Crunch Time!

Getting down to the wire and I still have not decided upon a male to breed Porsche too.  Its so hard.  There just aren't a lot of nice working Doberman males out there.  Especially when you are looking at health, longevity, work ethic, pedigree, and conformation.  Add to that the fact that for some reason, some people don't feel the need to health test.   I wish I could combine about 3 males into the perfect stud dog.  Unfortunately,  I just can't.  No dog is perfect.  The idea is to look at what the female brings to the table and to find a complimentary male.  But thats only half the picture.  Porsche brings an excellent pedigree, size, good conformation, natural tracking ability,   a very sweet temperament with a natural protectiveness,full hard grips, TONS of drive,  very high compliance, some very good health history, and a sense of humor (she always makes you smile -no matter what she is always happy).  Oh yeah, she is also a tattle tell.  She always comes and tells me when someone else is into something they shouldn't' t be  (of course she doesn't when she is involved in the caper!) I can't believe that I am so close and still haven't decided.   I have to make a decision.... very soon.

Training, Training , and More Training

We have been training every weekend.  Cinders heeling is beautiful now!  We are hoping to take the AWDF by storm and show the world that Cinders is her daddy's daughter... but we still have a long way to go.  We have improvement across the board.  Our weak area, however, remains weak.  Cinders blinds are still poor.  We have been working with only 2 blinds so far, but we did visit an area club and run blinds Saturday and will continue to do so until we purchase some more blinds.     He stand out of motion improved a lot for the last session.  Raad Messmar and I have been working together (doing helper work for his 90lb shepherd is why I am SO sore).  Raad came up with an excellent idea to improve the stand out of motion.  Basically making forks that hit the dog at chest height.  They provide a physical barrier (they are flexible) and are working wonderfully.   Using a pinch collar on Cinders waist has dramatically improved her healing in a very short time.  I took a video yesterday that I will upload and post on her webpage and face book in a few days.  It didn't take long at all to end her foraging and I wonder why I have not seen it used more often.    Sit out of motion is speeding up.  Her down out of motion has always been good.  Working on straightening her recalls and finishes.   In protection, her control is excellent.  No more foraging on the back transport.  Outs are quick and clean and intensity is high.  I had started to worry about her grips (never been an issue before) recently as I had seen some bad grips from her, but I am relieved that it was poor helper work  as her grips are rock solid and very deep again.  Genetics will always hold true, so will a solid foundation.  Cinders foundation work with Mo was excellent and she is working true to that again.   Tracking is improving slowly as I have only been tracking her 1x per week.  Laying the practice track a little different has helped to improve her corners (her only issue ever in tracking).    I am confident the her tracking will be ready this spring.    Vader What can I say about my boy?   I am very impressed.  He hasn't had much training as I have been working his mother and sister a lot.  He has only been tracked 3 xs in his life, but shows a naturally deep nose and very good concentration.  In bitework, his grips are solid.  He is very civil, very confident, and very powerful.  Obedience is improving.  Lots of food and ball drive.  He really just needs worked more.  For him, I am taking the slow road.  I think he could be a contender.  I want him to show all those shepherd people out there what a REAL Dog is.