2004 Sieger Show Tour
reflected by Rebecca Wong
Fred Lanting's 2004 Sieger Show Tour was
wonderful experience. We had a group of great dog
people, great bonhomie and we learned a great deal from
traveling together. Born in Hawaii, I left the islands
at age 20 and I never saw much reason to vacation
anywhere else! Going to Europe was a something totally
different for this “newbie” GSD owner. I had a blast on
the trip and learned way more than I thought I would.
Trains, planes and automobiles
 Karlsruhe,
the site of the 2004 Sieger Show is located between the
Stuttgart and Frankfurt airports and not particularly
close to either. Most of the other Sieger show sites are
located near only one airport so the group meets up at
the airport after flying in on their own. Tour
participants purchase their own tickets to Germany and
try to find the lowest fare available. Fred and a
quarter of the group flew into Stuttgart and the rest
went to Frankfort. Fred organized us prior to departure
so those arriving at about the same time would meet up
and take the train together to Karlsruhe. We also
exchanged emails with clues on how to identify each
other at the airport.
Four of us arrived at Frankfurt on Thursday morning so
we found each other and then followed the signs to the
train station. The station ticket office looked like a
small travel agency. The English-speaking agent was very
helpful and she sold us a discount group ticket since
there were four of us traveling together so we only paid
€20 (euro) each for the one-way ticket to Karlsruhe.
The German public transportation system is a marvel! I
am glad we took the train instead of renting a car. The
state-of-the-art train station at the airport and the
beautiful high-speed train were amazing. We took a cab
from the train station to the hotel. We easily could
have saved €14 cab fare by taking one of the many modern
trolleys that ran past the station because train tickets
allow you to transfer to local public transit for no
additional fare.
Karlsruhe: the Radial City
We received a pleasant welcome at the Erbprinzenhof
hotel ( where Fred always puts his group when the show
is there) located above a newsstand and a clothing
store. Room keys in hand, we went to our rooms and took
a much-needed afternoon nap. A great tolling of the
bells from a nearby church awakened most of the sleepers
so the whole group assembled for the first time. We
dined indoors in a German pub at the nearby Europaplatz
(plaza) and got acquainted with each other. After dinner
we spent a bit of time wandering through Karlsruhe’s
thriving, clean downtown.
The hotel guest rooms were small by
American standards but they were comfortable and I
enjoyed the clean lines of the room’s modern décor. The
plumbing was a bit different from what we have in
America but it was easy to figure out. Our sleep
disrupted by the time difference but I was so excited
about going to the Sieger show that I didn’t notice.
Karlsruhe (Karl’s Rest) is so named
because Magrave (Prince) Karl-Wilhelm of Baden, dozed
off there while hunting and decided to relocate his
capital to that very peaceful spot some 300 years ago.
The Magrave chose an innovative design for his
Schloss (often translated as castle) and his
new city. Instead of a castle, he built a baroque palace
surrounded by gardens and open woodland instead of
fortifications. The layout of Karlsuhe is quite radical:
the boulevards curve in concentric circles around the
Schloss and other thoroughfares radiate from the Schloss
like the spokes of a wheel. Pierre L’Enfant was so
inspired by Karlsruhe that he incorporated some of its
design into his plan for Washington, D.C. Today, the
Schloss is a large multi-use woodland park with museums,
restaurants, fountains, state of the art playgrounds,
ball fields and a small passenger railway. We saw people
and families of all ages riding their bikes through the
park including many young adults towing their toddlers
in bike trailers. I was particularly thrilled to see
senior couples biking together.
The Wildpark Stadion, site of the
Sieger show was diagonally across the Schloss from our
hotel. On our walk to the stadium, we passed through
downtown Karlsruhe, the formal gardens of the Schloss
complete with statues and fountains, and then through
the wooded areas surrounding the stadium. It took about
½ hour to walk there and it was a great way to start the
day.
Our hosts at the hotels provided us
with a hearty breakfast. In Karlsruhe we got fruit,
granola, yogurt, hardboiled eggs, assorted breads and
some good quality cold cuts in addition to juices, tea
and regular coffee. Decaffeinated coffee was rarely
found in our travels. Fred advised us to make a sandwich
to bring with us to the show to avoid the high prices
and long lines at the concession stands. The
Erbprinzenhof hotel also sold Coke in reusable bottles
from the front desk: that was a blast from the past!
