Vince;
Don't know about a purr and hold, but I can guarantee there are some tough ol' street tomcats out there that will get your absolute...undivided...attention when they jump down onto your neck from the roof of the dark, spooky building at which you are "shaking doors" at 3:00 AM. (Old cops used to do that...new ones are mostly unfamilar with it) Ever see some of the rats around places that throw out food? Scary!!!!!

Torre;
My $.02 on your questions:
(1) At 20in. Yes.
(2) Don't know, but every oriental breed I ever dealt with was very stubborn.
(3) Possibly, but that depends on the judge.

There is nothing un-honorable with wanting to title a dog you already have, regargless of breed. It can, however, be extremely frustrating to put large amounts of time and effort into a dog that will be only marginal. (I am not trying to make an assumption without seeing your dog. There are many marginal SchH dogs of all breeds.)


Find a club and visit w/o your dog. Take a good look at the drives of the dogs there and try to objectively compare your dog to them. If you get really serious about Schutzhund, get ready to spend mucho time, sweat, blood, tears and money.

Thanks for all the replies so far. To the person who felt that my asking someone to clarify was "pissy," what's the basis for that absurd statement? I don't believe that I answered my own questions- I stated what I know and felt was relevant about about Shar-Peis, and humbly acknowleding that I know very little about Schutzhund and protection training, asked for input. I should be able to ask for input without receiving your insults.

Regarding the friendlier answers, Jason, to clarify, my main sport is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so we're not aspiring to rise to the top of Schutzhund. We'd just like an activity that my wife, our dog, and I could enjoy together, and hopefully improve our dog's protective abilities. We chose Shar-Pei because we love the fact that they're not too big to easily take along in the car, they're generally considered good as a guardian, yet we don't have to put up with peoples comments about "dangerous dogs" like I did with my APBT, and he doesn't bark all the time like some breeds seem to (although he won't rule out snorting and growling).

I would say that your goals are reasonable, and to go for it.

By the way, Gracie Rules <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Jason, thanks! and by coincidence I learned Jiu-Jitsu from Renzo Gracie (as well as Jacare Cavalcanti), so thanks on that as well. If you were referring to Royce, you're right, hes great too.

Sorry. . . :rolleyes You just seemed to get a little bit defensive when the Trooper made some comments about you being serious. I think shutzhund is an unrealistic goal. The tracking and obedience would be a problem. I don't know how athletic Shars are but jumping fences, running A frames, and the like might be tough. And tracking takes a hella' lotta time'. . .

Didn't want to "insult" you dude. Your a little touchy? Maybe? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

There are two types of SchH competitors. The ones who want to title a dog and the ones that buy a dog to title them. Almost all of the high level SchH competitors fall in the second category. So I would suggest to have fun and don’t worry about what judges or anyone else thinks.

Again, thanks for all the great answers so far.

Van Camp, I appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge, even though I haven't made any statements that could be properly construed as defensive or aggressive by a reasonable person. I just encourage people to include their analysis with their conclusion. Also, since at least one Shar-Pei by the name of "Liu Chiu's Mr. Magoo" has already been titled in Schutzhund, I think we can stipulate that your statement that Schutzhund is "an unrealistic goal", is pretty questionable. I could see saying "winning or reaching the top ranks (which I stated was not a goal) is unrealistic." But at least explain how you decided that something that has already been done is impossible. But again, thanks for your advice and help in this matter.

Torre, what makes sports so wonderful is that everyone reaches a level of incompetency.Why would it be differnet in dog sports. Take the dog as far as it can go. The worst that can happen is that you don't title the dog. What you will have is a very trained dog.

Milt

I will pass on the recommendation of other breeds in SchH. Yes many of Ed's tapes can be used with your dog. Private mail me if you would like to know my picks. Good luck and feel free to post any specific questions you might have.