AD

[.dodger.]

AD: is a physical endurance and fitness test - 12 mile trotting, with check stops every 4 miles.

Probably one for sweetypye since she has done this with her shep but does anyone else know anything about how this works?

[Sweetypye]

What precisely so you want to know.

To begin with you cannot take the AD unless you and your dog are registered either with the BAGSD or GSDL, you have to have a performance book and you have to have passed the BH prior to taking it.

The AD itself is just that, trotting the dog next to a bike for circa 12 miles and being checked for fitness during and after the event to ensure the dog is fit to continue; if the dog is not fit the judge will terminate the test at any point.

I have done the AD with my GSD and my Weimaraner.

[.dodger.]

ah so am i right in thinking that the BH is the temperament test with traffic, people and dogs?

[Sweetypye]

Yes.

You need to join a club because the chief instructor needs to identify if your dog is of a suitable temperament to train for this and that you have enough control over the dog.  Any dog that has a suspect temperament is unlikely to be allowed to train at a club.

You need to train for this and also there is a written test for people who have not taken a BH before (this is easy).

[.dodger.]

thanks for this sweetypye - i have plans to join the GSDL when i can drive there (about an hour away) which will hopefully be in 6 months time. I don't feel he's ready for the BH just yet but by the time i can drive we should be a lot better and further along in his behavior modification that we will be able to do both the BH and the AD. It gives us something to work for now

[Sweetypye]

You will need to attend club anyway for them to coach you through the process and to tell you when you are ready for a BH and when a BH is available!

ADs are few and far between, there was only one AD scheduled during the whole of 2008.

[.dodger.]

okay thanks.

So do you think that age is relevant in the AD - say you could do one when ever you were ready. Not sure how to word this... Is is better to do it at a certain age - dodgers young now and just wants to run at full pelt until he gets tired so it is a constant battle to keep him at a regular speed whereas say if he were to do it when he was older and more mature would that make any difference? grrr totally can't word this right, i know what i mean but i just can't seem to write it out? let me know if i'm not making sense in what i'm saying

[Sweetypye]

I think the minimum age you can do this is 16 months and the maximum 7 years.

My dog is 4 if he could choose he would do everything in life at 100 mph; so it is not a matter of age but training.  If and when you go to a Schutzhund club I expect most of the dogs there will make Dodger look very calm................ 

[.dodger.]

glad you understood what i was getting at lol thanks for that

A quick question about being on the bike with him, he likes to carry something - whether it's his ball or tugging on his lead to make me go faster - i've stopped the tugging on the lead most of the time but he still likes to have it in his mouth. Do you know why he does this? Also should i let him carry the ball, he tends to get out of breath much faster because he's not panting as he would if he didn't have the ball but he still continues to run. I think half the time i'm worrying to much about him but i just don't want to do anything wrong with him to cause him an injury

[Sweetypye]

Tugging at the lead is dangerous.

the dog would not be allowed to carry anything during the AD

If a dog carries something whilst trotting he is making more of an effort.

Let him carry something if you want that he cannot possibly swallow such as a ball on a rope etc

[.dodger.]

Yup that's the ball on the rope he carries.
He normally carries the lead around but then after a bit he'll let it drop and pant but he wont with the ball.

[Justine&Rafe]

How old is he?  If he's still fairly young he could still be going through the "put it in my mouth" stage!  (Rafe did/does it, human babies do it, foals do it!).  But if you don't gently try to correct it while they're still youngish (I'd say Rafe's still young at 20 months - but soon to lose those young privileges!), it can become a bit of a habit.

Best to try to wean him away from it if you want to do some serious competing!  If you were committed enough you could certainly train him that when he's "working" he can't carry things in his mouth, but when it's play time he can.  That way you won't feel like such a meanie when he wants to carry his ball around!

Good luck with all the stuff!

[.dodger.]

he's coming up 2 in april and hasn't been in the 'put everything in his mouth' stage for many months now - it's my fault to start with because of the lead - long story but to try and get him excited on walks i would play with him with his lead. so now when he's on the bike and he gets excited he grabs a hold of it like he normally would.

he has his good lead which he knows not to mouth and when i tried him with this lead on the bike he went to grab it but thought again and left it

[Justine&Rafe]

Sounds like you know exactly what to do with him, just keep persevering and you'll have an endurance superstar in no time!

[Marti W]

To begin with you cannot take the AD unless you and your dog are registered either with the BAGSD or GSDL, you have to have a performance book and you have to have passed the BH prior to taking it.

You don't need a BH prior to the AD