Shepherds of Thuringia

Shepherd of Thuringia
The German Shepherd descended from the Shepherds of Thuringia. These dogs were much smaller, had small erect ears, curly tails and were grey in color. They were stocky and small in stature. They were independent in nature and required much socialization. They were natural tending herders. They were gentle in nature and extremely intelligent.

Friedrich Sparwasser's Frankfort kennel was working on perfecting the perfect sheepdog. He also raised Norwegian Elkhounds. He used Swedish Sheepdogs, which were lighter, light built body, and lighter bones. I will be scanning and posting one of the earliest Champion German Shepherds from Friedrich Sparwasser'skennels.This is Peter von Pritschen, who was also from Thuringia. Peter was SZ 148 KrH PH, and was the champion in the year 1902. He was an example of a perfect working with all desired psychological as well as physical features. He was born on 14 December 1900.

Captain Stephanitz (Father of The German Shepherd) required a breed that would have the best and most desirable qualities . Both the Thuringian and Wurttemburg sheep dogs were first exhibited in a show held at Hanover in the year 1882 – the year that marked the beginning of the evolution of a dog that was having a mind blowing ability to control herd of sheep. Drastic steps were taken to synchronize these varieties of typical sheep dogs in one single breed. Intelligence and Utility were the watch words for the breeding program. Selective breeding was one of the determining factors in the project. Selection was made on the basis of the degree of shepherding qualities the dogs used to possess. Those dogs were selected that had the typical shepherd qualities, such as expressive heads, moderately lighter weights, good bones and good gait. The dentitions were to be quite strong. The bites were to be quite resistant and such that it would redirect the sheep to the desired direction without damaging. Dogs with erect ears were chosen to get the sound and noise and especially the shepherds’ commands from distant more accurately. This was how the selection was actually made for the perfectly selective breeding program. The German Shepherd Dog as we know today did not really appear until after the Second World War, although the project on the development of a perfectly working dog had already started by the Prussian cavalry captain Max Von Stephanitz. Planned and scientific breeding for correctly blending the blood of best of both worlds had produced enough outstanding specimens, and the breed that is today known as the "Deutsche Schaferhunde" - German Shepherd Dog had gained popularity by fast pace.

Texas EquuSearch

There is so much professional jealousy that this is a putoff. It seems as if every organization is always hating on someone.

I participated in a search managed by Texas EquuiSearch yesterday that brought all agencies in, taught the locals how to use all the local, regional, and even national talent available, manage the media, and pull support for a large search, in terms of hardware, software, everything a search needs, funding, food, even down to sunglasses and sunscreen and bug support for a long term search. They did this quickly, efficiently, with no interagency egos detracting each other and worked like a well oiled machine. Instead of egos conflicting with each other, they directed all talent in a focused and positive manner. It was a pleasure to work with them.

I wish all agencies would work this well and constructively together. KUDO'S to Texas EquuiSearch and all those who worked well together.

Detraction is distraction. Hating on people only detracts from yourself and your team. It sullies YOUR reputation. It makes you look like someone others want to avoid. Lets use resources positively.Take the resources available. If a team falls short, instead of shaking fists and heads and saying how miserable and useless they are, take them by the hand and offer helpful suggestions for improvement. This would help the SAR community for all and focus on the end goal. Saving lives.

Expectations -Danny Story

One day, browsing a used book store in Greenville. At the side of the store by the house, at that time there was a dog tied to a dog house. Danny and I walked in the store to browse. Danny , my always present companion, as is his son, Tuck, is now; picked up a book and brought it to me. I could see the discernment and disapproval of the store proprietor at the thought of a dog handling the merchandise. No biggy, all books were ten cents. If she thought a little dog spit was going to ruin her dog eared book, I'm be happy to spent the ten cents and put her mind to rest.



So when Danny presented me with the book, I handed him ten cents with instructions to go pay for it. He exchanged with me, the 10 cents for the book, and then took the money up to the proprietor, stood on his hind legs and handed her the dime over the counter..



Not sure if she was shocked or amazed. But she was not expecting that. She said, it was as if he selected his own book! Well obviously he just did.



She said Dogs aren't interested in books. thinking of how if she weren't imprisoned in stereotypes, she might know of the joys of quality time children who can't read themselves, do enjoy being read to. by their parents. Thinking of that poor unstimulated dog tied outside to a dog house, I asked her, how she knew? Did she ever read to her dog?



