Did you know that even a Czechoslovakian Vlciak can be successful in dog sport? Under what conditions and what he needs for a happy life is the subject of the following interview. So really enjoy it!
It's damn hard to get to the top exams with any dog. However, if we are talking about commonly used working breeds, then we mean quality working conditions, a capable and patient handler and a good trainer. But what does it take to get to the highest exams with less traditional breeds? And what about the Vlciak? Ing. Kamila Nováková is not only the current chairwoman of the Club of Czechoslovakian Vlcak Breeders in the Czech Republic, but also a great trainer who has managed to achieve excellent successes in the field of sport cynology with her dogs. We are very happy that she will share with us her experiences from the training of the Czechoslovakian Vlcak.
Although the Czechoslovakian Vlcak is classified as a working breed and its use was originally intended to be purely utilitarian, today I perceive it more or less as a companion and we do not meet many "wolves" in sport cynology. Nevertheless, you managed to do something extraordinary – pass the IPO3 exam with two vlcak! Undoubtedly, it was not for free, and you must be very proud of it. Did you plan to use your dogs in dog sport from the beginning, or did it all come over time?
I bought my first vlcak called Vlk (Argo od Vysoké skály) in 1993 as a complete layman. My goal was to have a dog suitable for a year-round stay outdoors, healthy and hardy, who would let himself be harnessed like a malamute and a husky (I read a lot of Jack London), who would cope on his own in any life situation, who would never get lost even in the biggest blizzard and who would drag a person home under any circumstances. But at the same time, to be loyal to his master and not to the pack like the Northerners, and to train on the training ground like shepherds. So, another breed was out of the question, so to speak.
We used to go to sled races together, back then there were only northerners and Czech mountain dogs. No Alaskans and hounds like today. So, we did quite well. We passed the exam for the CSV in the 100-kilometer run. My Vlk handled it really easily, unlike me. So, I rode a bike and they had to resuscitate me at the finish. While Vlk took a nap for two hours and would have gone again. We passed ZPS1 at the training ground, but we didn't continue any further, because Vlk, like most of the CSV, had no talent for sports defense. He didn't want to bite his sleeve, and I didn't want to defend myself through anger. Otherwise, he was a very good, loyal and one hundred percent reliable dog.
CSV needs to be a full member of the family!
Would you please introduce us to your other amazing wolfdogs, Budulínek and Ohnivák?
My second dog's name is Firebird from Molu Es. I chose him in 2002 from a mother with an aptitude for sports (Ajbix Mrazivé ticho), she had a ZM passed, a lively and resilient, she was good at biting. From the large litter he excelled from birth by his unique character, always in action, never sleeping. That stayed with him, he was terribly teachable, playful and adaptable, on the other hand he didn't stick with anything for long and didn't do any exercise exactly the same twice. There was nothing he was afraid of or frightened of, he loved even New Year's fireworks. Several times we have placed well in the "Šediváčkův long" sled races. That's about 200 kilometers in the snow, in four days. The Firebird had great tensile strength and infinite stamina, it was a piece of cake for him. We passed FH2 and IPO3 and won the CSV Championship more than once. In his old age, Firebird had big problems with his back, so we had to stop harnessing and defending around the age of ten. He was a bit grumpy after the tenth year because of his back, especially with the children, he didn't want them to roll on him. Then we focused only on tracking, which he enjoyed very much, and we started several times at selective tracking competitions. He lived to be thirteen years old.
My current dog Budulínek z Molu Es is quite different. He is very gentle and sensitive, more submissive towards people. Unlike my previous dogs, he has very fast excitations, there is no need to motivate him to train faster. Rather, I have to make sure he's not stressed. If he does something wrong, I must not reprimand him. He tries to do everything as well as he can, when he feels that I am not happy with it, he is broken. He enjoys retrieval and defense more than tracking, which is unusual for CSV. He likes quick work, but at the same time he is quite focused and precise. He usually has a lot of points on obedience. Just the other day I was thinking about what a pity it is that I didn't try agility with him. He also enjoys pulling, I ride a bike with him, cross-country skiing in winter, that's probably what he likes the most. But he's not very strong, I'd need two dogs like that for a tough race. He has FH2, IPO3 and has already won the CSV Championship. He will be eight years old in the fall. We're going to a selection tracking race, I'm just a little worried about how he's going to deal with such a long track two days in a row. It's not enough action for him.
With Budulínek you passed the IPO3 exam, but with Ohnivák you even won the CACT title 4 times and won the working championship. In which disciplines did you obtain the candidate exam and how difficult was it?
The Firebird was a reliable tracker. He had a very good track in all the selection competitions, except for one track when he went down to a crossing. He wasn't perfectly accurate, so we never won, but he was accurate enough to get at least 90 points even in the worst weather conditions.
When you say Czechoslovakian Vlcak, most people imagine a dog with innate shyness, which is not completely compatible with sport cynology. What prerequisites must an individual of your breed have to be able to stand on the three-section exam and succeed in the higher categories?
