchH2 heeling routine…..it was forever…..both on lead and off lead. Two trips into the group as well. It was more difficult by a long ways than SchH3 (which many people bitched about). In comparison to other related sports such as the DPO2 routine which had on lead and off lead heeling patterns (not including the out of motion/change of motion) that totaled around 360 meters of heeling, compared to the heeling today in IPO3 of under 100 paces (not including the build ups in out of motion exercises).

Today we see highly animated and often exciting performances in heeling. Huge effort goes into the “style” of heeling with a completely unnatural muzzle up, neck stretched, forced position which changes the gait of the dog and the topline does not stay level with ground. This seems to work pretty well with quite square dogs. Yet, I question whether the energy of such a performance could be held under older rules? Or, whether it is just stylistic…….what can we make these creatures do for us? How far can we push? Is the current fad the heeling equivilant of the Bulldog? A grotesque mutation of discipline and control?

This heeling fad certainly does not lend itself to “work” which I will define as something non-points related. Like getting from point A to B or controlling a dog in a ever changing environment while the handler proceeds about their given tasks.

In the past part of the criteria in observing a dog teams performance was observing the discipline and control under non-drive tasks such as heeling, positions, and the long down exercises verses drive exercises such as the recall, the go out, and the retrieves. It seems today that all exercises are judged only as drive exercises. This amounts to a huge change in criteria.

It also begs one to ask are we going to change the breed. The hallmark of a good working dog is the ability to move from a drive based behavior at will, to demonstrate that balance between drive and discipline that makes handling working dogs and especially living with working dogs a joy. Or shall we create dogs that are only capable of being in drive whenever in contact with hits handler. Performing continuously in drive, no common sense balance in the work or the genetics of the animal.

There may be places for such dogs, such as detection duties in large facilities, and a few other duties which take immensely active dogs. But, for working dog ownership and enjoyment are we barking up the wrong tree??

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Kevin Sheldahl

Kevin Sheldahl is a retired Deputy Sheriff who began training with police service dogs in 1982. In his career, he trained K-9 Teams for his department as well as neighboring departments as a Deputy Sheriff. He has experience deploying patrol, detection, SWAT and tracking canines spanning the duration of his career. He is credentialed as a Master Instructor, Certifying Official, and Police Dog Judge. Kevin has participated in numerous dog sports such as Schutzhund/IPO, ring sports, and police sports. Currently, Kevin instructs courses in Basic Patrol & Detection in the Albuquerque Metro Area and teaches advanced course at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. View his website here.