IPO stick attack to disappear? - Page 11

Bob, nobody said a dog working on a strange field with a strange helper is bad. You obviously missed the point of my post regarding the show dog I had, who loved playing the sport. Let me explain, as I don't want you to misunderstand....the dog came off the sleeve at the trial...not a big deal to me, not the end of life as I know it, but i used the example to make my point that stick hits are being taken out to make it possible for such dogs to pass the trial. I also stated that I would not see removing the stick so the dog will pass as anything but a gift title.....not good. Hope this makes the reason for the example of my dog coming off the sleeve clearer to you. Life goes on, my WL dogs continue to kick ass and were not in the least affected by that happy dog being dq'd.

ability to handle stress is a big component of the IPO training and trialing. Stick hits are a piece of that stress measurement. Why are we/you fighting ? We should be united in keeping the breed going forward. We should not be argueing over who does a better or worst job at keeping the breed moving forward. We should be united in the effort to promote the GSD. 

I don,t cringe or shy away from my training and I don,t hide behind my house or wait till the sun down to train. I do have all my dogs on a pinch and fur saver in public and when I,m asked i explain there function and proper use. I,ve also had them on the E collar and explained it also And when a person asks if it,s okay to pet pet or touch my dog or let there child pet them i,m okay with it because that is an great moment for the breed!. The hard truth is we either function and teach or end up extinct!. The only negative reactions i,ve gotten are from the girl once a month at my local tractor supply who instructs obedience to foo foo dogs and sells gentle leaders! PETA doesnt scare me as much as a uninformed general public.

IPO is a sport. But i,d imagine that if all the dogs were exposed to a proper attack on the handler, proper stick hits and proper long bites half would fail !.

As if prongs are as dangerous as unlimited chokes

Keith:

"Surely you're not suggesting that IPO is a viable outlet for those who simply like working with dogs rather than as a stepping stone to breeding?"

And that is why IPO(in it,s current form) is no longer a viable test for breeding! It,s a great sport so make of it what you will!

I  owned and exhibited a GSD who had the ability to withstand stick hits and I hoped for a strong helper with him. I wanted a helper who drove him and hit him hard. Why? to show off a little i guess but also because he had secure temperment and required a helper to ''wake up'' his fighting spirit. A weak helper made him look dull. A better dog would have brought the fight to the helper. To measure his ability solely by stick hits would not show you the total picture of this animal. It is not the stick hits that is important to this thread, it is for the breed to be in control of its own destiny. Or we can just say it is out of our hands and it is over. NOT FOR ME to give up so easily 

We don,t have to worry about that the bar has been lowered some much to get weaker dogs titled it,s now the norm!. I just ask for a consistent test the shows the dogs stressors and shows there ability to over come those obstacles. When was the last time you can honestly say you saw a attack on the handler done properly to a test standard? Be honest!