May the best dog win
P.E.I. man and his German shepherd going to world championships
Raino Fluegge of Kensington will be competing with his dog against the best German shepherds in the world June 7-11, in Regau, Austria.
Fluegge, one of the top handlers, trainers and breeders of German shepherds in the world, is heading to the world championships.
Fluegge will be competing with a female, Wencke vom Kiebitzende, where the sport of IPO (Schutzhund) tracking, obedience and protection will be shown and tested. Around 100 of the best German shepherds in the world will meet in Austria and Fluegge will be one of two Canadians who qualified to represent Canada. Schutzhund, German for “protection dog’’, was developed in Germany in the early 1900’s as a breed suitability test for the German shepherd breed.
Originally used to determine if the dog displayed the appropriate traits and characteristics of a proper working German shepherd, but today it is used as a sport where many breeds other than German shepherd dogs can compete. It is a demanding test that few dogs can pass.
Fluegge trains with the P.E.I. Schutzhung Club (PEISC) in Winsloe. Worldwide, they have 1.5 million followers. Fluegge has now qualified 10 times for this event and will compete this month for the eighth time. His dog, Wenke, was born, raised and trained on the Island with the PEISC. “Qualifying for the world championships is a great honour,’’ said Fluegge.
“It is pretty amazing to represent not only Canada but our Eastern region and local club, the PEISC.’’
Fluegge has been in more than 30 countries to give seminars in the sport, and is commonly flown to trials as an expert judge. He also volunteers his time to support RCMP K-9 handlers in Atlantic Canada to develop their dogs in apprehensive work.