Results 1 to 3 of 3
  1. #1

    Default Interview (Part one) with 2009 WUSV Protection Judge


    Interview (Part one) with

    2009 WUSV Protection Judge

    Lance Collins (GSSCC, Canada)


    Lance Collins Schutzhund resume
    Lance Collins has been actively involved in the dog sport exclusively as a hobby since 1980. He has raised, trained and titled many dogs from puppies to SchH3. An active competitor, Lance has competed at the Canadian Championships 14 times with 7 different dogs, and qualified for the WUSV World Championships 7 times with four different dogs. His highest placing at the WUSV WM was 4th place with Dune v Bergblick, a dog he bred, raised and trained.

    Recognized as an innovative and systematic trainer and teacher who utilizes proven learning principles, he has conducted many seminars in Germany, USA, Australia and Canada. He has drawn his experience from working closely with Juergen Ritzi, Reinhard Linder, Roman Schuler, Elmar Mannes (SV)

    Helper work has been a big part of the dog sport for Lance and he has been active as a training, trial and teaching helper. He was selected to do the helper work at the Canadian SchH3 Championships and the Canadian Sieger Show four times, including the first Canadian SchH3 Championships.

    Lance spends much of his free time training others in his club, to great success. Over the last 20 years handlers from his home club have repeatedly won the Canadian Championships. Eight different handlers from his home club have qualified to represent Canada on the WUSV world team some 18 times, resulting in a number of top 10 places at the World Championships.

    Lance began judging in Canada in 1990. He judged the tracking at the WUSV World Championships in 2000, and protection at the WUSV in 2009. He has judged major events such as the North American, the Canadian and the Australian Championships.

    Lance started breeding German Shepherd dogs in 1985 under the kennel name of Haus Bergblick. At one point dogs from his breeding won the Canadian championships for 5 consecutive years. Dogs from his breeding have placed in the top ten at the WUSV World Championships a number of times.


    JUDGING GENERALLY

    Q: How do you feel in anticipation of judging the World Championships?
    A: I feel sincerely honored by the invitation to represent the GSSCC and the Canadian judging program at the WUSV World Championships. I am excited and slightly nervous when I do think about it but for the most part I am way too busy with my business commitments, my responsibilities as a GSSCC director, my own club and my own dogs to think about it very much. I expect as it gets closer and I set aside more time to concentrate on the preparation it will be a little more of a issue.

    It is always an honor and a big responsibility to have the opportunity to judge at any level. Certainly judging the protection phase in Germany in front of a big crowd, a lot of friends, fellow competitors and fellow judges magnifies the significance of the moment for me. However, I do get the best seat in the house once protection starts and that is very cool.

    Q: What do you think are the qualities that make a good judge?
    A: They must be fluent in the language of dogs. To become fluent a judge needs first hand experience as a competitor, a trainer and a handler. They must have a lot of experience with a lot of different types of dogs and they must have had success in completing the work of training dogs. Being a very good training helper is a distinct advantage as well.

    Judges must be students of the behavior of dogs to understand what they are looking at and to be able to explain properly what they are evaluating. They must be teachers and bring with them an enthusiasm and passion that promotes the sport and motivates the handlers and spectators.

    Judges have to have the confidence and character to be able to make the difficult decision and hold the line on the rules and the intent of the rules. Maintaining a standard that follows the intent of the trial regulations can mean that you do not get invited back in some circles.

    Q: As a judge who are your biggest influences?
    A: I would have to say that it was a variety of influences that have influenced my judging. My long and close relationship with some very well respected German SV judges and trainers also had a tremendous influence. Juergen Ritzi, Reinhard Lindner, Walter Hoffman, Elmar Mannes, and most recently, Guenther Diegel, all had a profound impact on my development as a judge. They all provided me with honest direction and an understanding that I apply in my judging today.

    More than anything else, it was my passion and my struggle to become a top training helper and an international competitor that has influenced my judging the most. Training my own dogs from a puppy and working through the steps to compete at many big events gave me experience and knowledge that is impossible to achieve any other way. Being a training helper and making the commitment to travel to gain the experience of working many thousands of dogs also had a huge influence on my judging. I would point the finger at Juergen Ritzi and Reinhard Lindner for giving me the opportunity and encouragement to immerse myself in helper work until it became instinctive.

