We , at Misty Ridge, have a club, The Johann Platt Schafferhund Verein. There are a number of subtleties built into the name, which combined with the fact that it is a USA affiliated club, helps everyone understand a little about us, the members and officers.

First, the name contains the German word, Schafferhund rather than the more typical Schutzhund designation for such clubs. Schafferhund in German means German Shepherd, a literal translation is Shepherd Dog. Schutzhund literally translated means protection dog. Through common usage in the United States, schutzhund has come to mean the activities or trials leading to the dog title of Schutzhund to designate a titled working dog.

Love at first sight. Joyce Burdette DiNenna and Dachs von Lister Tor, "the Don".

Why be so picky about what word to use in a club name? There are people to argue that Schutzhund is simply a dog sport. Then there are other people, who argue that it is first and foremost a breeding requirement. There is no end to this argument, but obviously, we subscribe to the theory that is a breeding requirement and the sport of Schutzhund is secondary. We as a club, advocate and promote German Shepherds and our name reflects that fact, it is a Schafferhund club. We believe that only those dogs capable of being titled as a working dog should be able to breed. Titling a dog offers proof of a high degree of intelligence, of physical prowess, that there are no hidden physical defects, and the dog possesses a very even temperament. The very least of which the dog demonstrates conclusively that they are not people or other dog aggressive. The dogs also demonstrate that they possess the highest desirable characteristics of a German Shepherd.

Paul DiNenna accepts congratulations on behalf of Natasha for a job well done from USA and UPO Judge Bill Szentmiklosi, Jr.

The Johann Platt Schafferhund Verein (Verein, incidentally, means Club) is an affiliated USA club. USA in this case stands for United Schutzhund Clubs of America. This organization is primarily a German Shepherd Dog organization, but many members have other breeds as well., and they trial and title these other breeds at USA events. As an affiliated USA club, we work under VDH rules. The titles we may award, Schutzhund, German Shepherd Dog breed surveys, conformation rankings, are recognized internationally through the Verein fur Deutsh Schaferhunde (SV) of Germany and the World Union of German Shepherd Dog Clubs (WUSV).

Werner Kebernik, Otto Semmler and SV Judge Norbert Feeser consume German training medicine.

What does Schutzhund involve? It is in effect a triathlon for the dog and handler, for much physical and mental stress is place on both dog and handler. The first phase involves tracking , the tracks (simply a person walking one of several designated patterns) vary in length depending on the title sought. The person who lays, or walks, the track will also drop several articles, pieces of wood, plastic, leather, cloth, or metal. This track, once laid, must age from 20 minutes to an hour for Schutzhund tracks. For more advanced tracking titles, i.e. FH, they must age even longer. Once the proper amount of time elapses, the handler, dog, and judge report to the start of the track. For Schutzhund I dogs both the handler and judge know where the track actually is, for all another titles only the judge knows were the track is.

Joyce inspects a medieval German containment device.

The handler brings his dog to the start of the track, and gives the command, such, or seek. The dog must follow the track with his nose in a very precise manner. Very often the track goes over uneven rough terrain, tacking from two to four turns. The dog must never be distracted or raise his head while tracking. Once he comes upon an article, he must indicate it in one of several ways. The most typical way is to lay down, straight on the track with the article between his two front legs. The track continues in this fashion until the dog indicates the last article.

(from left to right) Werner Kebernik, Otto Semmler, the back of Joyce, Norbert Feeser, and Harold Blank discuss the day's training activities at the Kebernik Dog Training Center.

The second phase involves obedience. There are several routines the dog and handler must complete satisfactorily. The first for Schutzhund I and II dogs is Heeling on Leash, then Heeling through a group on lead, Heeling off lead through a group, Heeling off lead, Sit out of motion, Down out of motion with a recall. Schutzhund III dogs complete only the heeling exercises off lead, but have added a standing stay and a running stay with recall. All Schutzhund dogs must complete a retrieve on the flat and a retrieve over a Meter hurdle. Schutzhund II and III’s must also retrieve over a wall. The final exercise for all dogs is the, voraus, or send away. These exercises demonstrate the dog’s ability to work with the handler and to be totally under control of the handler.

Joyce seeks advice from SV Judge Norbert Feeser and accepts it very seriously.

The third phase is protection. This also follows a definite pattern with district requirements. The dog is not allowed to bite except when the handler is attacked and then when the helper is subdued the dog must release the bite and resort to protecting the handler. Most of this routine is obedience rather than biting. The dog demonstrates a clear head and again the ability to work with the handler, always under control. This phase also demonstrates a dog’s courage, and important trait of German Shepherds.

We take Schutzhund very seriously, and since we view it as a breeding prerequisite, we travel to Germany and Austria frequently to improve our training and therefor, our breeding program. We included some pictures of friends, whom you may recognize if you are as crazy about German Shepherds as we are.

There was a beginning. The very first thing that happened was Joyce and Paul DiNenna met Johann (Hans) Platt. He introduced them to the sport of Schutzhund and impressed them with his love and understanding of dogs. Equally impressive was his love for the sport.

Hans is a world class competitor, having appeared in more world championships than any other person.

Joyce and Paul named the club after this person, who still lives and still competes successfully at the highest level of the sport. It is our hope to compete in another world event and meet Hans as a fellow competitor. That almost happened in 1997 at the FCI World Championship, except that in the final trial to determine the Austrian team, Hans' dog finished third. Only the first two dogs became eligible for the World event.

After meeting Hans and becoming fanatics about the sport, Paul and Joyce returned to America and started a club, which became fully sanctioned, under the auspices of the United Schutzhund clubs of America. The picture to the right was taken during one of our first training sessions. We did not know much then.

Please notice our opulent facilities. Those facilities included a patch of concrete, providing a place to build a fire; three cinderblocks to support a board, which was a seat, and a piece of ground. In order to protect the innocent, no one in this picture is named.

Here we are today. We still don't know much, but we learn to take pictures during the summer, to dress uniformly, and to center the only person wearing black. Incidentally, can you guess which of these people is the only one NOT to have a German Shepherd?

The picture to the left was taken after our most recent trial; notice the smiles of satisfaction and relief that it was over.

Should anyone think they recognize someone in any of these pictures, please call for confirmation or your suspicions. We will share any reward with you.