It was cool watching the Mondio folks at the seminar this weekend ( I can some it's basis from Belgian Ring )and I'd love to see more exposure in the U.S. to this sport.

It'd be a good evolutionary step from SchH folks that are looking for a challenge or are sick of SchH politics, wish there were more clubs actively training for it.

Anyone starts one anywhere near me I'm in

 Quote: Cameron Feathers

Anyone starts one anywhere near me I'm in

Ditto!!!

I'd love to have something, anything, close by.

I'd love to train for mondio too.

Are there any "dual purpose clubs" who train for schH and mondio? May be a stupid question, but at our club, we've worked on leg bites with a SchH III mal.

??? I imagine it's simply a time factor, training for both venues, but can this be done? Cross training altogether? People are always saying we underestimate our dogs' abilities. ??? Hmmmm...what about underestimating *our* abilities? What would be the pros and cons of a "dual purpose club"?

I didn't realize until I got to the seminar, how lucky I am to have a club training Mondio in my town. I'm hoping to start training Koby in Mondio with them pretty soon. It looks like they do train in various PS venues - Mondio, Schutzhund, PSA, French Ring (check out their website: http://www.midwestringsport.com/). This is the club that hosted the US Mondio Championship in April.

I assume it's a little more of a challenge to train a dog for more than one venue, but it can be done. Earlier in July I watched Donna Matey, who was at the seminar with Jackson and did well at the Mondio Ch, have a nice run in her first(?) PSA trial here in Minneapolis. I believe that's where Jackson developed the problem they worked on at the seminar - in PSA there are gunshots while the dog's on a downstay, so suddenly she had a dog who got all excited when she put him on a down, thinking the protection-related gunshots were coming. It was amusing and definitely educational to watch her and Michael work through that problem.

For those of you who would like to try Mondio, why don't you try to start your own club? Even if you find only one or two other people who are willing to train once or twice a month, at least it's a start. You can help each other find your way through it, come to this board with questions, use what you learned from Michael, etc...

I believe the USMRA is close to approving a titling program for just the Obedience portion of Mondio, so for those of us with dogs that aren't up to snuff on protection, that's an exciting option. I think they're also hoping that will draw a few more people into the sport, even if they're not into the protection aspect of it. And if you have more people interested in any part of Mondio, you'll eventually need more clubs to help people train, right?

Time to hit the sack. Koby is growing in leaps and bounds, and is doing well in his focus (obed) training, but he's zonked out for the night now. Actually, all 3 dogs are (ah, peace and quiet....), so now it's my turn. G'nite.....

Karin and the Belgian Sheepdogs in MN

Mondio at Cascade K-9 - Near Seattle, WA

At Cascade K-9, our dogs cross train in a number of protection venues including Mondio. Dogs also train in detection work as well.

There is a youtube video up with one of the decoys working one of the puppies. Just plug in Cascade K-9 to view.

There is always room for another dog!

Rick, c'mon. More info! Link, phone #, something!

Cross training is certainly possible! In fact, if you are an obsessive dog trainer with a talented dog, it is almost a necessity. To crossover successfully, discretion needs be applied during the dog’s foundation training to avoid potential conflicts between the different venues.

For instance, in French Ring on the retrieves, the dog needs to return within 1 meter of the handler and stabilize with the retrieve item. The retrieve does not have to be fast. The dog does not need to return to front position, or even sit. In contrast, in Schutzhund they want to see a fast, powerful retrieve, a perfectly straight front, a firm hold and a perfectly straight finish. If your dog did a French Ring style retrieve in Schutzhund, you would be scored very low. If your dog did a Schutzhund style retrieve in French Ring, you would receive full points. If your goal was only French Ring, you would not spend time working on all the aesthetic components that make up a good Schutzhund retrieve. However, if you were going to compete in both sports, you would train the retrieve in the Schutzhund style to obtain maximum points in both sports.

As Karin stated previously, Jackson and I ran into a down issue while training for PSA. For the past four years, Jackson’s association with gunfire has been on attacks and while biting. Now he hears gunfire, the adrenaline starts pumping, and he goes into “bite” mode. In the PSA 1 routine, there is a long down under gunfire. Had I known that I was going to crossover to PSA someday, I would have started practicing gunfire in obedience when Jackson was a pup. What is now a training problem, I could have avoided all together.

The more experienced and well versed the trainer is in dog sports, the better they can avoid the conflicts of crossing over. If you are just getting started in dogs, I would recommend your puppy’s foundation training include obedience, agility, socialization, extensive environmental stimulation and bite work that utilizes different biting surfaces (leather, jute, linen, and bite suit material). At some point, you and/or your pup will show an aptitude for a particular sport, go with it and you will be on your way to success. I purchased Jackson as a puppy with the intention of competing in Schutzhund. I followed the above training plan and it became eminently clear that Jackson wanted to be a Ring dog. Don’t tell him, but we are going to cross over to Schutzhund once we get this down with gunfire issue resolved.

Happy Training,

Donna Matey &
Jackson du Loups du Soleil FR3 MR3 PS1
2008 Mondioring 3 National Champion

More Info - No Problem

Cascade K-9 is at: cascade-k9.com Phone: 425 818 5127. email: info@cascade-k9.com. They are in Preston, WA - I-90, exit 22.

In addition to sport dogs, Cascade also works and trains Police K-9 including narcotics and explosives.

On youtube, plug in "piccante on the bite suit". The puppy is being cross trained.

 Quote: rick minutoli

More Info - No Problem

Cascade K-9 is at: cascade-k9.com Phone: 425 818 5127. email: info@cascade-k9.com. They are in Preston, WA - I-90, exit 22.

In addition to sport dogs, Cascade also works and trains Police K-9 including narcotics and explosives.

On youtube, plug in "piccante on the bite suit". The puppy is being cross trained.

I plan to drive the 2 hours from Vancouver, BC to train with Cascade when my pup is ready. I've had discussions back and forth with Michael on how to best format our training program to compliment the FR training I have access to locally. Fantastic guy! My pup will be cross training for FR and Mondio, with some attention being paid to obtaining our PSA 1 as well.

Michael mentioned not long ago he is planning to set up an actual Mondio club in the near future which would just be fantastic for all us Pacific Northwesterners. If you happen to be interested in positive motivational training, this is Michael's specialty and I am sure he'd be happy to discuss more on that with you.