    I had and still have an intense passion to understand why dogs do what they do and an intense desire to learn how to influence them. That has been the main factor in my evolution as a judge.

    Q: How do you prepare for judging the World Championships?
    A: I have confidence that I know what I am looking at and what is critical. The challenge is to remain mentally focused for every moment of every dog. I want to be sure to give every handler my best attention and to do that I am spending some time to improve my physical fitness. Being fit certainly helps with the mental aspect of judging.

    I will spend some extra time studying the regulations and the interpretations, making sure that there is no hesitation in my decisions. Working with the dogs keeps me in tune and that is the best preparation therapy for me. For the most part, I will keep training my dog and the dogs in my club as well as competing and judging.

    Preparing to judge this event is a lot like preparing for a big competition with a talented dog for me. The best method for me to avoid excessive nervousness has always been to prepare as best I can and then enjoy the moment. That is what I plan to do here.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Interview (Part one) with 2009 WUSV Protection Judge

    Q: Do you have any concerns about judging in general?
    A: The level of handling and training has continued to improve world wide over the years. Excellence has been continuously redefined by today’s brilliant trainers. This continuous improvement has necessitated that the judges elevate their concept of excellence and many have not kept up with the changing times. The quality has reached the point where minor deviations are often the only thing that separates the very top competitors. Recognizing those differences is difficult for judges who have not remained active in training and handling.

    I suppose I would have to say that consistency between judges is one of the biggest frustration for competitors. Not knowing what to prepare for and what is critical can be very frustrating. As a competitor, I only want the same standards and an equal chance to be successful as anyone else. I know that is not always the case and I do find that frustrating. I do not understand how the same execution of an exercise can be rated V (excellent) in a club trial and only G (good) in a championship.

    We need to encourage the best and the most talented people to become judges and allow them to lead the sport to higher levels. If we are ever going to achieve a consistency in the judging process that everyone talks about, we need to have the people who have the most knowledge in the program. Without experience there is no knowledge.

    Q: What is the biggest challenge in judging you have experienced?
    A: When I was judging tracking at the world championships in Belgium I was presented with a difficult situation. The fields selected for the first day were extremely rugged. They had been ploughed one time with large furrows and trenches and strewn with large blocks of clay-like clumps, making walking very difficult and it was extremely windy. The conditions really created havoc with the teams and the dogs struggled with accuracy. I had the pleasure of watching some incredible performances in extremely challenging conditions. Unfortunately, very few were successful and those that were, had lower points due to the adversity they had to overcome.

    The next day, because the poor results from the day before created some anxiety for the organizing committee and the team captains, the tracklayers were instructed to make the tracks easier by stepping them in and reducing the length somewhat (expecting, I suppose, the same conditions). However, the tracking conditions the next day were completely opposite, with smooth and level dirt fields where every footstep was visible and the wind was non-existent. These competitors had distinctly different conditions. The challenge for the remaining dogs was not to find the track, because they could clearly see it, but rather to stay focused, intense and maintain the technique from start to finish. Because the handlers could clearly see the tracks, it became necessary to focus more on the handling and handler help. As the previous day the handlers had no chance to help their dogs, I did not let any handler help go unnoted.

    I still think about the dogs that worked so hard and paid the price of the conditions. This experience really reinforced that I had to prepare my own dog for the difficult conditions and hope for the better conditions if I wanted a reasonable chance to be competitive at the highest level.

    Q: In terms of judging generally, not just at the Worlds, what do you see as the role of the judge in terms of our sport and our breed?
    A: Judges must be teachers and bring with them an enthusiasm and passion that promotes the sport and motivates the handlers and spectators. They must be leaders who lead by example on and off the field. They must be protectors, defending the integrity and honesty of the evaluation or testing process.