Friday: The Courage Tests:
On Friday, we left bright and early at 7 AM, bought
our 3-day tickets at the stadium gate and once inside,
our show catalogs. On Friday, the main event is the
Courage Tests for the Working Class (dogs
over 24 months of age with schutzhund or herding titles)
of both sexes. The first exercise of the courage test is
the surprise attack from the blind, consisting of an
off-lead heel up to the front of blind with a concealed
agitator. The agitator attacks as the dogs and handler
approached the blind. The dog should respond to the
attack with a strong bite on the agitator’s bite-sleeve.
The release of the bite-sleeve is very important: dogs
should release when the agitator stops resisting; if
that doesn’t happen, the dog is commanded by the handler
to out. A handler has three attempts to get the
dog to release with the out command. The exercise
also tests obedience: dogs that can not heel far enough
before leaving to seek the agitator have to restart the
exercise and only three attempts are allowed to perform
the heeling correctly.
Fred explained that the bite at the
blind is the more difficult of the two exercises.
Because of their training, the dogs know the agitator
will be coming but they have only a few strides to
prepare themselves for the bite. Dogs struggling with
control have a harder time concentrating on heeling when
the agitator is so close.
If the team successfully completed
the first exercise, they moved to the far end of the
field for the long distance attack. A second agitator
comes charging towards the team and the dog is commanded
to attack, running roughly 50 yards across down the
field to get their bite. After the completion of the
courage test, the dogs were sent off to individual
conformation exams.
The staging area outside of the
courage test ring was lively. Waiting dogs were
warmed-up by helpers wearing bite sleeves with lots of
whip cracking. Traffic was heavy near the staging area,
so I did not linger too long. It would have been
interesting follow the ways different dogs were the
warmed up.
The number of different problems
encountered during the courage test gave me a true
appreciation of how demanding bitework is. Handlers had
three attempts to free heel their dog to the blind. Some
of teams needed all three and some could have used more.
Many dogs were slow to release the bite sleeve and dogs
often that took nippy re-bites after the initial
release. A few dogs had problems making a firm bite or
failed to take a bite.
Three ratings are given in the
courage test: Failed, Sufficient and Pronounced.
Dogs with a rating of Failed are eliminated from
the show. A dog is required to earn a rating of
Pronounced in order to be eligible for a V
(excellent) or VA (excellent-select) rating. The highest
possible show rating for a dog earning Sufficient
in the courage test is SG (very good). The courage test
judge was lenient; many dogs were given a rating of
Pronounced when their performance merited a
Sufficient.
Fred was able to predict which dogs would have
difficulty based on their behavior as they entered the
ring and waited their turn. A dog should stride right in
and appear to be thinking, “Where is the guy I am
supposed to bite?” A dog exhibiting displacement [or
avoidance] behavior: sniffing the ground, lip licking or
inattentively looking away prior to starting the test,
was a very good indicator that the test would not go
smoothly.
Interestingly, dogs that were slinking during their free
heel to the blind performed well in the test although it
certainly looked odd. Fred explained that these dogs
really wanted at the sleeve but had been trained
forcefully not to break out of the heel. These dogs,
struggling to restrain themselves, slink like a big cat
stalking its prey while trying to maintain heel position
with their handler!
In retrospect, watching the Sieger
Show Courage Tests is a lot like watching the Army-Navy
Football game. The [playing od] football may not be the
greatest but the men and women on the field and in the
stands are the finest that our nation has to offer.
Shopping at the Show:
A large vendor area ringed half way around the outside
of the stadium and many accepted major American credit
cards. There were about 20 different booths selling show
supplies, dog training toys and Schutzhund equipment.
The dog food companies with booths at the show were all
new to me. Surprisingly there wasn’t as much GSD
clothing for sale as I had expected. One clothing vender
that caught my eye was Stick In (www.stickin.de)
that featured embroidered GSD designs on their clothing.
I purchased a sweatshirt with a large embroidered GSD
leaping across the back; it was quite the hit when I
wore it to training class at home.
