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Uwe Krüger
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When I was 11 I got my first dog that I had been eagerly awaiting. It was an Irish Setter with which I became member of the division police and working dog Oranienburg at the age of 12.
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Only two years later I started to train an unfamiliar dog, the German Boxer Abdallo von Haus Kerstin, with whom I successfully participated in the Bezirksjugendmeisterschaft (Regional Youth Championship), 1985. At the same time I trained my Airedale Terrier Mirco von der Buckowina. With him I directly became Kreis- und Bezirksjugendmeister (District and Regional Youth Champion) for Schutzhund 1, and finished with a great 11th position in the GDR Youth Championship.
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Additionally, I became Kreis- und Bezirksjugendmeister (District and Regional Youth Champion) for Schutzhund 2, and I came in 5th for the GDR Youth Championship in 1987. The same year I entered with Mirco the police Schutzhund 1 [SchH1] as a member of the team for the division police and working dogs, district Oranienburg, in which I won the team and individual score. At that time I have also competed successfully in the tracking trails 1-3. In 1988 I became Kreisjugendmeister (Regional Youth Champion) in Schutzhund 3. That year I sold Mirco von der Bukowina as tracking dog to the German Ministry of Staatssicherheit (security of the state) because I had to do military duty.
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During the following years my job-related situation and the building of an own house did not allow me to keep own dogs. So I worked as assistant for Schutzdienst and trainer. In 1996, when my house was finished, I could get started again and so I bought two own dogs: the German Boxers Lilly aus Köpgiköschk and Bastian von der Basilika Saint Magareta.
The same year I passed the BH, SchH1 and SchH2, as well as the tracking trail test with my parents’ Giant Schnauzer Gustav von Kellergeist.
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In 1998 I had to deal with the greatest blow of fate in my dog sport career: my two well trained Boxers, who both had passed their Fit for Breeding Test (ZTP) with best grades (excellent), turned out to have a severe heart disease (aortic stenosis) that made them unqualified for competitive sport. I sold them to dog lovers. Then I was again looking for a suitable dog for serious sport and by accident came across the 15 month old male Boxer Adonis von Grand Kevin who was difficult to place as his breeder had to provide secure custody because his owner kept poor Adonis under adverse conditions.
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Adonis von Grand Kevin, called Toni, was grateful and the story of success could go on. From January to October 1999 Toni successfully passed the BH, SchH1 to SchH3, the tracking trail as well as the ZTP and the Körung (breed survey). These results have been crowned with single results such as 99, 98 and 100 points in the protection phase.
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Some more highlights: second for the Weserland Cup and Vizelandesmeister (Local Vice Champion) with the qualification for the Bundessiegerprüfung (Federal winners competition) of German Boxers as Germany’s youngest dog and the performance as best “flagdog” from Berlin Brandenburg. Because of this unprecedented series of success, I was elected most successful dog handler of Berlin/Brandenburg in the Boxer club, 1999, for which I got the coveted cup. At that time I still trained the no less successful Great Schnauzer Justus von Kellergeist with whom I finished second in the Landesmeisterschaft Berlin / Brandenburg in 1999.
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Unfortunately, I was not allowed to participate in the German Championship with a dog without Körung (breeding survey) that year. After that, this dog had been trained for the service as drug tracking and Schutzhund and sold to the police headquarters Oranienburg where he still is in service today. Still in search of healthy, capable dogs, I became aware of the “Malinois” during the World Championship for Schutzhund dogs hosted in Germany in 1998. I was fascinated by the abilities of this Belgian Shepherd. Unfortunately, I also had to sell my first Malinois Dexter von Haus Seli (who got excellent 94 points in the character traits) as he, too, had some health problems.
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1999 hatte ich das große Glück, Knuth Fuchs, Besitzer von Klemm vom roten Falken, zweimaliger FCI Weltmeister und Weltmeister für belgische Schäferhunde, der übrigens seine hundesportliche Laufbahn auch mit einem Deutschen Boxer begann, kennen zu lernen. Von ihm erwarb ich auch meinen jetzigen Hund Bax von Furthermoor.
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1999, I was so lucky as to meet Knuth Fuchs, owner of Klemm vom roten Falken, who was double FCI World Champion and World Champion for Belgian Shepherds (and who started his dog sport career with a German Boxer, too!). It was him from whom I bought my current dog Bax von Furthermoor.
At the age of 2 already, I could pass with excellent results BH, tracking trail 1 and 2 (master class for tracking dogs) and SchH1, 2 & 3 (master class for Schutzhund dogs) with Bax and thus, qualified for the Landesmeisterschaft (Regional Championship) Berlin/Brandenburg in May 2003. Height of the season 2003 with Bax was the 3rd position in the Cup of the police sports club Sankt Hubert, Krefeld, and the successful participation in the international master class of Schutzhund dogs (IPO 3).
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In April 2002 I made my hobby a profession. Since then I realise and organise the training of police, customs and Schutzhund dogs, as well as Begleithund and family dogs in my obedience school.
A special concern is the preparation of especially difficult dogs for the negative survey and the therapy of disturbed dogs. In this field I work in close cooperation with Mr. Burghard Mika, expert for the certification of negative surveys, as well as judge in the association for German Shepherds (Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde).
