Many people don't know what an AD title is, or much less why I would want to pursue them, so I thought I would give a brief tutorial. In the Sport of Schutzhund AD is the title given for Endurance. It is abbreviated from Ausdauerprüfung which means Endurance exam. In this exam the dog must travel 20 km (about 12.5 miles) in under two hours including any rest breaks. There are a few Vet checkups throughout as well to make sure the dog is doing fine. The handler normally rides a bike with the dog on the right side, but may trial two dogs at once with one on the left and one on the right. Crazy people have even been known to run the AD exam! Not me! Any dog wishing to participate in Koreung tests which are breed surveys, must have passed the AD. Training for the AD is in my opinion more rewarding than the actual title, as it gives you and your dog so much time together during training without obedience, compulsion, mistakes and frustrated nerves. It is time when I sit and talk with the dog, and encourage them to keep going, and we see a lot of country. I have been training with 4 different dogs right now to make sure I will have at least two ready for the test. I have a little different setup than most people as I will be using a recumbent Trike. This way I can pack squirt bottles to keep them cool, water and dishes for both of us, medical kit etc. It is also much more comfortable for me! So here is a picture of our gang during practice

Steve Parsons

480-993-9797

http://www.familydobes.com

http://www.dobetalk.com