    The Schutzhund title or the VPG title if you prefer, brings with it a standard of credible achievement and I believe that is something to be proud of and it needs to be fiercely defended. Judges walk a difficult line when it comes to the breed and the sport. The criteria for promotion of the breed and promotion of the sport are not always in harmony and finding the middle line is not always easy.

    There is an element within the sport that tries to bring the standard down to their level rather than trying to bring themselves and their dogs up to the standard. Sometimes it is because the handler is a novice or lesser talented handler and there is always influence to give them an easier set of standards. Other times the pressure to lower the standard is there because there is money involved in the value a Schutzhund title brings to a dog and that really is a slippery slope when it comes to credibility.

    Walking this line between what is best for the breed and what is best for the dog sport is the role of judging and the future of the sport and the breed are intimately intertwined.

    Q: Any comments on what you have seen in the last few years in the dogs’ performances at the Worlds overall?
    For me tracking is the most interesting aspect of all the work and I have been disappointed sometimes that the great tracking dogs and the great tracking trainers seem to get less consideration. By this comment I mean that too often the tracking terrain is such that the average and the best are indistinguishable. For tracking to be an equally important part of the competition we should be utilizing fields that allow the top dogs to show their quality. Unfortunately we cannot control the weather or the farmers so consistency throughout the trial week is always a challenge for the organizing committees.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Interview (Part one) with 2009 WUSV Protection Judge

    In the obedience phase, I have seen a phenomenal improvement over the past 10 years. Energetic and enthusiastic performances are much more the norm than at any time in the past. Naturally there have always been outstanding performances from the top countries like Germany and Belgium, but we are seeing that quality expanded throughout the world and I think that is very positive. It does however mean that the judging must adjust to the higher quality as well. There seems to be a consensus that the judging has become harder over the recent years, but in my opinion the handlers are simply pushing the quality to such a level that what was once considered excellent no longer qualifies at that level any longer.

    In the protection phase in recent years it seems to me that there is a noticeable lack of power and intensity from the dogs. Dominating and assertive behavior in the critical areas is less common.

    Correct work has to include both compliance and conviction. I fear that the modern quest for compliance has been at the expense of active assertiveness, conviction and balance in temperament. I would like to see some more character, even personality, from the dogs in the guarding phases. Technically correct dogs without power cannot be rated excellent.

    PROTECTION

    Q: What are the most important things you want to see in protection? What is important to you when you evaluate a dog in protection?
    A: I want to see control most certainly but I also want to see a dog that works each exercise with clear and deliberate purpose. I want to see a dog that looks into the helpers and actively challenges them. I want to see a dog that strikes the arm when pressured rather than just takes the arm. I am impressed by dogs that are convincing and serious in the work, not just playing the role.

    Q: What do you want to see in the guarding?
    A: Guarding demonstrates the dog’s mindset. Guarding is the only situation where I can both see and hear the dog and evaluate the characteristics that the dog is bringing to the work. In those few moments I must determine intent and conviction. Guarding is a critical element in my judging evaluations.

    I want to see a dog intensely anticipating the attack or escape. I want to see the dog physically tight, focused and ready to spring into action. It is from the guarding phase that I get to evaluate the striking in response to the helper’s attack. Guarding has to be intense and energetic to provide the power to strike hard and quickly.

    Q: Would you agree that we see many dogs do silent guards who just seem to be sitting in front of the helper, not actually guarding them?
    A: In the early years this method, along with the “out-down-silent guard” was developed to manage very dominant and powerful dogs. In most cases it was a last resort to retain control of the extremely strong dog. What was always obvious was the strength and temperament of the dogs showing this type of work.

    The silent guard is an acceptable method under the regulations but in recent years, trainers are using the silent guard exercise for dogs that are much less committed and lacking the same type of temperament. Training methods and sophisticated equipment is being used to create robot-like attention to a helper standing still. For dogs that are not strong and powerful and attentive from anticipation, but only sit and stare from sophisticated obedience the picture is not the same and cannot be graded the same.

    In order to give the silent guard method full points the dog must be fully anticipating the attack and show that in every fiber of its body. Dogs that guard silently but with intensity and anticipation will be graded appropriately.

