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Raiser's Interview







Polluxx
Enthusiast


Mar 31, 2004, 6:01 AM

Post #1 of 4 (1800 views)
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Raiser's Interview Can't Post

Hi All,


I tot of following up with PSD's article of Raiser interview.....with another of his earlier interview wt SV Magazine which caused much furore (among the show folks) & his pre-election speech ;

Article of Raiser's recent interview as post by PSD ;
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Defenders of German Shepherds are battling over the breed's future
following claims that breeders have made it curvaceous and hopelessly
sloppy. Helmet Raiser, a former breeder with the German Shepherd
Association, wants to purify the race and return the animal to its
origins as a work dog with a fierce bite and fast speed.
"The dog is an anatomical distaster,"Mr Raiser says. "Nowdays he
might still be a dog at the front but he's a frog at the back - his
backside is sunk as if a brick were hanging from his testicles," he
wrote in an article for 'wuff' magazine that sparked the debate.
Mr Raiser a dentist from central GMY, blames the problems of the 100
yr old dogs physique on the excessive inbreeding and the increasing
prevalence of show dogs, bred for their beauty not their
untilitaranism, which can command prices up to $A486,000 in the USA
and Asia.
Incontinence, hip problems, nerve damage, bone deformities and
listlessness are some of the unpleasant side effects, he says.
Even the German Police and their counterparts in Britain are
increasingly turning away from the shepherd, which began coming to
Britain in significant numbers after WW1.
Because of post war sensitivity it was marketed up until the 70'sas
an Alsatian. Nowadays rotties or even the Belgian Shepherd are
increasingly the work dogs of choice.
Clemens Lux, manager of the Bavaria-based German shepherd
Association, which with 80,000 is the largest dog lobby in the world,
accuses Mr Raiser of exaggerating a problem that he insists the
association has under control.
The 20,000 puppies born in GMY each year have to pass a test that
proves they have the traditional German Shepherd traits, including
pointed ears and an indifference to gun shot sounds.
"Of course, some people want work dogs to sniff out explosives, while
others want something softer and more sensitive - we offer a wide
range of dog types.

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Raiser's interview wt SV Zeitung (2003) during his brief tenure as Chief Breed Warden :-
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Interview With The Newly Elected SV Breed Warden

The biggest surprise during the elections held at the BV on the 07 & 08.12.2002 in Kassel was certainly the election of Dr Helmut Raiser to the office of national breed warden. In the absence of the Leonard Schweikert, who was ill, Dr Raiser achieved victory with a small majority of votes. “…my election as the national breed warden was as surprising to me as to most...” said Dr. Raiser. The members of our organization have held heated and intense discussions in their local clubs. Today the SV Zeitung publishes the election speech and an interview with Dr Raiser, the new national breed warden.

SV Zeitung: The candidacy for the office of the national breed warden was already a sensation, as one would have thought that you had little ambition for this office. What motivation led you to be a candidate?

Dr Raiser: I, as well, have watched sadly for years how our breed and our organization are suffering. Now I could tell the BV clearly that a new Stephanitz is needed. “Breeding” for me was never synonymous with “show”, even the last person in the SV must now be able to understand this.
Albert Einstein once said “One cannot solve the problems of this world with the attitudes that have caused them.”

SV Zeitung: You really did not have a chance at this election, but you made full use of it. How do you explain the result of the vote, 47 votes in favor?

Dr Raiser: Two statements were expressed by the delegates with their vote:
1. The trench warfare in the show camp is worse than Raiser.
2. The responsibility to our organization demands that we return to the cynological topics (everything that relates to the dogs, the study, the training, the breeding; trans.)
Even those who passed their vote as a protest unconsciously had the desire for correctness and honesty and the pressing worry that this organization, without new and inspiring ideas, will go further down the hill.
Incidentally, I wanted to avoid the embarrassment of only getting one vote, that is why I did not vote for myself, otherwise it would have been the proud number of 48 votes.

SV Zeitung: The printed election speech from Kassel formulates (states) clearly and drastically, is this to be understood as a guide (handbook, primer; trans.) to be implemented in detail or a provocation with the intention to wake up?