Videos and DVDs taken at the Sieger and other shows were
available for purchase. Another booth was selling
software for a comprehensive GSD pedigree database. Now
available in English, the Sieger Show yearbooks
published by Foto Urma ( www.fotourma.com) were
for sale around €60. The yearbooks print all the
evaluations of the dogs exhibited in the show and most
include a photo of the dog. The SV show records are
amazingly comprehensive and detailed so each edition of
the book is rather hefty. Every dog in the show that
completes judging receives a placement and an
evaluation. All dogs entered in the show are noted: the
dogs who received an excuse from the show vet are listed
and the dogs who failed the Courage Test are listed with
a code explaining why they failed. There are also ads
for kennels, action photos of the dogs in the
conformation ring and casual photos of people at the
show. Some of the books from previous years were still
available.
In Germany most exhibitors come to shows in cars or
small station wagons usually towing their dogs in a
trailer. Several of these aluminum trailers with
built-in, ventilated kennels and storage areas for
supplies were on display. Slant front aluminum kennels,
designed to fit in the hatch of a station wagon are
another popular way to transport dogs.
Saturday: The Progeny Groups and the Youth Classes:
On Saturday, the day started with the Progeny Groups.
I was flabbergasted by how much uniformity there was in
the small early Progeny Groups. Fred just smiled, saying
the groups would be getting even better as the class
progressed and they did! After getting over the fact
that the Germans cherish the concept of the “cookie
cutter” breeding, I began to appreciate how useful the
Progeny Groups are. Although, the sire of the group may
not be present at the show, all of the progeny in the
group must be entered in the Sieger show. Obviously, the
offspring are a highly select subset of a sire’s total
offspring. Despite the exclusivity of the group, the
many qualities that could be inherited from a sire were
there for discernment.
The progeny groups are not ranked after the judging but
a large impressive group will advance the standing of a
sire entered in the show. Larus v. Batu’s group was
huge! The group nearly formed a complete circle around
the outside of the stadium soccer field! Most of the
Larus’ offspring were under 2 years of age. I personally
preferred Hill v. Farbenspiel’s group, which featured
older dogs that looked more finished and pleasing to my
eye.
I left the show after the progeny
group to do a little shopping at Karlsruhe’s Marketplatz
(Market Square). A delightful department store on the
plaza made me feel like I was stepping back into my
favorite long gone, downtown department store back home.
On my way back to the show, the amazing children’s
playground in the Schloss beckoned and if no one had
been looking, I would have tried some of the equipment
out.
Back at the show, it took some effort
to find the tour group who were watching the 18-24 month
class in the fields outside the stadium. The crowd was 4
or 5 deep along the fences bordering the field. Keeping
one eye on the double-handlers charging around the
rings, I searched the crowd for familiar faces. German
double handlers are a courageous lot; dodging trees and
wandering spectators, they ran tirelessly, calling their
dogs and sounding their horns.
At the conclusion of the 18-24 month
class, we returned to the hotel and regrouped for a
delightful dinner at an Indian restaurant. Some friends
of Fred from Malaysia, Pakistan, and India joined us. I
learned how difficult it is to keep dogs in Islamic
countries such as Pakistan and Malaysia, let alone breed
them because dogs are considered to be ritually unclean
and Malaysia has strict regulations on dog ownership.
Sunday: the Finals
On Sunday, we hurried back to show to grab good seats
in the stadium where the finals of each class were held.
The finals of the youth classes featured both sexes
gaiting simultaneously on their separate halves of the
stadium field. In the middle of the field, dogs from
each ring often had to gait side by side, going in
opposite directions. Surprisingly, most of the young
dogs did not seem to be bothered by this. While we
watched the dogs, Fred pointed out some of the
exceptional ones and answered questions about the strong
and weak points of different dogs.
Sieger show gaiting is done over far
longer distances than at AKC shows. After the completion
of the 12-18 month and 18-24 month classes, the rings
were reconfigured into one large ring taking up about ¾
of the soccer field for the Working Class females. The
ring further expanded to the full length and width of
the field for the Working Class male gaiting. Like their
dogs, the handlers need to be in good physical
condition.
All of the 80 or so finalists in the
class were present for the initial and final
evaluations. Dogs were divided into groups of six for
their gaiting. They walked on lead, trotted while
pulling on lead, and then took a very fast trot around
the ring off -lead while their handlers ran besides
them. The small group gaiting closed with a short “down
and back” pattern so the judge could once more examine
the dogs coming and going.