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A big success as trainer was the German Youth Championship for German Boxer in 2002, in which the youngster Bettina Schnelle could reach an excellent result with a 6th position in the overall standings. With that she was most successful flagman from Berlin/Brandenburg and brought the house down with 100 points in the protection phase. The crowning glory of the work with this young girl in 2002 was the winning of the Landesjugendmeisterschaft (Regional Youth Championship) as well as the East German Youth Championships with her Belgian Shepherd Flyer vom Stapper Weg, and finally the qualification for the DHV, overall German Youth Championship.
For me as coach a dream came true when Bettina Schnelle won the DHV German Youth Championship with her Malinois Flyer vom Stapper Weg and a record score of 294 points in 2002. She also got thundering applauses for reaching the highest score of 100 points for the protection phase, which became a small blow-off as she already received this excellent result during the German Youth Championship for German Boxers with the male Boxer Adonis vom Grand Kevin.
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A further great success for the start of the season 2003: With Betty and Flyer’s single results (96 points) in the obedience phase and my and Bax’ 98 points in the protection phase, we could stand up to hard competitors from 20 other teams and win the Cup of the PSV Sankt Hubert.
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The most wonderful day of my life must be included here, too: April 21, 2003 - birth of my daughter Charlott!
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Beaten only by one point, Bettina Schnelle and Flyer once more missed the highest spot on the podium and got overall Vice Youth Champions.
Our team was also very pleased with a placing in the upper third of the field which I could reach with my dog Bax, who was one of the youngest dogs in the competition.
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The year 2003 was as successful as the previous one: Mai 2003 - Vizelandesmeister (Regional Vice Champion) in the Versatility Test For Working Dogs III Berlin/Brandenburg. On grounds of ill health Bettina Schnelle had to miss this contest.
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On August 10 in Dessau, Bettina Schnelle achieved a success as never seen before at the East German Youth Championship: she defended her title as East German Youth Champion and thus, became Youth Champion a second time in a row. Furthermore, our dream of a conjoint participation in the overall German Championship in Troisdorf/Cologne, came true and resulted in a qualification for the East German team so that we took part in the DHV / German Championship, Troisdorf/Cologne at the end of September.
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With the results of the DHV DM behind us, we tackled the last competition of the year 2003: the Landesmeisterschaft (Regional Championship) for Belgian Shepherds of the DMC of the Länder Mecklenburg Vorpommern and Brandenburg; and we won!
Champion and Youth Champion, and additionally, the winning of the Cup for the highest points during the championship for me and Bax – an excellent ending of a very successful and exciting season!
After two years of unforgettable moments in training and competition, there was a hard decision to be made on 3 year-old Bax’ future:
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The death of a friend’s police dog and his pleading for allowing Bax, with his excellent abilities, a life in the service for the police made me decide to sell him to the police department Oberhavel. Thanks to his great performance he could pass all necessary exams and tests early and – to my great pleasure – is still successful and active in dog sports with his handler.
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Congratulations to Betty who won the German Championship for tracking dogs in DMC (November 2003, in Wriezen)!
Betty also came in 6th at the World Championship preliminaries in Wörlitz (February 27-29, 2004). Together with Melanie Krüger, she received maximal points with the single results of 100 in one of the tracking phases; these were only awarded twice in more than 50 tracks!
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After only 8 weeks of training, the first weekend in May, 2004 should only be a first experience on so far unfamiliar ground for Betty and two other dog sport fans as my two fosterlings should take part in a Berlin competition for the modern and for us so far unknown “obedience trial” (a dog sport in which the dog must perfectly execute a predefined set of tasks). Nobody could have foreseen that this first attempt would end with only excellent results and a qualification for the German Championship in Mariazell for Betty! In Mariazell, Betty could be ranked amongst Germany’s “top ten” in August that year.
The same month, Betty’s dream came true and she started her apprenticeship as keeper with focus on animal shelter/kennels in my training centre.
A special delight in 2004 for me was the fact that young, hard-working and dedicated woman Steffanie Naumann, one of my youth trainees from HSV Hohen Neuendorf, could follow Betty’s footsteps: With the winning of the titles Landesjugendmeister Berlin/Brandenburg (regional Youth Champion), Vize Jugendmeister Ostdeutschland (East German Vice Youth Champion) and overall German Youth Champion, she was worth the glory!
October 2004: my dream of my own training centre in Leipzig came true. My slogan: same opportunities for everyone – no matter whether 8 or 80, dachshund or boarhound, athlete or family dog! 7 days a week for everyone – on 15,000 square meters. The feedback from the media, radio and TV is our confirmation: dog training is handler training!
On with the show: in November 2004 we had to vindicate the title German Champion for Belgian Shepherd tracking dogs. Only because of a tiny mistake, a little overrun object, Betty failed to re-win the title. She reached the podium together with a second participant and thus, was allowed to take part in the World Championship Qualification in February, 2005, in Unna.
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Thanks to great support, we also could expand our training grounds in Oberhavel to 15,000 square meters.
If one achieves such great success as I did, it is time to say THANKS now: I want to express my greatest gratitude to my wife for the support during the last, not always simple years. And I want to say a big “thank you” also to all my customers, friends, sponsors, as well as to my parents and parents in law who all helped a lot to fulfil my dream of “partner – dog”.
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