Dr Raiser: With over 30 years of SV membership I have always had to fight with my personal problem, that I am not only ahead of the times by a few years but I also act in such a way. Aggression and creativity seem to have a close relationship in our head, sometimes this does not make things easy.
The strategic thought will certainly stir things up. What can be implemented is not dependent on me. Here the responsible committees and discussion groups must engage in constructive dispute and work out the concrete content. Then we have to wait and see how much “pioneer spirit” can be mobilized in “this old ship”.

SV Zeitung: The election result caused a split in thinking, for some you are the bearer of hope and a lateral thinker (I think someone who thinks outside the box; trans.), for others you are a national breed warden who lacks competence as a breeder. What do you say to your opponents?

Dr Raiser: I say: Understand that “breeding” does not equal “show”!
The breed selection of the dogs that I have handled from puppy to the BSP, have for the most part been made by myself or close friends. So we cannot be that bad when it comes to being breeders.
On the one hand, I currently receive (from one side) a lot of hope, euphoria and the willingness to start anew. This we can well use and I am urging them not to lose this. I would like to tell them: “Give us some time”. On the other hand I see the panic and the fear from the other side. To these I would say “Perhaps you don’t see this yet, but for you as well, this has been a wise (outcome of the) election. Because I am not a participant in the show area, I am now an impartial manager; who because of his profession as a service oriented professional, am also used to taking my responsibilities seriously and implementing them in a decent manner. Work with me and don’t try to trip me up.

SV Zeitung: What are you envisioning for the future process used to give guidance to the breeding effort?

Dr Raiser: It is a little bit too early to say anything concrete. My strategy I made clear in the election speech.
There are three areas in which we are active with our GSD. We must stop annoying each other to benefit the whole; but there will be competition for the values (not so good; trans.)

SV Zeitung: You were very clearly for the establishment of a sperm bank in the breed regulations?

Dr Raiser: For this there are sufficient good reasons and examples.

SV Zeitung: There are many resolutions that add to the breed regulations, would it not be desirable to simplify this?

Dr Raiser: When I introduced myself to the main office and read up on the facts, I wanted to know what rules I had to observe. Here I was given a mountain of regulations and by-laws. When I asked what other resolutions there were Mr. Oehmig checked in the computer: Total: 5664!
That is the same nonsense as in our real government! I am for going back to square one, giving the directors of the different areas the power to make decisions and where there is a need to act, devise new rules in the coming years.

SV Zeitung: The health and ability to work under stress in our breed is a constant topic..?

Dr Raiser: And one where we cannot just pay lip service and engage in wishful thinking in order to affect change. However many do not realize this as a problem yet. Do you recall how I was supposed to be kicked out of the SV in I 997 based on my article in the WUFF magazine?

SV Zeitung: After your election the rumor was spread that the national breed warden handles a dog at the BSP, will he now be a helper at the BSZS?


Dr Raiser: I have said that I am for being constructive with each other. When the show people stop opposing the interests of our breeding efforts in the performance area; then I do not have to be an agitator at the BSZS!

SV Zeitung: At the end a question about your vision, what will the German Shepherd look like (literally better: what will be the status of?: trans.) after four years of having Dr Raiser as the national breed warden?

Dr Raiser: What has developed over 40 years even a Raiser cannot change in four. Do you think I will not be given more time?
Thank you for this opportunity to talk!

Interview by Heiko Grube: SV Pressereferent
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Raiser's Pre-Election Speech (2002)
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Based on my knowledge of dog training, I know that in a conflict situation there are always two options: avoidance or aggression. Humour (trans: ?) is part of the aggression behavior repertoire. Therefore I believe that I can interpret this proposal for my candidacy correctly. But if I am to be a candidate, then I will state my opinion on the dreadful state of our organization and point out solutions.

We wail, because we hear that our members are running away, that quarrels and arguments are slowly undermining us, that everywhere there is frustration and no motivation, and that our breed is more and more beyond repair. This must be so if the politics work so completely against the demands (of the club), for ones own advantage, and if the lie has become the norm.

