Hello from Illinois! Meet Crash! *warning, LOTS of pics*

[eco_reef]

Hi guys and gals,
My name is Alex and last August I got my first Dutch Shepherd pup, Crash. I've always wanted a working dog that I could do anything with so after years of waiting until I was in the right point in my life with enough time and money to devote to him, I finally decided on a dutchie and got one. Since I got him at 9 weeks he's been nothing short of amazing. He goes everywhere with me and is pretty much my best friend. After reading several stories about how amazing these dogs are I can finally attest to it myself, they're nothing short of incredible. His intelligence is just blows my mind everyday. We take hour long hikes twice a day at the local nature preserve and he will find the same sticks we played with days before buried underneath a foot of snow, just brilliant. I made sure to socialize the crap out of him when he was younger and now he LOVES both people and dogs(I almost think I might have over-done it 'cause we're gonna do protection work). I think he might be slightly on the smaller side for dutchies since he's 6 months now and only weighs 45 pounds but that doesn't really bother me just as long as his work drive is good. We start a new set of classes this week and eventually are gonna do nose work and protection work. Anyone with any milestone info(what I should be doing by a certain age) would be really appreciated. Anyways, heres some pictures of us since I got him at 9 weeks. Enjoy and I look forward to talking with you guys on the forum!

[Raven]

Wow. Awesome. (And, of course, Welcome!!!)

The markings jutting up his snout and curving up around his eyes remind me of spectacle bear markings. Good looking boy.

Nice to hear you waited until you could devote yourself to him. You'll both reap those rewards, though it seems you already are.

[Stacy_R]

So handsome! Loved the progression pics!!

[johninny]

i, too, love the chronology.

he has my favorite look in a DS - so for me he is really beautiful -- and you have him on so many great adventures.
spending your time together like you are pays off so much in indescribable ways since they are so smart.

his weight seems absolutely perfect/typical for 6 months. at that rate, he will probably get to 70 with variations 68-72 depending on diet, time of year, exercise, age.

[LyonsFamily]

Welcome! Where are you at in Illinois? Anywhere near Chicago? There are quite a few protection clubs up that way I can recommend.

[Manstrom]

Gorgeous Pup, I'm originally from Illinois myself. I was born and raised in Fairbury, Il then moved down by Champaign, Il a little before I enlisted.

[eco_reef]

I'm from the northwest suburbs right outside Chicago and I would love some recommendations for protection clubs in the area. Right now we're just in basic obedience. At what point would you recommend getting involved with the protection work?

-Alex

[JacobSzewczyk]

Hey, Eco I'm not in Protection work currently, Nor have i met the dog i wish to put into FR, PSA. However i know some K9 officers who have told me alot about their dog's.. (GSD'S however) And the obedience is the main focus once you get that down then they start intergrating obedience with slight protection work.. Your best bet would be to find some protection clubs like they have said. I have nothing to say on this as i am new to the DS realm. However i know a bit about Protection training due to my K9 officer friends. Developing the drive and aggression are fairly easy if the dog has what it takes. It's a 14 week intensive protection program.. I would just like to say though.. That once the dog goes through this. (Not neccesarily protection clubs) But police work.. It does become more of a hardened dog and want's to get a job done it's not all fun and games anymore however it's not lost!

[LyonsFamily]

I'm from the northwest suburbs right outside Chicago and I would love some recommendations for protection clubs in the area. Right now we're just in basic obedience. At what point would you recommend getting involved with the protection work?

-Alex

I'd recommend getting involved with a club ASAP, just to go without your dog and learn about things, watch other dogs work, ask members what they like and don't like about the decoy. You can start going to a club before even having a dog. At a young age, it's just important to start teaching obedience and building the tug relationship and working on different textiles that are safe for the puppy's teeth. There are loads of DVDs to help with that. Michael Ellis has some good ones. The period where the dog will be teething and adult teeth are starting to come in is one thing you have to be aware of. Most dogs during that age work on non-bite stuff like obedience, bark and holds, introductions to strange sounds, confidence obstacle, etc.

In Chicago, Windy City Working dog club is where most of my friends go. They're in the West Loop by the United Center. That's where my Elli grew up training. She started there on rags and wedges at 12 weeks. Daniel, the current decoy/trainer mainly does PSA and personal protection stuff, but will work with the ringsports and I think there are some IPO people. They also offer an out of area membership for people 100 miles or more from the club, if you're farther away. All the PSA people love him, but I know French Ring people that don't like his decoy work. That's why it's important to visit clubs before even working your puppy to see what you like. Daniel is very open arms about bringing anybody in that wants to work their dog, regardless of breed, and some sport people don't like that. There's a lot of politics behind clubs that you have to weed through as well.

Jennifer at Dynamic Dogs has a new facility and a few previous members have left Daniel's club to work there. I think it's mainly FR people, a lot of mals and a few DS. Here training sessions are more private and not as casual and open as Daniels, but if you contact her through the Dynamic Dogs website, she might be able to help.

Turner Junction Working Dog Club is another one if you're looking for Schutzhund.

[eco_reef]

I've been tugging with him with lots of different textures ever since I got him at 9 weeks. He LOVES to bite/tug with just about everything so getting onto stuff is really easy. I did some reading before I get him that said to do the exact thing you were talking about with the loud noises and different textures. I put rocks in milk jugs and throw pots and pans around the room sometimes when we play tug. I also hit/kick(NOT HARD ENOUGH TO HURT HIM, JUST TO GET HIM REVVED UP) and that REALLY gets him going. As soon as I start getting physical with him he starts growling and shaking like crazy. Any other tips or suggestions on things we can work on in the meantime?

Thanks guys,
-Alex

[Illegal Regal]

Sent you a message on chi town ringers and Chicago canine company...