Thoughtfully, she said, "no"



I told her, dogs are a product of our expectations. If you expect a lot of them, they excel. Children, for instance, if you tied them out to a dog house from infancy, and treated them like a dog, you would expect them to grow up an unsociable animal. A child is, what you invest in them. Same with a dog.



Tuck, who can read up to 10 words off flash cards, (more or less, admittedly he forgets, if we don't practice often.. he has reading retention issues) and works in therapy in the schools assisting in the reading intervention program has driven this home, between both dogs and children regarding expectations.



A friend of mom and dad's who was diagnosed with severe retardation, recently died of her congenital afflictions. She aspired, and graduated National Honor Society, and Valedictorian of her class, simply because she never was told that with her disease, she could never achieve. No one locked that box that forced her to live in those expectations. She achieved, because no one ever told her that she couldn't.



Same with Danny, and same with Tuck. Instead of locking their limitations, we have explored the world's potential together.



It's been quite the journey.

Border Patrol -Tuck story

When I took Tuck to Border Patrol when he was just a puppy. I had a special invitation to take training with them. They looked askance at his being there, simply because he did not LOOK like the rest of the power breeds in the border patrol kennels. His perfectly curled white fluffy pompom wiggling happily made him look prissy, and they called him a foo-foo dog. And when you looked down the long kennels of power breeds and saw him standing there,admittedly, you instantly picked out the dog that they called a foo-foo dog.

His name on the kennel was never recognized as TUCK. Kennel handlers assigned to him all called him Foo-Foo and I always sensed disapproval. But when he worked, he was what i thought as AMAZING. But they never ever acknowledged what I thought of as successes. When he finished, he was only ever allowed to run once, He was never allowed re-do's like the other dogs. There was never any criticism, or comments. When he finished, he got a check mark, and they said, NEXT. I thought they hated him, because the only thing they ever said about him was calling him Foo-foo. or Phu-Foo.



The other handlers got constructive help. They got to redo the course. They got many retries. It was as if we were invisible, except for that mocking Phu-foo that replace'd Tuck's name on the kennel assignment roster.



So after a week of training, graduation day of certifications were passed out. They went through the roster. They started off calling dog and handler forward.



Comments followed. Get another dog. Your dog shows potential, but needs more work, recommended he stay another session. Your dog passed, and will be assigned "X". The entire class roll call was called off, and Tuck and I were never recognized until the last dog. I thought we had been over looked somehow. I was disheartened. With each passing handler and dog team called off from the roster, my heart sank, and had this deep git wrenching feeling. I thought Tuck had performed the best of all dogs there hands down. But they apparently hated him and mocked him. Finally they came to Tuck (who should have been at the TOP of the roster, but never mentioned)



And their said. Phu-Foo Dog: Assigned to HERE. Congratulations! We'd like to keep him. Although we suspect that we cannot.



It was that instant that I finally realized that they LOVED him!And relief and exhalation washed over me confirming to me that his foundations and work were solid all along. He was the youngest dog there. I nearly collapsed in relief after the tension that had built all week. I had thought what I perceived to be what was wanted was not. I was relieved to find out Tuck met what they needed.

Tuck and Cluck

The Norwegian Elkhound has been known as a farm dog for 6000 years, and still is today. Their duties entailed herding of reindeer, hunting bear, the Great Elg, and protector of the family farm from wolves.

The herding / tending characteristics passed down through their progeny as vikings swept through Europe, and through the Thuringia lines developed the Modern German Shepherd. The herding instinct became much more developed, as was the drive, but the German shepherd owes it's Incorruptible character, basic color patterns, and yes, herding instinct from it's ancestral Elkhound. Yet today, the German Shepherd breed curses the trait we prize so much, that ****ed curly tail!

Because of an error in translation throwing the elkhound into the hound group, people tend to forget that they are a herding breed.

My dogs have worked every thing from sheep, ducks, cattle, horses, and the critter Du Jour are the new pullets. Being floor raised, these poor birds don't know how to go to roost. Teaching a chicken where to go at night can be a real chore. Already I have lost four birds to Foxes when they did not find their way home.