Now we are whining that 20,000 members are leaving us for the DHV and are seriously considering Flyball and other such nonsense, in order to bring other breeds into our club, in order to make money. This will only cause more quarrels and arguments in the local clubs and will not help us one bit in our goal to maintain a good working dog. We all know this already. Just think of the theatrics in the local clubs where agility has taken over the core activity. This only drives up the costs for lawsuits. My criticism with respect to agility I would like to explain here again with more precision, so that I am not misunderstood. When, at the beginning of the ‘90s, agility was supposed to be introduced to the SV, I warned Mr. Martin in one of the first BVs: “With this we will bring something into the club that is not suitable to select a working dog. These people do something very beautiful and interesting with the dogs, but people will come who, do not at all have an interest in the German Shepherd as a working dog People who likely are a part of the higher end of the social strata and are perhaps even a bit more intelligent. I see this with mixed feelings.

On the one hand I see with regret that we are suddenly dominated by outside interests with no factual knowledge. On the other hand, I see with malicious pleasure that you in the show camp will experience what it is like to be in a minority dominated by the majority. Well, we will have to live with agility now.

The only true (correct) thing is what Volker Benz has said, when he cited the CEO of Porsche: “Back to the roots!” Then we will get out of the red. What can we do? Where we are competent is in the dog sport and the show.

How did it go back in the times of Koester? He said: ‘Let the people come to us first; and then they will get a German Shepherd Dog as a second dog.” Back then, we had both other breeds and registered dogs at the BSP. Back then, the club became large, and with respect to competent dog sport, we held the monopoly. When we reached over 100,000 members we became slightly megalomaniacal and did not only chase sport handlers away who had other breeds, but also our own who already had the bad luck of having a dog with dentition and testicle problems; in short dogs with shortcomings that disqualified them from the breed effort.

First off, I would advise to open up the BSP for dogs of other breeds in order to get back all those people who want to do dog sport but not in order to gain other dog breeds; but to unburden the local clubs of flyball and other trifles. These (flyball,etc.) only cause more destruction to the cause of the working dog. Our BSP is the best that we have to offer, it is effective advertising and we should offer this (the BSP). Internal competition is good for business!

We whine that we spend 600,000 DM per year on quarrels and arguments. Let us here as well, orient ourselves with the demand. Why are people lying and cheating? The people who want to breed are tormented with demands and costs which they cannot or will not meet. We do a breed value estimate for hips and know that the data that we have does not allow us to improve anything. For the DNA tests we spend a lot of money so that a young entrepreneur can make a lot of money, then go bankrupt and we have gained nothing; other than what we already know: that there is lying and fraud.

Let people breed, even without a trial, without the ‘a’ stamp, without DNA, if they have a German Shepherd with papers, but only give them 10 or so stud dog acts (or less) for example. Here at least we would gain a wider genetic basis for the breed and the people can be active without being tormented by costs or sanctions. Those who want to seriously breed will then have to prove themselves in order to do so.

We really need the sperm bank. The most important thing above all is, if we want healthy dogs who live long lives and can work for a long period of time, then we must introduce the sperm bank. Then we can maintain the genetic materials of dogs who are good and present themselves well at 7 or 8 years, and if you want to sell the sperm for 5,000 DM then that is OK on my part. At least one would be sure that one breeds with dogs that are still healthy at 8 or 10 years and can run normally; then we will again have, in 15 or 20 years, dogs where you can be fairly certain that they will grow old and stay healthy.

Wherever people breed animals seriously for purpose, be it swine, horses, cows or whatever there will be a sperm bank. What would some be willing to give today, if they could use sperm from Bernd v.Lierberg.

Already in 1990 I argued for this and sent sperm from my Anker (v. Ursania) to a friend in Australia. The first litter with an English female was shit. The second, by a different female brought great pups. The whole Australian army by now has little Ankers, since they have never before had such super dogs. In the meantime the fourth and fifth generation is running around down there. Ankers sperm for two or three more litters is at the sperm bank, and one can again, with purpose, go the right way. (in the right direction). Mistakes are omitted and the success is repeated.