    Q: How do you evaluate the grip?
    A: Most important for me is in the moment of the attack. How the dog engages the helper in that fleeting moment is critical. What I look for is if the dog strikes or just takes the arm or if it waits for the helper to press forward with the arm. I want to see an assertive commitment to confront the challenge from the helper. Why the dog is biting is more important then how full it is in the initial engagement. A completely full and hard grip shows confidence and good technique and must be rewarded, however a dog can have a full quiet grip and show nothing when it comes to countering the pressure from the helper. To be excellent a dog must show everything…..power to engage, hard, calm, reasonably full and actively hindering.

    Q: What do you look for in the blind search?
    A: I look to see if the dog goes quickly, enthusiastically, deliberately and directly to each blind looking to find someone in every one. I look to see a dog that goes tightly around the blind and commits to returning to the handler directly and immediately on the here command for every blind. I want to see the dog deliberately hunt for the helper but show real control.

    Q: What do you want to see from the helpers?
    A: The evaluation of the performance of the dog is intimately dependent on the helper work. If the helper does not perform properly then the judge cannot provide an accurate evaluation. I want the helpers to be dynamic and aggressive. I want them to bring pressure against the dog in the attacks. Not just after the dog has bitten but more importantly, with the attack and before the bite. I do not want the helpers to be dancing with the dogs. I want them to be fighting against the dogs, within the trial regulations of course.

    Q: What do you see as the crucial elements in the escape exercise?
    A: Control naturally is important. There is a lot of discussion about the grip and whether the dog should go directly and straight to the helper and bite the first available part of the arm or run a little beside the helper and take the middle of the arm.

    The purpose of this exercise is to prevent an escape so the three crucial aspects are the speed, the directness in and the hindering. Logically the dog that strikes quickly and bites hard may grab the elbow and not have a perfectly full bite due to the structure of the arm itself. I am not so critical about the perfectly full bite provided the other aspects are all appropriate. The dog that takes the time to run slightly wide to bite “right in the middle” of the arm is missing a key element of the exercise.

    I want to see the dog strongly hindering the helper. Naturally the out and guarding have to be equally as committed to achieve an excellent rating

    Q: Any comment on how the attack exercises are executed by the helpers?
    A: This is the critical and single most important element of the entire protection phase for me. The attacks are the only moments where the dog is under pressure and not yet engaged in biting. It is only in these moments where I can see if the dog is really countering the pressure or simply going for the moving arm. It is only in these moments that I can see if the dog uses the bite as a weapon against the attack or as a tool to take possession of the arm as they would a toy or a ball.

    If the helper executes the attack dynamically by aggressively bringing the stick over the dog in a striking motion without sleeve movement, then the evaluation is easier for me.

    If the helper executes the attack by first creating a prey attraction by moving the sleeve, then nothing can be determined with regard to the dog’s response to the threat, except that the dog likes to have the arm cover in its mouth. Even worse is when the helper moves towards the dog without any aggressive action taking place and the arm is pushed into the dog’s mouth simply by the forward momentum of the helper.

    It is simply not enough to bring pressure after the dog has taken hold of the arm. To truly evaluate the character of the dog, it must see pressure before it engages the arm and then I can determine the commitment to counter the attack. It is in these critical moments where I truly see the heart, the courage and the character of the dog.

    Q: Is there a difference between a trial and a training helper?
    A: The trial helper has an entirely different responsibility than the training helper. I would say that the trial helper has the easier role with a lesser amount of responsibility when compared to that of a training helper. The trial helper is recognized as having the most prestigious role in the sport. The skilled trial helper is highly sought after and with that comes a lot of notoriety. They are essential to the sport and Championship helpers are some of the very best in the country. World Championship helpers are the elite in that category. Their prime responsibility is that they execute the work according to the trial regulations and do it safely, consistently, and with power, but with little responsibility for the actual performance of the dog. For the most part, an individual with good athletic ability can quite quickly learn the basic skills of a normal trial helper.