This is where Tuck comes in. The chickens want no part of the barn at night. Outside they are in danger but convincing them to go to roost is far from their widdle biddy imaginations.

HAving a dog that moves quietly among them, and then urges from the rear, blocks, corners, cuts, an really makes the nightly work of putting the recalcitrant chickens to bed not only easier, but enjoyable.

I love watching him use his gentle touch and powers of persuasion as we work as a team. A point, and word "hold", "GET EM", "CORNER" and he artfully forces, one by one each chicken to it's nightly roost.

I watch in amazement, as he seems to know exactly the right place to be, and exactly the right amount of pressure to apply.

Working with him is like a dance. It's instinct and in the ancestral blood. I know I didn't teach it to him.

All things Great and Small

The house phone rang, and I was slightly perturbed, because I was using it to call my misplaced cell phone somewhere in the house. I am thinking I turned it off.
Most unfortunate, becuase in a household saturated with my own scent, Tuck could not help me locate it. The caller was a friend of my veterinarian,'s wife who many years ago lost a diamond earring in her garden and Tuck found it for her in February in 2 feet of snow.

She, too, had lost a diamond engagement ring this morning, and was told that Tuck might be a solution and to give him a call. (Wait a minute!!! What's this? Give Tuck a call? He's starting to get as many phone calls as I do!) Distressed, she explained that she had run errands and gone jogging today. Her diamond setting was in place when she left home, because she was admiring it's sparkle as she was driving. But when she started to go home, she noticed it was not there. Could Tuck help?

This was not a precedence I wanted to start. Tuck finds lost people at no charge. But I know I lose things on a daily basis. My currently missing cell phone being an example. If we were called to everytime someone lost something, we would never be home finding the stuff I manage to lose. And people would expect him to find stuff lost in their own household, where it's already saturated with their scent. However, this was not impossible for Tuck, but wanting to discourage repeat business, I told her that Tuck would search for her lost diamond setting, for $100 up front. She hesitated, and asked what if he didn't find it? I told her I still spent gas to get there and my time. I wanted $100 cash up front. A few hours went by and she called me back. She had the money, could we please get started?


So I met her up in Greenville. And we started in the parking lot where she initially did her shopping. Tuck wanted to go into the store, and we asked the Wal-Mart greeter for access. She said service dogs were permitted, if I had some sort of identity proving he was a Service dog. I showed him his search and rescue ID. She allowed him to pass. Tuck followed every place she had been in the store. He indicated several clothes that she had tried on, and the hangers that she left in the dressing room. He indicated places in the aisle where she had stopped and examined things. And even the restroom stall where she relieved herself. It was interesting mirroring a stranger's life as their story unfolded, and she was there confirming everything he did. Her confidence bolstered. Because he replicated her morning exactly. But alas, the setting was not at Wal-mart.

Then we went to the park where she got out of her car and went jogging (This is the hottest day of the year so far, and she goes jogging..... I remember doing insane things like that.. times long ago. )

She had been jogging with her golden retriever. So Tuck followed her route through the park mostly on pavement, but then he sharply deviated into the grass. He laid down, and I went to see what he had. I didn't see it. So he rooted at it with his nose to show me, and gently worked a diamond loose in the deep grass. The girl was over joyed. I was $100 richer, got today's training in successfully, and did my errands while in greenville. Not a bad couple of hour's work.

NOW she felt the $100 that I requested for the job was well worth it. Both of us departed mutually satisfied. Now if Tuck could just find my cell phone.......

Search May 27 2010

Temperatures low 90's. A man with a brain tumor has a service dog, because he has no memory. When he leaves home for his long walks, he cannot find his way home. He left his home this time without his dog. And they feel he can't find his way home. He has no money on him. He has not been seen since May 18. The family wanted Search and Rescue to be involved. But Search and Rescue (for many legal and safety reasons) do not deploy unless requested by law enforcement.. Law Enforcement sees no criminal activity or foul play involved in his disappearance, and closed the case. They figured this was a Search and Rescue case and not theirs. They would not call SAR and SAR would not respond until LE requested. There was an impasse.

Finally a detective called Search and Rescue, and SAR was deployed 9 days later.
Because of the length of time involved from disappearance to call out, 3 SAR teams turned down the call out because the length of time was past what is trained.

