One lovely autumn morning, Audi and I packed the car and set off for Vejle with our daughter Sigrid and a good dog friend. The Audi was to be mentally described.
In short, the mental description consists of a series of challenges that the dog is exposed to with the support of its human. A panel of four judges gives the dog a numerical rating based on how it reacts to the challenges. The Danish Kennel Club is responsible for the mental description.
For some dog breeds, it is a requirement from their special club that the dog must undergo a mental description before being put into breeding. For Audi, who is a Schipperke, there are no other requirements than that he must have been presented to a show judge who has rated him as at least “Very Good”.
So it was of my own free will – solely because I am at least as curious about my dog's inner state of mind as his beautiful exterior, that we sat there in the car.
Audi is the 4th dog I've shown for a mental description. Still, it was the first time I was really nervous, because Audi is a young dog under 2 years old, still somewhat teenage, very sporadically hearing and with enough self-confidence to believe that he can easily manage on his own out in the world. In other words: I was quite doubtful whether he would disappear into the forest when the leash was taken off him.
I've known for half a year that Audi needed to be mentally described now. For about the same amount of time, I've been looking for a suitable GPS tracker that can work with my smartphone to at least have a chance of finding him again if something goes wrong. I didn't succeed.
There is no doubt that the best solution to my challenge would be to make Audi a regular call-up. Here every owner of a young Schipperke will smile to himself and think that the chance of winning the lottery is probably greater after all. However, one should never give up hope – and suddenly I had a bright idea…
I have mentioned my enthusiasm for DogCoach's clothing before. I am really happy with it. The pockets are good, there are plenty of them. The winter jacket is warm, windproof and rainproof. In fact, I have bought two of the winter jackets, as I want to be sure to have a proper jacket, even if one has to be washed. One thing I did think was downright crazy - namely the squeaker in the collar - but now I started using it actively as extra reinforcement for Audi's calls in the hope of being able to complete the entire mental description without having to go out and catch Audi along the way.
I put Audi's obedience to shame. From the first second he was let out of the car in Vejle, he had full focus on me and offered himself with all the exercises he could think of. And then we went "into the ring".
Audi had to show that he could be handled by a stranger, that he wanted to play, carry a prey and chase a “hare”. He was a bit reserved about a man he didn’t know taking him away from his mother, but other than that he had a party. Several of the exercises were repeated; including the chase for the hare. The first time Audi was ready - the second time he was really READY and so fast that the judge suggested that we rename him Porsche. The most amazing thing of all, however, was that my little beautiful boy turned his nose home towards his mother as soon as he had put down the “hare”, which was just plastic strips tied together. So I could have saved myself all my worries about whether Audi would go on an excursion alone.
The next discipline consisted in all its simplicity, in that I had to stand still with Audi on a leash in the same spot for three minutes and stare straight out into the horizon. I can honestly say that it was a difficult exercise for a very active Schipperke. Audi tried everything he could to get me going. He jumped on me, bit the leash, sat, covered and also had time to eat a long blade of grass and light legs in several places.
We passed metal chains rattling and a snowsuit suddenly jumping up in front of us. Audi was startled, but curiosity quickly overcame fear, so of course he had to have his nose stuck in it all.
It is important to note that after all exercises that could scare the dogs, an aversion was introduced so that almost all dogs left the area calm and happy.
The penultimate exercise was about defending territory.
I was placed at a given point with the Audi on a leash. Out of the forest, on both sides of us, a person dressed in a ghost costume came walking slowly. They take turns walking towards us, and finally turn their backs on us and stand still. At one point you are asked to let go of the dog and take a step yourself towards one of the ghosts.
I admit that I was impressed by my little seven-kilogram dog. As the description said, Audi didn't budge an inch. It was clear that he was unsure about the ghosts, yet he walked forward on the leash. When the leash was released and I took a step towards one ghost, it was as if he said "fine mom - you take one, I'll take the other" and then he ran to the other ghost and manhandled it, albeit from a short distance.
When I got really close to one ghost, Audi plucked up the courage to come all the way over to sniff. He quickly discovered that there was a human inside, so when I took the hood off the ghost he happily waved and ran over to see if there was a human inside the other ghost too. The narrator called him “a little dog with a big heart.”
The last part of the description was a test of the dog's sensitivity to gunshots. Here, two shots were fired while we were walking and standing respectively. I am not ashamed to admit that I am apparently much more sensitive to gunshots than Audi is. While it gave me a jolt after each shot, Audi took it with crushing calm. The judge mentioned with a laugh that he was possibly born without ear canals – that could then explain Audi's selective hearing.
Both Audi and I enjoyed the day, which was educational for both of us. Audi is now one of only six Schipperkes in Denmark who can boast the stamp "Mentally described" in her stud book.
Photos were taken by daughter Sigrid.
Next week, Audi and I are going on another trip. This time, Audi will try his hand at sheep. He will be tested for herding instincts. More about that another time.
About this week's blogger:
Helene is an early retiree and spends a large part of her time with her animals. The animal team consists of 4 dogs, 1 cat, 15 free-range chickens, approx. 80 aviary birds and her daughter has three axolotls. And now she and Cookie can also call themselves a reading dog team.
She loves writing short stories, poems and stories from her everyday life and enjoys reading a good Scandinavian crime novel.
In addition to Helene and all the animals, the family consists of Birger 55 years old, Thor 12 years old and Sigrid 10 years old.
