WUSV 2005 in Haguenau

by Epp Maltis

The article was published in WUSV Aktuell 8/2005
& Magazine of Estonian Association of German Shepherds 3/2005

The judge of part C Pierre Wahlström during a break. As he used to say, he moves preferably „among crowd“ than in VIP room. Wahlström's manner of behaviour as a judge was very impressive.

Introduction:

The “Estonian Association of German Shepherds” was founded in 1993 and now has over 360 members. The history of the German shepherd dog in Estonia dates back to 1905.
During Soviet rule, German shepherd dogs from Eastern Europe were bred and trained in Estonia, until “red” dogs inundated in the 1980s.
Before independence, mainly military competitions took place with the dogs gaining very good results, in comparison with the standard of the Soviet Union.

Today’s dog sport is still in its developing stages in Estonia. Estonia’s first IPO inspections were
held in 1992. The fact that we have worked extensively over a very long period of time with dogs from the breed line has, on one hand, led to a large gap between our dog sport level and the world level but it has also, in all probability, contributed to maintaining the service dog characteristics of the German shepherd dog in Estonian breeds.
Experienced, foreign trainers have also noticed this.

The interest in dog sport has now clearly increased. Over the past years, some dogs from performance lines have arrived in Estonia. We train, learn and gather our experiences – thanks, in part, to the help of foreign experts. Our aim is to compete in a WUSV World Championship with an Estonian team.
Thanks to the help and know-how we receive from outside, and also thanks to the commitment of our dog handlers, we hope to be able to achieve this aim very soon.

THE “INVASION” OF THE ESTONIANS (as spectators) AT THE WUSV WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STARTS ON THE AFTERNOON OF MONDAY 3RD OCTOBER

when our team of arrived in France after its journey on the sea route via Sweden and Denmark. We set off ourselves early on the morning of 4th October along the Via Baltica. I don’t want to bore the reader at this point with the conventions of the Lithuanian transport police or the condition of the Polish motorways:)
Suffice to say (as we say in dog sport) that the truck drivers, especially in Poland, drive full steam ahead, which means they put their foot down, marking themselves out with a particularly rough style of driving.
Nevertheless, we managed to make it through Poland both to and from the championships without any accidents or breakdowns. The journey through other countries is child’s play in comparison.

The lot assignment for the WUSV World Championship

takes place in a festive event in a large hall decorated with lots of flags.
The world championship lasts four days. Each participant will take part in one show per day. So, it can transpire that you can be called to your obedience category at 6.00 in the morning, as happened with the eventual world champion. Not exactly a pleasant time to perform a perfect obedience.
The assignment lasts several hours, as there are 120 participants for the world championship. After assignment, we compile a list of whose and which competitions we want to watch, whose tracks, whose obedience etc. based on our catalogue.
Our system is practically perfect: as it later turns out, we hardly miss a “masterpiece”.

And then, on 6th October, the world championships start!

The fantastic atmosphere in t stadium and all around, as well as my own feelings, can barely be described! I can only advise anyone with the slightest interest in dog sport that they should, without fail, invest the time and money to visit a world championship.

First of all, you will be highly motivated to train your own dog (even if you must watch such high-quality performances devotedly for four days that you cannot hope to achieve the same level in the near future, or in worst case scenario, never achieve it).
And second of all, you can spend four days with people, whose thoughts and feelings are on the same wavelength as your own (most sport fans even look alike in their appearance: constantly
outdoors in the fresh air, good, bodily shape and their “alpha” status provide them with an incredible self-confident appearance).

The webmaster of the WUSV World Championship 2005, Jean- Jaques Baltzinger

enjoys a rare privilege through the length of the world champions With his wheelchair, he is not declined access anywhere. He holds all the strings – virtually seen.
He mainly uses his privileged status to watch the protection presentations. His favourite place is the fourth hiding place. Sometimes it almost appears that there is not enough space between the wheelchair and the hiding place. Nevertheless, the dogs always get through well.

The public follows every presentation with much applause. At least twice, I notice how even the dogs are impressed by it. They lead the way with high speed, the public applaud enthusiastically and just before the “Down” command, they are distracted briefly by the applause. The public applauds even if the obedience or protection is completely off the mark – presumably to commiserate.
Nevertheless, it is fantastic.

As I watch the protection of Haruo Masuda, I am speechless

I would have never believed that a dog could enter the hiding places like this one ... with such attention and intensity! I have known about Masuda’s outstanding ability for a long time. I followed his interviews on the internet when I was still a complete beginner in dog sport. The modesty and dignity of the Japanese is remarkable if you consider his high sporting level. Masuda receives 95 points in the protection round.
The public is dissatisfied – why so little? Unfortunately, I cannot remember
the explanation of the judge anymore. But I presume it had something to do with the control of the dog. A small deviation costs him at least one point.

By bus from the stadium to the track grounds

The journey only takes about ten minutes. The first thing that I see when I disembark the bus is a dog, which is running along quite comfortably, almost as if it is on its morning walk, casually sniffing a track and then it shows a sudden interest in a large cluster of grass and – raises its leg!
I have to pinch myself – was I really awake? Am I really at a world championship? Now I really believe that the praise of foreign judges for our trainers in Estonia was not simply pure politeness. At least with track work our dogs can keep up with the other dogs!

Later, I discover from Pierre Wahlström that in a world championship you must take a good ten
points from your usual result – this is how much pressure dog and dog handler are under during this competition. Of course, there are also perfect presentations in world championships, such as that shown by world champion van de Berghe or fourth-placed Wallace Payne. Simply superb!