Miami Valley Mounted Search and Rescue was activated and although the length of time was greater than Tuck has ever trained, I figured this was a man's life, and the most Tuck would encounter would be that he would not pick up the track.

We lose nothing by trying. When team capt inquired if we could do this, We replied, we didn't know. But we sure couldn't if no attempt was made.

Tuck and I went to the man's bedroom, and I collected a pillowcase in a ziplock bag and brought it with us. Tuck sniffed the room, and busted down the steps, out the door, and down the sidewalk.

This was an inner city track. All asphalt and concrete. He headed toward a public parking garage, and then went around it, went up toward a bridge that crosses the Ohio River. Before crossing the bridge, he turned and walked past a food court in a busy shopping mall. After turning through the mall, he dropped the track he was on, and behaved as if he was scent cutting, and suddenly raised his head, and followed his nose head held high, and went directly to a candy store.

At the candy store, he tried to gain access. We sent a flanker in the store with a flyer, and they said the man had been in the store that day, had no money, and asked for candy samples.

I relocated Tuck, trying to get him to follow track, and he returned to the candy store, wishing to work the track out.
Leaving the candy store, he followed the track into a bowling alley (who invited him in) Tuck was very hot at this point and the dark coolness of the bowling alley was welcome. He tracked around, and indicated the men's restroom. Staff were shown flyers, and said they had seen him previously. After water, and a rest, Tuck left the bowling alley, and went back into the public garage, and tracked it out to a rough portion of town.
As he tracked down blocks, he indicated an ice cream store. The flanker was instructed to investigate and catch up while Tuck continued to track. He went several blocks and cut through some back alleys, and came back circled around to the main street. He found a junk shop, where he indicated the man had sat in that chair. The flanker reported that he had been sighted at the ice cream store. Junk shop also reported a sighting. Heat prostration forced us to halt the search.

Go Find!

Last night I was walking in a very hilly woods just before dark, with thigh deep snow drifts. With temperatures in the teens, high winds and blowing snow, the going was difficult as I maneuvered through ravines, heavy cover and wooded hills. When I came out of the woods, my husband, Jeff, asked me where my flashlight was. I had apparently lost it back in the 100 acre woods somewhere. He demanded that I go find it. I told him it was lost, and I'd buy another, because I was not going to go back through what I had just come.


After a night of snow and blowing winds, he got up this morning. He said, let's go find that flashlight. My seven herniated disks told me, You gotta be kidding"

So he asked me where I went, and I said EVERYWHERE. He thought that wasn't helpful. So he took tracking dog, Tuck.

Jeff has never handled Tuck as a tracking dog, and I wasn't confident how this was going to work out.

But Jeff took Tuck out by himself. The tracks were obliterated by additional snow and winds, and footsteps had been completely obscured from my trek the previous night.

But Tuck hit the track flying, and Jeff followed in tow.

He had no problems reading Tuck and occasionally he encountered an obscured foot print and knew Tuck was true to the track.

Abruptly the track ended when Tuck laid down in a snow drift.
Jeff urged him forward, and then Tuck started digging instead, until my lost flashlight was revealed in the snow. Then Tuck laid down, indicated article found.

JEff did a wonderful job reading and following a tracking dog, even though Tuck had to beat him over the head that he had indicated an article.

I'm not sure who I am prouder of, Jeff, or the dog.

Keys

Obedience instructors carry lots of paperwork. Dog info, attendance, owner
contact info, class handouts, syllabus, ID name tags, and business cards are
all kept in my folder.

As I left the building, I took the key from my pocket for the car. I had
loaned my car to family earlier in the day, and when it was returned, they
pulled the keys from the ignition. Earlier, in my haste when leaving for
class, finding no keys in the ignition, I grabbed the single key in the
hidden magnetic spare key carrier. Atypically, I locked the car upon
arrival.

Last night was a typical January evening, blustery and cold with biting wind
gusts.
I carried two 50 foot long lines, a treat apron, a big back of treats,
filled with nearly any tempting tidbit imaginable for a class of persnickety
dogs, along with the class folder.

Leaving the building with arms loaded, I took the key out of my pocket, so I
wouldn't be looking for it when I arrived at the car with my arms loaded and
already juggling, trying to carry it all in one trip.

