Occupation: I work for a company called Nox Rentals as a Sales and Ops Manager
Family: I have a German dad, an English mom and my brother and I were both born here. My mom Suzy and I have been trainers at Cape Province together for the last 15 years.
My dogs: I currently don’t have a dog. My German Shepherd Dog Abbey passed away several years ago. We have two GSD’s in the Bauerrichter household at present and I get to share them with mom from time to time! If all goes to plan I hope to be getting a puppy before the end of the year 2011. Watch this space!!
My Training experience: The very first dog I trained was a German Shepherd Dog (GSD) called Nusha. She belonged to a friend of mine and from that moment on I was hooked. At the time my mom had just imported her first GSD Rex from Germany and trained him up in Competition Obedience. We bred with Rex and along came my best companion Abbey. She was one of my greatest lessions – Abbey and I worked hard together in Agility, Competition Obedience, demos to name but a few. I enjoyed all the challenges and all the victories: Abbey was my toughest and most rewarding chapter. Today I get to share my mom’s GSD Arrex. We have worked in the magial world of film together, taking part in several feature films and adverts. Arrex is an absolute pleasure and I am so lucky to have had the chance to work with him. He amazes me, entertains me and without fail makes my heart skip a beat. I clearly have a ‘thing’ for this dog!!
My dog ‘thinking’: You and your dog are a team – it’s an incredible bond. I am all about tapping into the dog’s drive. Getting your dog to focus on you, to pay attention to you! It is key. I recall once taking part in an Obedience Competition and I spent the better part of the heel pattern having a long chat with my dog. I must have been very entertaining as the Judge made a point of telling everyone in the class how brilliant it was that I was doing that. I held her focus and I kept her attention and from that day onwards, as silly as it may sound, I spoke to her all the time. We are quick to reprimand, but we often forget to praise – Speak to your dog, play with your dog and most of all praise your dog! There are many great books out there to help you understand your dog and to teach you different training methods, but my favourite ‘guru’ to follow at the moment is Cesar Millan. If reading is not your thing, then you can catch his shows on TV.