They must have a predatory instinct. That is, as a puppy, to be interested in grabbing a toy and carrying it, then a pawn and a sleeve. This is a trait that is inherited, and a maximum, a quarter of CSV has it. Tracking, obedience and retrieving can be trained by food, but it is worse with defense. Of course, someone trains the defense through anger/pressure, but I consider this to be absolutely inappropriate and unacceptable for the CSV. Unfortunately, the helpers regularly try to push the new owners of CSV to do so. Recently, anger biting has come back into fashion. But I understand that it is difficult to tell the owner to give it up and practice only tracking or obedience. Unfortunately, CSV matures late, sometimes up to three years of age, and the damage done by irritating young dogs to anger is usually irreversible.
Shyness occurs in some, rarely in males. It is necessary to choose a puppy from reliable parents. However, most of the vlcaks that appear to be more shy are just insufficiently socialized. CSV needs to accompany its master everywhere in its youth and get used to all kinds of environments in which it is supposed to function in adulthood. If someone thinks that it is enough to take a puppy to the city for an hour on Saturday and lock him in a kennel for two hours on Sunday, he usually does not get a good and reliable dog. CSV needs to be a full member of the family. He needs to have enough stimulation and enough movement when he is young.
From your point of view, what is the most difficult thing for CSV and why?
As I have already written, it is a defense and a predatory instinct. The dog either has it or it doesn't. Rumors that it can be rehearsed are unfounded. It can be developed or inhibited in a puppy. It does. But if the puppy doesn't have an innate prey drive, it can't be produced in him. Today, however, there are a number of trials in which defense does not figure. If someone's dog doesn't want to bite, they can specialize in other disciplines. It's definitely better than using all sorts of methods to force a dog that isn't up to the task of defending itself. There can also be a problem with lazier dogs and shy. If someone plans to train with a puppy, they need to evaluate the work commitment of their parents before purchasing it. But this applies to all breeds equally.
What advice would you give to all other CSV owners who would like to be actively involved in dog sport?
Well, I would advise them to use positive reinforcement and operant conditioning when conducting training, or to get some books on the subject. Training by twitching the leash or some corrections is not suitable for CSV and does not lead to the desired goal. Those who have sufficient knowledge do not need such methods for training. Of course, we must sometimes strongly reprimand or even punish a dog, e.g. when it tries to attack another dog or take food from a person's table. But this is a matter of prohibitions and hierarchy, not a matter of training. Such a thing does not belong in training.
But what you still need to take into account when choosing a puppy is gluttony. A dog that is not interested in feeding is difficult to train. In other breeds it is possible to train with balls and on foot, but this variant usually does not work for CSV. Gluttony is inherited in the same way as other traits, so you need to get some information about the puppy's parents.
Unfortunately, as with other breeds, most breeders are much more interested in the exterior than in the dog's industriousness. Exhibitions are in vogue and work talents are on the decline, this is today's trend. Not only for sport cynology, but also for hunting or sled dogs. All purebred breeds are getting prettier and more useless in practice.
In addition to dog sports, you are also involved in endurance sports. What do you do with your dogs? What do you personally enjoy and find more fulfilling – training or sports?
Personally, I enjoy harnessing more, but I'm too old for that. I'm not much into running, so I'd like canicross and dogtrekking, Budulínek would like that very much. I would probably have to lose weight, which is not a possibility. In the sled races on shorter distances, the CSV has no chance against the ESP racing specials and on the long track Budulínek is not strong enough to pull me. I would have to have a second dog for the pair. So, I only do harnessing recreationally.
Budulínek and Ohnivák come from the same kennel. Why did you choose this breeder? And is the choice of breeder important to you?
For me, the breeder is important, and even more so the parents of the puppy. Ing. Monika Soukupová is certainly an excellent breeder. I know her personally and you can go to see the puppies repeatedly. Of course, sometimes the breeder does the mating more with an emphasis on the exterior and sometimes on the character. Also, each has different talents. But both of them worked out well with my dogs, both of them won many show awards and championships. Especially Budulínek is really beautiful.
A number of cynologists, who once "sniff" the top sport, then leave for traditional working breeds, where they have greater opportunities. Have you ever thought about moving to German Shepherds or other breeds, or will you remain loyal to Vlcaks?
I have a dog as a family member and friend. Also, as a friend for all my friends, my dogs have always been and are sociable and love to be friends with all people. I train with dogs because they enjoy it. Even though I am ambitious, I try to do everything as well as possible and I place high demands on the dogs, I always choose the field that they like the most. With the first dog we preferred harnessing, with the second we preferred tracking. The third dog hasn't made up his mind yet. Now he's just learning how to carry tennis balls in a basket, and he's going crazy with excitement.
People who switch from other breeds usually have a dog to have something to exercise with. They rarely do other activities with him, they don't ride a bike with him, they don't run canicross, they don't take him on vacation, they usually don't even want him to play with other dogs and strangers. Not all of them, of course, but that's usually the case.
And of course, the last question arises – what are your plans for the near future?
The plan is the CSV championship and selective tracking competitions. And making videos on how to train a dog for sports and just for fun. Budulínek already has quite a supply of them on his FB.
Thank you for the interview and I wish you good luck in your future sports career!
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Translated through Google
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