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I have always been a huge friend of the furry noses, or the creatures some call yappers. My family has always had dogs, so I grew up with them. When I was 16, I was allowed to realise my dream of having my own dog. But when Sira, my first own dog, fell ill at the age of nine and came to the end of her life, I realised: I can't live without four-legged friends.
As luck would have it, I stumbled across the troop type of dog handlers at the information day of the recruit school - and knew right away: this is it! I then informed myself in detail about the tasks of a dog handler and how I could join this troop. After several aptitude tests and selection procedures, it was clear: I was allowed to do the great, but also strict training to become a dog handler!
After the first five weeks in the military, I made my first acquaintance with Lai Rock, my new companion. The Belgian shepherd with a fighting weight of almost 40 kilograms and a calm, loyal character spent the remaining 36 weeks of recruit school at my side. After this intensive military time, we both suddenly found ourselves in a common daily routine and knew that we had to stay fit for the upcoming military refresher courses. That's how I came to dog sports.
But what actually is dog sport? With Lai Rock, I take part in tests for service dogs. This special area of sport is specifically designed for animals with tasks. The two of us practise weekly in the Association of Swiss Military Dog Handlers for the tests that take place throughout the year. We are measured against other service dog handlers from the police, border guards and the security heating service.
There are four disciplines at the service dog tests. In the first, the "subordination", the focus is on the human-dog team. Commands such as walking, sit, down, but also carrying the dog, jumping and overcoming obstacles are demonstrated. The sequence is precisely prescribed and must be presented as perfectly as possible as a team. In the second discipline, "Precinct", a 10,000 to 15,000 square metre area is searched for two (played) suspicious persons. The task is to find the person, to place them, to "bark" at them - i.e. to inform them of their location by barking at them - and to take them away.
In the "indoor search" the dog has to search a building alone and find a suspicious person hiding inside. By barking, he is to indicate where the person is. Finally, in the discipline "protection service" a terrain is monitored. Here the dog is set on a fleeing person from a distance in order to stop and lead him away. Afterwards, an attack on the handler occurs, which the dog must prevent.
For both me and my dog, dog sports are a great balance to everyday life, which also keeps us fit and welds us together as a team!
