Do you participate in obedience competitions, or train your Schipperke for fun ? Are you teaching your Schipperke tricks, to dance or do you participate in flyball with your Schipperke ? Tell us about it here by posting a comment below.
Tags: Obedience
I came across this site by accident and saw that you wanted to know of anyone working a Schipperke in Obedience, well I’m one of a very few who do. I actually got my ‘little black devil’, Pixel (Bahram Stormer), with a view to continuing in this sport. I had previously worked a Lancashire Heeler X and I was bitten by the bug. Never one to be traditional, I knew that a Collie, Shepherd or Retriever would be the usual choice however these dogs just wouldn’t fit in with my lifestyle and so after careful condsideration, I chose a Schipp. Oh boy, what a roller coaster it’s been! He is incredibly quiick to learn, the training I use is motivational & reward based, however he does have a mind of his own. Five years down the line and we’re still in the lowest class because he can’t sit still in the Stay test. Saying that we have had some lovely comments about his ring work. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll just keep up the training and when he wnats to, Pix will do his stays and if not well, that’s OK too as he’s my companion first and an Obedience dog second. I would say to anyone who wants to try Obedience with their Schipp, don’t take it too seriously and make it fun for them, mind you that could be said of competing with any dog. The Obedience season starts for me in April, I’ll keep you updated on how we do.
I also work my gold schipperke Toby in obedience (his picture can be seen on some of these pages). I know there aren’t many of us, I’ve seen Pixel at some shows and he looks fabulous. Keep at it and it will all come together one day. It took me and Toby 5 or 6 years to win out of pre-beginners and beginners, he also had lots of problems with stays. He has also been placed in Novice (including a second place), something I never dreamed we could manage. I think we do need a lot more patience than some competitors and a sense of humour, but as you say keep it fun for yourself and your dog and any rosettes will be a bonus. We can also show the world how fantastic schipperkes can be. Hope to see you and Pixel at some shows…Good luck.
I think we may have spoken at a show, perhaps we can catch up this year. I’m pleased to hear that Toby has continued to be successful and let’s keep our fingers crossed for this year. I agree with you that us Schipp owners need a sense of humour, even just to live with one!