Dog Fit Peritas - dog school

At the age of three, I sat in the kennel of our German Shepherd, Rex, and had hung my self-painted pictures on the doghouse or read to him from a book. My parents had told me to keep the kennel door closed. So, dutifully, I always closed the kennel door behind me when I visited my friend Rex. However, my visits to Rex were discovered. They said I was holding the book upside down and that I couldn't even read yet. From then on, I couldn't open the kennel door anymore and could only visit Rex outside the kennel. At night, while I slept, Rex was allowed to guard the premises of our company.

When I turned nine years old, we moved to Greece. I had to part with Rex.

We now lived in the city of Thessaloniki, and I sought solace among the street dogs, with whom I spent a lot of time. They showed me their puppies, which I was allowed to look after. The pack tolerated my presence and welcomed me as one of their own. We often hid to evade the dog catchers who roamed the city, capturing dogs and then killed them.

The shock was immense when one day our hiding spot was empty, and I couldn't find my friends.

Shortly after that, my parents gave me a small dog. As soon as I came home from school, I was out and about with Rocky. We had wonderful adventures on the construction sites of Thessaloniki.

I was happy, even though we went through a very tough time together with earthquakes and existential fears.

Rocky's presence helped me regain control over my fear of earthquakes.

The next trauma I had to experience as a child was when Rocky died of distemper.

Friends of mine owned a German Shepherd, and they gave me a puppy as a gift.

Arax grew into a handsome young dog, and together we roamed the paralia of Thessaloniki. I fought to have him vaccinated against distemper. My parents were deeply worried during this time, and they couldn't tend to my concerns. They said we would go back to Germany, and Arax would have to stay with a friend in Thessaloniki. I went with my father to this friend and saw that Arax was chained to a doghouse. I said that Arax shouldn't be chained and that I didn't want to leave him there. My father said it was only temporary and that he would bring him to Germany later.

With my mother and siblings, we moved to Germany. My father planned to follow later. During every phone call, I asked about my dog. My parents were dealing with extreme financial worries and were relieved that the dog could stay with that friend. I lost trust in my parents and told them that I wanted nothing to do with them anymore if they wouldn't bring my dog to me in Germany. At the age of 13, I threatened my father over the phone, saying I would never speak to him again if Arax stayed in Greece with that friend. They believed me. After a few months, my father arrived at our place, completely exhausted, and brought Arax with him.

Arax lived with us for over 12 years.

The kennel my father built for him in the garden ended up being used for gardening tools.

The big German Shepherd slept in my bed with me.

When I was studying in Kiel, an Afghan friend of mine, who owned a Middle Asia Owtscharka, asked me if I would consider getting one too. He mentioned that these dogs were from his homeland and he wanted to breed them. Arax had been gone for a long time, and I had been without a dog for several years. "Why not?" I thought. While I had been socialized with German Shepherds, I had always been open to other breeds of dogs.

And so, a livestock guarding dog entered my life!

Likos became a large, beautiful black and white Middle Asia Owtscharka. He must have often wondered what he was supposed to protect. We didn't have sheep in our apartment in Kiel. I took him to university lectures and placed him under the table. Professor Ulf Hansen always greeted the dog first, then us students, and at the end, Likos also received a certificate for participating in the "Digital Filters" exercise.

Likos had a calm, relaxed demeanor, but he could switch to "Hound of the Baskervilles" mode when he felt we were threatened. Since we lived in a shared apartment and I took him everywhere with me, he was very friendly towards people. However, he didn't tolerate other male dogs near us.

When my son Jan-Malte was born, Likos was already 6 years old. People around me advised me to give away the big dog because they thought he could become too dangerous for the baby.

That wasn't an option for us.

Four hours after giving birth, we came home. Likos was allowed to sniff Jan-Malte and lick his little feet. When I breastfed, Likos would lie beside us. He quickly adapted to our new addition.

During walks, he would subtly position himself between the stroller and the curious people who wanted to see our baby. If this signal wasn't enough, he would emit a deep, growling noise. He would look at me, asking for guidance on what to do next. I would reassure him, and Likos could relax.

Likos and Jan-Malte became a wonderful duo.

Since March 2020, Haldir and Thorin have been by my side. Every day, I relish being in the "here and now" with them. Through gazes, facial expressions, vocalizations, body language, and complex behaviors, they show me their world.

I'll never fully grasp their world of scents, as my senses are limited. But I am learning to read Haldir and Thorin, trusting them, and appreciating their abilities.

With Haldir, we practice finding missing persons in rubble and open areas using the high wind to our advantage, indicating their location. He's highly motivated and loves his job as a search and rescue dog for rubble and open areas at the Frankfurt/Main Fire Department.

Thorin often exceeds the maximum level on the motivation scale. He reacts extremely quickly, and during training, I've been able to provide precise confirmations using a clicker.

Thorin creates his own games and enjoys spending time alone with his human.

We're training Thorin to become a Mantrailer, which he does with tremendous enthusiasm. Sometimes he effortlessly pulls me along like an accessory at the end of the leash.