Gunther Diegel
Director of Schutzhund Judges for the
Verei für Deutsche Schaferhund (SV) in Germany

Gunter was conducting a Schutzhund training seminar in California, shortly after winning the Bundessieger with Okar von Karthago (100-96-95-292). He was working a dog in protection that was not responding well and things weren't going as he had hoped. As he worked and worked to try to achieve some degree of success with the dog, he finally stopped...and approached the group and said:

"When this dog finds himself under stress, as all dogs do at times, he reaches back to his ancestry to get help or relief from the stress. But, as you can see, when this dog reaches back for help from his ancestors...there is nobody there."

The reference to "soft" dogs or dogs with a lack of courage and hardness (temperament) for Schutzhund training has been discussed and "defined" in many ways, but none so accurately (and eloquently) as this frofound statement by Gunther Diegel.

His interpretation was appropriate and reflected in his opininon on trying to work dogs with insufficient hardness and courage.

This is accuratly reflects our motivation for creating this site. We found that there was not a single site dedicated to collecting and archiving critical data about the great working German Shepherds and the Kennels that Produced them.

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