    Becoming an excellent training helper is a long apprenticeship with many struggles. It can be very rewarding but it takes a lot longer to get there. The training helper has a tremendous burden to learn all the signals and behaviors that the dogs have. These helpers have to learn to read and react instinctively to a myriad of signals in order to evoke the right behaviors at the appropriate times. They have to build up, challenge, lose, build up again and rebuild continuously. They have to be there reliably every training session, through all the seasons. They are expected to get results.

    There are many more excellent trial helpers than there are excellent training helpers. So in a short answer, I would say that there is a huge difference between the trial helper and the training helper. Those who can do both well are extremely rare and usually very popular.
    Q: What do you think of dogs who do ‘play’ protection – where it is only about biting the sleeve, not fighting the helper?
    A: This is an interesting question. I would say that playing at protection describes the vast majority of the dogs in the sport. It is this way simply because the skills and knowledge necessary to create a learning environment where the dog is encouraged to utilize all of its predatory makeup is lacking. This is a world wide phenomenon and it will continue to be ever more so. Executing the trial exercises through “playing the role” is often enough for the average hobby competitor but it certainly should not be so for the breeder who needs to consider balanced drives and the naturalness of the behaviors when selecting breeding partners.
    When I am judging and I see it is more game than serious, I do not reward the work with an excellent rating.

    Q: Do you think protection involves aggression?
    A: I am not exactly sure what you mean by the term aggression. To me it has a very definite meaning but I am not sure we are both talking about the same thing. Aggression is an integral part of the nature of the dog and the canine culture and it has a variety of forms and uses for them. I certainly like to see a dog confident, dominant and assertive in risk situations and that to me is a constructive or advantageous form of aggression. Dogs blessed with this characteristic are generally the most convincing in the guarding and attack phases. So the short answer is; not so often these days, but certainly it is impressive when it is present in the right form and I do want to see it.

    Q: Do you look for real aggression for a dog to receive top points (assuming everything else is correct, control etc)?
    A: Hmmm….top points…. I presume you mean excellent points. Excellent can only be available to the dog that brings everything to the work. Precision in control alone is not enough for excellent. Compliance without commitment and assertiveness is not enough for excellent. The excellent dog must demonstrate a combination of all the elements. There has to be seriousness and deliberateness in the work. That seriousness and deliberateness in the dogs overall behavior, has to be demonstrated, throughout the protection phase, as well as being under proper control to be rated excellent.

    Q: What are some of the more common behaviors you would penalize or that would not meet the excellent criteria?
    A: Ahhh…. you would like to provoke some feedback. Well, wide sweeping blind searches that resemble a slalom ski race are very common. Dogs that gaze into the crowd rather then the blind as they go around it are common. Dogs that leap high into the air like kangaroos during the guarding phase are common. Dogs that bark directly at the arm and ignore the helper. Dogs that “out” and look at the helper but are completely flat and lifeless are also now common. Dogs that do not hinder on the escape. Dogs that do not strike when attacked by the helper. Dogs that are not absolutely focused on the helper in the silent guard. These are faults clearly outlined in the trial regulations so they will not be a surprise to anyone competing at the world level.

    If you are looking for some uniqueness in my judging then I would say that I emphasize conviction, the strike, the hardness of the bite and the hindering over the simple fullness of the bite. That might be a perspective that sparks some discussion.

    Thank you very much for taking the time for this interview!

  4.    Advertisement

Similar Threads

 
  1. FS: nike dunk SB or the regular one (with link to pics)
    By paxNI in forum Clothing & Accessories
    Replies: 51
    Last Post: 10-30-2009, 11:02 AM
  2. Replies: 56
    Last Post: 09-06-2008, 01:54 PM
  3. FS.. very cheap fashion accesories as low as 50 peso!!!! part 3 with pic
    By hardawayray in forum Clothing & Accessories
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 06-07-2008, 05:53 PM
  4. FS.. very cheap fashion accesories as low as 50 peso!!!! part 2 with pic
    By hardawayray in forum Clothing & Accessories
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 06-04-2008, 10:39 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
about us
We are the first Cebu Online Media.

iSTORYA.NET is Cebu's Biggest, Southern Philippines' Most Active, and the Philippines' Strongest Online Community!
follow us
#top