A small dog with a big heart…
One lovely autumn morning, Audi and I packed the car and set off for Vejle with our daughter Sigrid and a good dog friend. The Audi was to be mentally described.
In short, the mental description consists of a series of challenges that the dog is exposed to with the support of its human. A panel of four judges gives the dog a numerical rating based on how it reacts to the challenges. The Danish Kennel Club is responsible for the mental description.
For some dog breeds, it is a requirement from their special club that the dog must undergo a mental description before being put into breeding. For Audi, who is a Schipperke, there are no other requirements than that he must have been presented to a show judge who has rated him as at least “Very Good”.
So it was of my own free will – solely because I am at least as curious about my dog's inner state of mind as his beautiful exterior, that we sat there in the car.
Audi is the 4th dog I've shown for a mental description. Still, it was the first time I was really nervous, because Audi is a young dog under 2 years old, still somewhat teenage, very sporadically hearing and with enough self-confidence to believe that he can easily manage on his own out in the world. In other words: I was quite doubtful whether he would disappear into the forest when the leash was taken off him.
I've known for half a year that Audi needed to be mentally described now. For about the same amount of time, I've been looking for a suitable GPS tracker that can work with my smartphone to at least have a chance of finding him again if something goes wrong. I didn't succeed.
There is no doubt that the best solution to my challenge would be to make Audi a regular call-up. Here every owner of a young Schipperke will smile to himself and think that the chance of winning the lottery is probably greater after all. However, one should never give up hope – and suddenly I had a bright idea…
I have mentioned my enthusiasm for DogCoach's clothing before. I am really happy with it. The pockets are good, there are plenty of them. The winter jacket is warm, windproof and rainproof. In fact, I have bought two of the winter jackets, as I want to be sure to have a proper jacket, even if one has to be washed. One thing I did think was downright crazy - namely the squeaker in the collar - but now I started using it actively as extra reinforcement for Audi's calls in the hope of being able to complete the entire mental description without having to go out and catch Audi along the way.
I put Audi's obedience to shame. From the first second he was let out of the car in Vejle, he had full focus on me and offered himself with all the exercises he could think of. And then we went "into the ring".
Audi had to show that he could be handled by a stranger, that he wanted to play, carry a prey and chase a “hare”. He was a bit reserved about a man he didn’t know taking him away from his mother, but other than that he had a party. Several of the exercises were repeated; including the chase for the hare. The first time Audi was ready - the second time he was really READY and so fast that the judge suggested that we rename him Porsche. The most amazing thing of all, however, was that my little beautiful boy turned his nose home towards his mother as soon as he had put down the “hare”, which was just plastic strips tied together. So I could have saved myself all my worries about whether Audi would go on an excursion alone.
The next discipline consisted in all its simplicity, in that I had to stand still with Audi on a leash in the same spot for three minutes and stare straight out into the horizon. I can honestly say that it was a difficult exercise for a very active Schipperke. Audi tried everything he could to get me going. He jumped on me, bit the leash, sat, covered and also had time to eat a long blade of grass and light legs in several places.
We passed metal chains rattling and a snowsuit suddenly jumping up in front of us. Audi was startled, but curiosity quickly overcame fear, so of course he had to have his nose stuck in it all.
It is important to note that after all exercises that could scare the dogs, an aversion was introduced so that almost all dogs left the area calm and happy.
The penultimate exercise was about defending territory.
I was placed at a given point with the Audi on a leash. Out of the forest, on both sides of us, a person dressed in a ghost costume came walking slowly. They take turns walking towards us, and finally turn their backs on us and stand still. At one point you are asked to let go of the dog and take a step yourself towards one of the ghosts.
I admit that I was impressed by my little seven-kilogram dog. As the description said, Audi didn't budge an inch. It was clear that he was unsure about the ghosts, yet he walked forward on the leash. When the leash was released and I took a step towards one ghost, it was as if he said "fine mom - you take one, I'll take the other" and then he ran to the other ghost and manhandled it, albeit from a short distance.
When I got really close to one ghost, Audi plucked up the courage to come all the way over to sniff. He quickly discovered that there was a human inside, so when I took the hood off the ghost he happily waved and ran over to see if there was a human inside the other ghost too. The narrator called him “a little dog with a big heart.”
The last part of the description was a test of the dog's sensitivity to gunshots. Here, two shots were fired while we were walking and standing respectively. I am not ashamed to admit that I am apparently much more sensitive to gunshots than Audi is. While it gave me a jolt after each shot, Audi took it with crushing calm. The judge mentioned with a laugh that he was possibly born without ear canals – that could then explain Audi's selective hearing.
Both Audi and I enjoyed the day, which was educational for both of us. Audi is now one of only six Schipperkes in Denmark who can boast the stamp "Mentally described" in her stud book.
Photos were taken by daughter Sigrid.
Next week, Audi and I are going on another trip. This time, Audi will try his hand at sheep. He will be tested for herding instincts. More about that another time.
About this week's blogger:
Helene is an early retiree and spends a large part of her time with her animals. The animal team consists of 4 dogs, 1 cat, 15 free-range chickens, approx. 80 aviary birds and her daughter has three axolotls. And now she and Cookie can also call themselves a reading dog team.
She loves writing short stories, poems and stories from her everyday life and enjoys reading a good Scandinavian crime novel.
In addition to Helene and all the animals, the family consists of Birger 55 years old, Thor 12 years old and Sigrid 10 years old.