Tuck, trotted obediently off leash at my side. Thank heavens I did not have
to deal with toting him along. He was self porting.

I always park in the far corner of the parking lot, so the choicer parking
spots are saved for students and business customers. My corner is dark, and
unlit.

As I was headed across the lot, the wind gusted, and grabbed my class
folder, and the papers blew high in the air and across several parking lots
of the strip mall.

My arms already loaded, put me in a difficult position, and I started
grabbing for papers blowing like confetti in a ticker tape parade.

Some unknown people saw my predicament, and several kids started running
after the papers. Tuck started running after papers as well.

Finally after most had been collected, I went to the car to secure what I
had so I could search for the rest. To my dismay, I had lost the key (my
final spare key) somewhere in that dark asphalt parking lot in my haste to
grab papers.

I was locked out of the building, Everyone was gone. I couldn't get into my
vehicle. I had no way home. If I thought my initial problem just got bad, it
only got worse.

Everything was on the hood of my car, and weighted by my purse. But it was
still blowing, and I couldn't move without losing everything all over again.

Then the idea light bulb went on.
The vacant lot was safe. Tuck's a search dog, and
looking for small objects is a normal training session for him.

So I told him, "Tuck SEARCH"

Since search can mean anything, because often we are looking for meaningful
clues, but don't know if they even exist or not. So Tuck headed off across
the parking lot, in a quest. After a few minutes, he laid down in the
parking lot. (This is his indication that he felt that he found something
significant. He's not to touch anything, because it may contaminate or
invalidate evidence. His signal is that he lies down)

Daring to hope he found either papers scattered earlier, or perhaps the key,
I requested he bring it to me.

As I reached out to receive his offering, the familiar weight and comforting
heavy feel of that black plastic covered key as he dropped it in my hand.

My worries were over. He not only held the key to my car, he also holds the
key to my heart.

Children Reading to Dogs

I work in the schools as a "Children's Reading to Dogs " therapy dog.
Children who don't read well, often are nervous and self conscious when reading to dogs. But their inhibitions seem to vanish when they read to a dog.
The Children Reading to Dog's program is a voluntary program where parents enroll their children as an intervention program.

In my program, I do many tricks. If a child finds a story about a dog that does a trick in a book, I perform that trick for them right then, right now.

The trick is, most of the dog trick stories are in the more advanced books, causing children who want to see how many tricks are in my bag, to read ever harder to gain proficiency.

Each child is allotted a certain level of time. IF that child completes their reading within that time, They are allowed to use up the remainder of their reading time by playing with me.

We may play on the playground
Or we play Hide the Duck, where the child hides a stuffed toy anywhere in a room, in closets, lockers, desks, drawers etc, and I find it with my nose. Just like hide and go seek. If it's there, I will find it. You cannot hide from my nose. I am a Search and Rescue dog as well. So I have a trained nose.

Or we play basketball.
The children also write to me. If they leave a letter in my mail box, they ALWAYS get a letter back! This gives them additional reading/writing incentives.

One child chose to take me tracking. So another child was given mom's car keys, check book, and an envelope with a gift certificate and lose them in a soccer field adjacent to the school. In a couple of hours, my reading child took me out in the field and I showed him how to find all the articles lost with my nose.

One child was assigned, not because he couldn't read, but instead, because he couldn't talk. He had what is known as selective mutism. He learned to relate to me through hand signals. This was immense progress, because he would not use hand signals even with his friends.


In their struggles to read, the children felt motivated to teach me to read as well. I can read 10 words on flash cards and perform the command as read. If I can learn to read, so can they!

Some children went from not being able to read, and jumped 4 grade levels within a school year. Their parents reported that once their children entered my reading program, they became obsessed with being able to read better, and involved their families in finding books to read to me the following week. Many parents said their kids can read BECAUSE of me.

As an addition to reading to me, the children also write letters to me and leave them in my mail box. The first thing I do when I arrive in the classroom is run to check my mail. I return a letter for every letter written, giving additional reading/writing practice for the children. It's FUN TOO!

I love my paw pal mail.


Because I am an ambassador, I also put on educational speeches on responsible dog ownership, responsible dog training, handling, and dog safety.

My responsibilities also include putting on trick dog shows at Nursing homes, Veteran's Hospitals, retirement villages, and in many therapy establishments.