Thanks for your support of this sport!

The judge is Benno Galonska.  You can read Benno's biography here.

The helpers will be:

Mark Gomersall of Seattle, Washington:
3 GSSCC Regionals
1 National GSSCC breed survey
1=2 0National GSSCC breed show
2 ADA trials
4 trials in Australia
14 club trials in the USA
Current training helper at West Coast German Shepherd Schutzhund Club and also Greater Seattle Schutzhund Club

and

Brian Hendricks of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:
15x rated excellent
2005 HOT Nationals
2005 Northeastern Regional Championship
2006 Doberman Nationals
2007 Doberman Nationals
2008 Northeastern Regional Championship

This trial will have the most spectator support ever for a Doberman only sport event, as it is being held on the grounds of the host hotel. The trial field is beautiful, level, mowed lawn-type grass. It will be fenced, plenty big and there are a fair number of shade trees. The attendees will include numerous high officials from AKC, the US Marine Corp, US Homeland Security, DPCA and other organizations. The remaining WW2 War Dog Handlers will be there. Tracking will be on very lush hayfield grass (not alfalfa, mixed prairie/brome/native grass) It is estimated from to be perhaps ankle to mid calf tall.

You need an AKC scorebook-

Lisa at AKC's Performance Events Department will
personally help anyone who needs a pedigree and registration
certificate to get one for the trial. All you have to do is call her,
and she can personally walk it over to the department to get one.

The number is: 919.816.3903. The form to get a scorebook can be found
at: https://www.akc.org/pdfs/WDS_Scorebook.pdf


All levels need to be represented. The WDS TT is the same as the BH, the WDS 1, 2 and 3 are the same as ScH/IPO/VPG levels 1. 2 and 3.

If you are a UDC member, the UDC competitors fund will reimburse your entry fee.

This trial is one of the turning points in history for the future of the sport; with much of the future of the breed and the sport at stake. The backing of the AKC and Homeland Security will bring a great deal of power against the BSL and MSN laws that are running rampant. America's Dogs for America's Security could change that.

Please contact Pat Murphy, WDS Chair, at murphyslaw@rpmwin.com with any questions

Benno Galonska Biography  [top]

Since my childhood I have had a deeply rooted interest in animals, particularly dogs. At the age of 16, I received my first dog.  The strong character of this particular animal heavily impressed my starting career in dog sport and considerably influenced me years later.  As a puppy, this dog grew up in the family: today we would say a family dog.  He was a very self-confident and a dominant male.  To gain control of the powerful qualities of this dog and integrate him into a public social environment, we looked for experienced and knowledgeable help.   From the beginning, I had the good fortune to train with a very competent trainer and we worked together over many years.  In this important learning phase, the most valuable lesson for me was how to observe dog behaviour and evaluate the quality of character.  In particular, developing the ability to concentrate on  observational skills formed the foundation of my subsequent work.  From the first day of my training (with Rottweilers and other working breed dogs) I had the opportunity not only to learn how to train a dog, but also be a helper, simultaneously.  My present knowledge to evaluate and analyze canine character qualities can be attributed to the many years of working with dogs, but first and foremost from working as a helper.   This intensive learning process was both exciting and fascinating, and still exists today.

Since starting in the dog sport in 1967 right up until today, I have fulfilled many functions in regional and inter-regional levels in different breeds and organizations (e.g. SV, ADRK, DVG, DV).  During this time I trialled dogs from inter-regional trials to German championships.

As a lead trainer who has taught helpers, I have conducted seminars in Germany as well as in the US, Australia, Austria, Holland, Italy and South Korea.

I have also been judging and evaluating working dogs for approximately 12 years. 

My philosophy is:

Today I see it as my responsibility to bring my knowledge and experience into the training of new helpers.  For this reason, over the years my main focus shifted to the training of new Schutzdienst helpers for dog sport. As we all know, in current times no dog sport club can successfully exist without available and qualified helpers! The foundation of a successful working dog lies in the hands of a specialized and skilled helper who constructs the building blocks of work for a young dog.   These helpers need to have the training and experience to teach the beginner dog and target it to a finished Schutzhund, IPO-VPG working dog.  

 In 1987 I had the opportunity to attend the DPCA National Convention in Somerset New Jersey which was my  1^st American working-dog trial and  I carefully observed the training and quality of the trial dogs.   Over the years I watched the dog sport develop in the Doberman Club through various seminars.  Twenty-one (21) years later in honor of the DPCA Centennial, I am proud to be invited as a judge for this historical event.

 I wish all participants and exhibitors, in conformation, obedience, agility and the working dog event, great success during this exciting week.

BENNO GALONSKA
Lohmüllerstraße 26
50737 Cologne
Germany
mailto:bennogalonska@t-online.de

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