Typically the dog’s schutzhund
trainer would replace the primary handler for off-lead
fast trot. Many dogs got very excited at the sight of
their trainers coming towards them, some with a toy in
hand. The off-lead sprint was fascinating since the
handlers had to stay in their assigned positions even
though dog and handler teams moved at different speeds.
Opportunities for gamesmanship abounded. Some trainers
helped their dogs with a discreetly held toy, which was
the only time I saw any “baiting” going on in the ring.
Last year a dog was moved down a few positions after his
handler bounced a ball during the free heel. That is a
no-no! The free heel can even be too exciting for the
human half of the team; the handler of Larus v.Batu,
tossed his toy in the air before the rest of the group
behind them had a chance to slow down. In another group,
a handler fell, at the end of his exercise, and the
handlers following behind, tripped over him. Although
things often looked dicey for a second or two, that was
the only collision that occurred.
There was a bit of stir when the open
male class came in lead by Hill, followed by Larus.
Larus was widely expected to win Sieger this year. Fred
speculated that Hill’s position was recognition of a
good showing by his progeny group and Hill’s individual
exam. Some discussion ensued about how the breeder of
one of the most likely contenders for Sieger could be
judging the class. The apparent conflict of interest is
less disturbing to the Germans than to Americans and
Larus had been placed high at other shows under other
judges. The top dogs at Sieger show are so closely
matched that any of them could win and strong arguments
could be made for all.
As the gaiting progressed, dogs were
slightly moved up or down in the rankings as their
movement were evaluated. The crowd roared its approval
when Larus was moved to the front of the class. Larus
held his top position and became this year’s Sieger
The Kennel Groups were the
final class of the day. Kennel groups consist of 5 or
more dogs bred by the same kennel and judged for
uniformity. Unlike the progeny groups, the dogs need not
be related in any particular way. Although I find total
uniformity to be a bit eerie, I can only admire the
dedication and discipline required to achieve it.
The closing ceremonies had an Olympic
theme with children carrying the many flags of the
nations represented in the show and a symphonic band. At
the close of the formal festivities, a large crowd
formed down on the field to congratulate the winners at
the end of the formal festivities.
On the road: Alsace, France
 On Monday, we checked out of the Erbprinzenhof hotel,
picked up two diesel powered automobiles: a Volkswagen
Transporter van and a Skoda (Czech) station wagon.
Heading out of Karlsruhe on the Autobahn, we exited and
crossed the Rhine into France. Finding parking in
Strasbourg was tough since all the parking garages that
were built too low for our van. Fred got the attention
of a police car and asked for directions. The
French-speaking officers were kind enough to guide us to
a parking garage that could accommodate the van. After
parking, we set off on foot looking for the great Notre
Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg and a college student
volunteered to accompany us for a few blocks to get us
squared away. Stopping for lunch at a tavern, we got to
sample some Alsatian specialties, which seemed very
German.
Some memorable sights in Strasbourg
were the merry-go-round; the awe-inspiring cathedral,
hundreds of years in the making; and the canals that
crisscross the old city and its ancient walls. Outside
the cathedral, we got a lesson in how to deal with
persistent beggars. Heading back to the cars, we got a
taste of the Little France neighborhood, an odd name
unless you recall that Strasbourg had changed hands
between France and Germany several times. The group kept
breaking apart as members succumbed to the temptation of
proffered free samples from the many delightful bakeries
on our route.
Leaving Strasbourg, we drove through
the countryside of Alsace and saw vineyards on the
hillsides and the occasional castle. Stopping in
charming Colmar we wandered through the old town and
found the picturesque retail store for one of the local
wineries. Some of us almost never made it past the
parking lot because we discovered a high-tech public pay
toilet that begged to be explored.
Next stop was Freiburg in the Black
Forest. We walked through the historic old town of
Freiburg with cobblestone streets and open gutters
filled with running mountain-spring water. There was
some quick souvenir shopping and sight seeing. At the
back of the Freiburg cathedral we saw a startling
photograph: the cathedral surrounded by rubble! The
quaint old town district had been lovingly rebuilt after
the war.