In order to address the problem of health even more directly, I would urge (people) to reactivate the registry (trans note: he presumably is referring to the registry used to catalogue dogs that are not in the breed book) in order to breed with dogs that are from other breeds to introduce vitality into the breed using the heterosis effect.

In order to rescue the SV, one must again think in abstract and lateral terms. What kind of a guy was this Stephanitz anyhow? If one is so inclined, then he was nothing other than a ‘shit disturber’ and a lateral thinker; who back then did nothing else but say “This is all bullshit what goes on here. I am going to start something new” Certainly there were already organizations and purebred dogs, but he just went ahead and took some dogs from the herd and started an experiment. He was intelligent and straightforward and had staying power, and just look at what has become of his idea 100 years later. We can be proud of this. Then the show would again have its real meaning, to filter out the dogs that are in accordance with the standard and there would not be a situation where amongst the dogs that are all the same, that the ranking is determined by the handlers nose.

Well now, don’t think that this guy Raiser is an idiot and out of his mind, most times what he said has had a sound basis and most times he was also right. With the prey drive I was right. Back then they wanted to throw me out of the SV. As well I was right with the issue of health and survived the proceedings to exclude me from the organization; as well with the E- Collar I was right and was not thrown out. How happy do you think Stephanitz would have been if he had had the sperm bank and E- Collar. It takes you way too long at times, to stop thinking in the old patterns.

If we continue this way, then the next wave of Shepherd handlers that leave the SV will be the performance (working line) people. I think they are almost at the point where enough is enough. Not only that at the best time during our championship (BSP), agility takes pride of place in the main stadium, and we have to play around in the side stadiums, where the spectators cannot see anything; we are also confronted with a judging performance that is impudent, because it is incompetent and arrogant. Ranging from such dumb statements as “unnatural out” to the underlying (implied) statement that all dog handlers are too dumb to train a dog correctly. A number of things are offered that do not really create an enthusiastic response from the spectators or the handlers. My son told me after Luebeck: “This is no fun for me, I feel like I’ve been had. For obedience I received 98 points at the Youth Championship. And now I am supposed to have done everything wrong and get 88 points, I handled my dog as I always do and Drago performed well.” I only told him: “Well up to now you were the nice young boy, now you are a “Raiser”, you will have to get used to this.” It remains to be seen how he will work through this.

In spite of this our championship is one of a kind. We can offer it (the BSP) effectively with respect to marketing / advertising considerations. But we can also find within our environment the utmost competence with respect to training. I think that if G. Diegel will be the Training Warden then we will finally be able to provide training that is successful and can even be seen on TV during prime time because it is fair to the animal, interesting and competent.

If I am to be your Breed Warden then I will brainstorm you the breeders. Until you understand that you should breed a dog for us which (that) can also do this. (trans note; referring to previous paragraph). That which you call excellent and beautiful does not address this market (demand) at all. The dog that you have; he no longer has in his head what a good working dog must have and it does not have a body either, with which it can move quickly and agilely; it is just no good for this market (demand). This type of dog is disabled as a working dog.

But you must not be afraid of me in the show area. Before (in earlier times), I was mad and angry when I went to a foreign country and saw dogs that one could not use for our sport. Today I see this in a totally different light.

When I travel to my seminars in a foreign country I see what you breeders have achieved. I go to Australia, to Argentina, to Brazil and what I do see everywhere is a market demand for the German Shepherd; and there is an infrastructure for the German Shepherd that has been developed. That is your achievement; that the German Shepherd has become such a marketable commodity worldwide.

You can believe one thing, this Raiser is not a man who envies anyone who makes a good living, quite the opposite, I have a lot of admiration for a person who wants to earn a good amount of money for a good service. And indeed, I see it as a great value that you have been able to turn The German Shepherd dog into such a brand name product with worldwide name recognition.

I also know that my beautiful championship trial in an organization without you, and only with us few insignificant performance people, would not be this big beautiful championship trial. The power, the numbers, the economic competence of this organization is due to the show people.

