Delmarva German Shepherd Dog Club

Valerie, as an DGSDC member and AKC Evaluator and the one that did the testing on Bandit for his Novice Trick Dog Title, I can only assume when you say that Bandit passed without knowing any tricks is a direct attack on the evaluator. As an AKC evaluator, we are given the rules and test requirements for each title and I strictly adhere to the akc guide for evaluators. Since Bandit has his CGC, he was only reqiured to do five tricks out of the supplied list. Bandit had already passed his five tests before Howard tried the tunnel which would have been his sixth test. I would suggest that you or anyone else that wishes to know the requirements for any akc test go to their website AKC. Org. I think the tricks you have in mind that you thought Bandit should be doing will be found in the intermediate level and not the novice. I do not and will not pass a dog on any tests that they haven't corrctly demostrated the behavior that is being asked of them whether they are a club dog or not.

Delmarva German Shepherd Dog Club (DGSDC). When I became a member of this club Oct. 2017 I felt welcomed but come to find out I was never welcomed by the owner Howard, due to my dogs being cross breeds. My problem with this club is how he advertises it as a personal protection club that offers serious training for serious people and their dogs. He also says it isn't a sport training venue where members train for points, ribbons, plaques, or in-house "titles," but it is a club where you can go to learn to play an advance game of tug. If you are looking for a personal and or family protection dog please go else where because your dog will surely fail you in the event of danger in real life. DGSDC says most of them have real world needs, wants, and purposes for their dogs and yes they may have real would needs but their dogs don't receive the training to perform in the real world. On his website you will notice he says "When was the last time you ever heard of someone being attacked with these items in the REAL WORLD?" referring to sport dog training. Well, ask him this if you still decide to go out after reading this, when was the last time a bad guy came to attack someone with a dog but before attacking, they held their arm up for the dog to bite. Remember if you do decide to go out, this club is only good at developing a young puppy, and that is all. I could continue to go on about how after I decided not return to the club Howard messaged me saying the club is FUMING MAD. And he went on about how he had law enforcement members and a former K-9 Director as a member. This means nothing to me. His message also went on about how back in 2000 he was a Qualified Training Director again that was back in 2000 and it is now 2018. He also told me how he liked me and my dogs and accepted us even though my dog didn't fit into their club standards. P.S. If you want to play tug with your dog go here, but if you need a dog to protect you or your family go else where. By the way Howard's dogs live outside in a kennel. In Howard's voice "When was the last time you ever heard of a dog protecting their family from a kennel in the REAL WORLD?"

While this club does a decent job developing a young puppy, this is all the club has to offer. They will continue to work your adult dog in prey and will not put any real defense on dogs. If someone came after one of their dogs aggressively, the dog would fail/avoid because none of the dogs have been trained to deal with the stressors. They instill fear and paranoia in new handlers making them scared to push their dog in any meaningful way. In the month that we’ve been training at a new venue our 16 month old dog has gone from biting only a sleeve at DGSDC to doing shoulder and bicep bites on a suit, he has done hidden sleeve work, proofed his protection with a rubber arm and started leg bites. They love to mention the AKC titles that their dogs have, but many of the dogs haven't earned these titles legitimately. Bandit received his trick dog title despite knowing no actual tricks. Coaxing your dog through a tunnel over several minutes while a steady stream of expletives come from your mouth is not a trick. They also claim to not use "yank & crank" which is an outright lie. Howard yanks his dogs hard at any sign of disobedience and then continues by calling his dog stupid. I was incredibly disappointed by the lack of professionalism in this club. Howard constantly talks about members without them present and offers no real advice to fix any perceived problems. This venue claims to offer real world training scenarios but refuses to try new techniques or new training locations. There is nothing "real world" about a training field with dog sport blinds. If you are looking to train and proof your dog in actual protection, I suggest you train elsewhere.