We gathered the group together and
headed off to Bollenbach, a Black Forest village. We
spent the next two nights at the Kreuz guesthouse
attached to a working farm. We enjoyed one of the best
meals of the trip that night in their dining room and
their homemade ice cream sundaes were an unexpected
treat.
The Black Forest:
Early risers got to explore the village of Bollenbach
that could serve as a location for a remake of the movie
“Heidi”. The houses were a mixture of traditional homes
and newer houses that still maintained the Black Forest
character of the village. There was a simple fountain in
the village center for thirsty travelers and their
animals. The village’s simple war memorial reminded me
of my own town’s Vietnam memorial.
Our first stop was the Freilicht
Black Forest Museum, a “living” museum of traditional
German homes and workshops; some dating from the year
1190 and moved to this location from all over the Black
Forest. There I investigated a thatched roof close-up
and found the carved stone shrines that once marked the
roadsides of the Black Forest fascinating. We enjoyed
some of the plums picked for visitors and then it was
off to the kennels!
A warm welcome, complete with wine
and refreshments awaited us at the home of Hermann and
Giselle Biel and their home-based Schornfelsen kennel.
Herman showed us his handsome young male, Diego and then
we went to their immaculate kennel to see puppies!
Hermann had a litter of little fuzz-balls sired by VA3
Erasamus and everyone’s heart melted. Those who hadn’t
even thought of finding for a dog on this trip found
themselves suddenly reconsidering! Four of the puppies
were purchased by members of the tour.
Hermann and Gisele volunteered to
guide us to the next kennel high in the hills and then
to our luncheon at a resort tucked away down a long
winding mountain road. It was hard to tear ourselves
away from such kind hosts. The final stop of the day was
the Von der Ernetranch kennel of Klaus and Frank Kubczak,
a very professional, modern, family operation with about
15 kennel runs and a small, well lighted training field.
We got back to the guesthouse around 11 PM and enjoyed
some German beer before going to bed.
The Arkanum and Trienzbachtal
Kennels:
 On
our final day of the tour, we stopped to say auf
wiedersahn to the Biels and headed off to Robert Lang’s
Arkanum kennel, a clean, professional establishment in
an agricultural area away from the Lang home. Robert
explained in English how he and his father got into
breeding. As a young lad, he finally was given a long
awaited GSD and then took the dog to the local training
club. The members of the club sent Robert home to get
his father because he was still a bit too small to
handle the dog. He and his father enjoyed dogs together
as a hobby then Robert struck off on his own. Two young
teens, Robert’s son and the son of his trainer, handled
several dogs for us. We then drove to the home of
Robert’s trainer partner to see his V13 Zello. I enjoyed
meeting Zello and the opportunity to see what a modern
German subdivision looks like.
Our last kennel visit was to the
famed Trienzbachtal kennel of Leopold Bucher, breeder of
five Siegerins and several VA dogs. The kennel was in an
outbuilding next to the Bucher home and the property
felt like it was or had been a farm. Leopold released
some of his females for us to see including the splendid
V73 Wende. The gals ran free in the yard under Leopold’s
voice command and stayed in the half of the yard away
from the road. Frau Bucher served us tea and cake while
Leopold let us study at some his pedigrees and answered
questions about his kennel.
We set off for the Frankfurt area
through the Neckar river valley and caught a glimpse of
Heidelberg. After a final dinner together, we said
farewell to Fred and the folks leaving from Stuttgart.
In the morning, we shared cabs to the airport, said one
last farewell and returned home. As fitting for a tour
organized by email on the Internet, after we got home
everyone swapped photos via email or Internet photo
websites!
Fred Lanting will be leading more
non-profit, expertly guided tours of the Sieger Show and
surrounding Europe in 2005 and 2006. The 2005 tour will
feature Bavaria and Austria; the 2006 tour will include
the northern Rhine and Holland. Fred may consider a trip
to the Bundessiegerprufung, the SV Schutzhund and
Agility Championship if there is enough interest.
Additional chatty descriptions of
this tour can be read on Rebecca Wong’s website,
http://kaneonapua.home.comcast.net/
For more information, contact Fred at
mrgsd@netscape.com
or
Von Salix GSD
Invitation to
Sieger Show Tours (Germany)
2004 Sieger Show Impressions by Fred Lanting
2006 Sieger Show Impressions by Fred Lanting
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