I am going to tell you why you have the better opportunity to develop markets than we do, and why you settled in the show area and not the working area. For one, the show is much easier than the performance area. People experience the competition, the victory and the trophies and also the economic success, the dogs can be sold. Because of this it is easier to appeal to larger numbers.

The reason is also to be found in the values of our society. Intelligent people always orient themselves towards the money. And since in the show area, success, and thus economic profit can be reached much easier and faster. It is only logical that the people of intellectual capacity have settled in the show area, this is the case in the local clubs, at the regional level and at the national level. In our performance area, in earlier years, it was more the simple SV person who preferred to go alone into the field with his dog, and this sometimes even compensated for an inferiority complex or even fascist tendencies. During the last decades this has changed, in part, also due to my work . Dog sport is a highly qualified (demanding), beautiful activity with the dog.

Without us in the performance area, the German Shepherd Dog would not have the image, and you would not have the brand name that you can market. In this respect we are in the same boat! We must only learn to deal with each other intelligently.

For me it looks like this: The Shepherd Dog club has three playgrounds: Agility, Show and Performance, and to say it again and clearly: The term ‘show’ is not synonymous with the term ‘breeding’. On these three playgrounds we can be active, but we must stop “spitting in each other’s soup” (annoying each other.)

I really have nothing against someone earning a lot of money; quite the opposite. If someone does good work and the market is there, then he should be paid well. However, fewer and fewer people do not know the difference between the two populations. The market for your show dog is declining rapidly. Slowly the overseas (foreign) markets are exhausted and the number of those amongst you that can access this market is declining. As your National Breed Warden I will teach you that there is a market for you here, you only have to change your way of thinking and breed a dog that can be used here; one that I can take to the championship trial. You only have to stop thinking in the old ways; be creative and innovative and most of all, be authentic! Then you do not have to travel to China to do good business with your dogs.

This prattling about the combination “beautiful” and “workable”; today no one believes it anymore. 15 years ago we educated the dreamers that the combination of “beautiful” and “workable” has only the following result: it is neither beautiful nor workable. This irrationality (nonsense) of the idea of "Universality” does not stand up to reality. What did our parting president Messler say yesterday? “These are the ‘heroes of the nation’”, some heroes! It is a joke: These three insignificant people, of whom two are dreamers, and the third is still a child who cannot yet understand it all.

Who amongst you, that play around at the BSZS, is still interested in the genetics of the championship trial (BSP)? And who among those who plays around at the BSP wants the progeny of a VA male?

If I am to become your National Breed Warden then finally a National Breed Warden would be a handler at the BSP. That would also be something new. You in the show area (camp) would not have to worry. I am not dumb! I know how important you are for the whole SV. I also understood what Hermann Martin meant when he admonished “Continuity is important; and in the breeding effort one must take small steps!”

I am not so arrogant as to believe that my thoughts are the only absolutely right ones. The breeding committee is the competent committee in which decisions are made.

You have gotten to know me in the preceding years with respect to factual questions, as confrontational but sincere. And I will tell you: A good enemy is worth more than a bad friend. In me you have an opponent that is fair; but if we are not of the same opinion you will know it!

My profession is in the service industry and this is how I would perceive my office. You would get to know me from a different side. In my profession I am very successful. My Accountant is always wondering why my office in today’s situation in the health industry, is showing improvement and not in decline. My patients value me as a responsible, honest and fair person. If I am to carry the responsibility for something, I am aware of it and I try to do justice to it.

We must only state the truth, be realistic and authentic, remember our virtues and take the market as a guide. Then most problems will disappear. We really do have something to offer.

So there it is and now if you still want me as your Breed Warden, then you must write “Raiser” on the ballot, because I promise you one thing: “I will do this, too”.