Unfortunately, the spectators cannot hear the comments and points of the judges. Therefore they always ask the participants themselves when they return after their track round. The general consensus is that the judges are very competent.
If you listen to the comments of the spectators, you quickly get the impression that they know almost everything about dog sport and –just as we feel – sometimes even more than the judges and participating dog handlers:)

I am drinking crude amounts of coffee with plenty of milk and sugar in France, just as in Estonia

On the first day, I met an older man at the counter in the coffee tent who spoke fluent English with me. This is really rare in Haguenau…:)
First, I have to explain where I come from. From Estonia? If that not is in the far North, like Finland? By the evening, he knows my taste and preferences very precisely. I’ve just approached the tent, when he announces from the exit: “Sorry, there’s no milk left...” Don’t worry, I say, I can drink it black as well.

And on the second day, it’s scarcely believable; he claims to know the colours of the Estonian flag. And actually – he does know them. And even explains to me what the significance of the colours is on our national flag: blue, black – with white, even I get confused. He is easy to outrage – apparently, I can only get more coffee from him when I’ve refreshed my national knowledge:)

Reception evening

The hall is just as crammed as it was during the lot assignment. This is where the reception evening is also taking place. Only the clothes are different:
The VIPs are dressed up to the nines, you could slice onions with the creases ironed into their trousers. Americans accompanied by strikingly dressed women, as if they have stepped straight out of a fashion catalogue – dark suits, hats, evening dresses, high heels – simply fantastic!

On the table reserved for us, there are Estonian flags – what a surprise! I can well imagine how the organisation committee must have searched all over Haguenau for our exotic flags. And this, although we do not belong to the participating nations.
The table bends under the weight of the food on offer, but dog sport works up an appetite. You can see this from how quickly the table becomes empty.
Then, there is dancing until late in the night. We are somewhat dignified and leave early (well, we’re not among the last to leave at least!:).

How the participants prepare

Sometimes, I wish I could remove myself completely from the whole hustle and bustle. I get myself a cup of coffee and curl up on the railing of the tribune on the other side of the stadium. There are significantly less people here. The entrance, through which the participants enter the stadium, is really close.
No one does anything out of the ordinary to prepare the dogs – completely normal aids are used. Both in obedience and in protection, the pull of the lease is increased for a brief moment then the dog is commanded to remain laying until he is called to the presentation in the stadium.
Just to point out, there are huge differences in how the dogs are prepared before taking part in protection.
The American, Floyd T. for example, examines his dog for an unusually long time – I would say
three to four minutes. The man with the dreadlocks stands motionless in place and simply stares in front of him. His dog stands next to him, taut as a spring, completely focuses on his dog trainer.
In the stadium, near the first hiding place, there are larges boxes with athletic equipment. More than a few participants disappear for about ten seconds with their dogs behind the boxes (certainly not to arrange their hair), before they come to the mid-line of the protection area and signal, with raised hand, that they are ready for the presentation.

Obedience of world champion Ronnie van de Berghe at 6.00 a.m. on the last day of the competition

It is quarter to six in the morning and the tribunes of the stadium are crammed full with spectators. Everyone is here. It is very cold. No more time to queue up for a coffee.
Now! The first two competitors are announced. The fog is so thick that you cannot see the dog trainers and their dogs at the other end of the stadium. The spectators hold their breath. “Heel”! The hands of van de Berghe are much too high ..., these are the only points that the judge deducts. “Sit”! (How such lightning speed obedience Weltmeister can be achieved is inconceivable to me. No one has shown that in the three days to date).

After the “Sit”, a storm of applause burst forth. Then everything is quiet as a mouse. “Down”!
“Stand”! It looks like the dog has cannoned into a wall. The command “Fetch” (German: “Bring”) by van den Berghe sounds like someone has plucked at a guitar string too hard - brrriiinnng. The hurdle. No mistake, not once is there a millimetre askew. “Go ahead”! “Down”! Fantastic – the
spectators are enthusiastic.
He has managed it all once again! We all saw it!
I will never forget this feeling in the early morning amid a completely full tribune: it is one of the moments, in which people are infected by the enthusiasm emanating from such a competition – what a world championship!

The victory celebration

starts at least half an hour late. Not unusual for France. To make up for this, it is terrific: large parades of all the participants, air balloons flying in the sky, accompanied by folk dancing.

It is sunny and hot: the poor dogs who must now hold out in the stadium. If the speeches are still not over after an hour, the first participants will lay down in the grass with their dogs...:) The long week with the many competitions has wiped everyone out.
Finally it is over and the ceremony begins. The trophies are huge and there are loads of them – hopefully, the world champion and the second and third runners-up have enough space at home to fit them all.

On the last day of such a world championship, you would actually think that, for the first time, you would have had enough of dog sport. Wrong! I, at least, have not “overdosed”.
Perhaps because it was my first world championship and it has greatly impressed me. However, I simply cannot get enough: of the enthusiastic atmosphere that I have experienced here for the last four days.
Of the admiration of the many perfect performances.
Of this feeling of belonging when I spoke with people from all over the world and recognised that we are all on the same wavelength.

Weeks later,

after I have been at home for long enough already, it occurs to me that the time between October 2005 in Haguenau and October 2006 in Randers is only an interlude which should be passed by as quickly as possible (and naturally used to train my dog).
This feeling was particularly intense when the World Championship 2005 ended. Yes, they were the experiences that make life worth living!

Finally,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organisation team of the WUSV World Championship 2005 in Haguenau for their extraordinarily friendly and welcoming acceptance of our members from Estonia.