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I tot of sharing tis articles of a man who took a lifetime of personal interest with the well-being of GSD and done so much for the breed yet was not recognised for his vision and effort to save the breed from scourge caused by "breeding for money"






"Show me your dog and I'll tell you what manner of man you are."
(GSD Founder - Capt Max V Stephanitz)


(This post was edited by Polluxx on Mar 31, 2004, 6:18 AM)


PSD
ALPHA


Mar 31, 2004, 8:53 PM

Post #2 of 4 (1787 views)
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Re: [Polluxx] Raiser's Interview [In reply to] Can't Post

Wow Mate,

U made me spend over 45 minutes reading those.....heheheh! Have read it before but sometimes those articles are still worth a 4th or 5th reading even. Something for deeper understanding of GSD world issue which is not easy to understand if readers didnt know the background Smile

Anyway, it is a nice piece of article for some serious dosage of GSD medicine....kakakaka

PSD

Quote
"Take this trouble for me:
Make sure my shepherd dog remains a working dog, for I have struggled all my life long for that aim ."

Rittmeister Capt. Max von Stephanitz (1864-1936)

(This post was edited by PSD on Mar 31, 2004, 8:54 PM)


Polluxx
Enthusiast


Apr 2, 2004, 6:06 AM

Post #3 of 4 (1767 views)
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Re: [PSD] Raiser's Interview [In reply to] Can't Post

PSD,

One of the point tht caught my eyes was his comment on what would we be willing to give, if we r given a chance to use Bernd v Lierberg's sperm for our breeding program. . . . .Tongue


His subsequent comments on the urgent need to address the health & vitality issue of the breed , followed by placing importance of the show,
""Then the SHOW would again have its Real Meaning, ....to filter out the dogs that are in accordance with the standard ''

goes to show he is a person who not only place much important on GSD need to posses working drv BUT also understand the need for Show to standardize & improve the breed structure ........ Angelic but "a dog at the front but he's a frog at the back - his backside is sunk as if a brick were hanging from his testicles" LaughLaugh.......is definitely not part of Rittmeister vision for a GSD........ ShockedUnsure






"Show me your dog and I'll tell you what manner of man you are."
(GSD Founder - Capt Max V Stephanitz)


PSD
ALPHA


Apr 5, 2004, 8:00 PM

Post #4 of 4 (1744 views)
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Re: [Polluxx] Raiser's Interview [In reply to] Can't Post

Poll,

Raiser is kind of an interesting man and have very diverse thought. For one I can see that he is madly in passion with GSD's. Communicating with some German friends, some liked him some think he is crazy but all agree he is a brilliant person.

What cought my mind is the sentence that he wrote on that sounds something like this "What that had been done for 40 years cannot be undone by a Raiser in 4 years." All is a matter of human ego and what GSD needs today is for the working people and the show people start sitting in the round table and tap into their passion for the breed itself. The matter is not a tit for tat like it has been going everywhere and anywhere including Malaysia. Even Schutzhund such a stable and safe sport finds it so difficult for our K9 organisation to understand despite being already affiliated to WUSV. Then it makes weird sense why the need to be affiliated to WUSV in the first place if we are not going to adopt WUSV policy of a proper BST being in place. Even a gun test is omitted from the specialty show. Wow! we are even so much worse than what Raiser sees in Germany.

Personally I quite agree with the sperm bank idea as suggested by Raiser. Most often, the VA's and V-BSP does not show much of progeny performance until years later and once it starts showing, the stud is already too old or even passed on as a legend too late to be reversed. If only we have Bernd, Mink's......we may not be able to afford it even but some will surely do and we can then see more good dogs of yesteryears for long time to come.

Show's are actually quite a necessity to ensure proper breed standards. This was what envisioned by Stephanitz. Raiser was quite focused when it comes to that. It is the overdoing it that spoils the soup. The dog should first have the mental acuity of a GSD then be judged on its physical standards and not the other way around.....this is how we get nice looking pussy cats that licks out foot. Of course, physical conformation should then mean the conformation to support the work. Otherwise it will not make sense if they dog cannot run, cannot jump and cannot get physical which will then tells us that it is a wrong standard to use.

I guess it is good timing that everyone goes back to the basics and start thinking and doing something for the breed. Smile

PSD

Quote
"Take this trouble for me:
Make sure my shepherd dog remains a working dog, for I have struggled all my life long for that aim ."

Rittmeister Capt. Max von Stephanitz (1864-1936)

 
 




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