Friday 17 January 2014
Thursday 16 January 2014
FREE Tracking book - Tracking Dog Seminar In Melbourne 23rd February - Kris Kotsopoulos
Each Participant will receive a FREE copy of the New Tracking Book!“
Our intention in precision tracking is for our dog to identify and follow a unique and specific odour that is created when an individual human odour is merged with ground disturbance odour” ……Kris Kotsopoulos.
Imagine this:
Try to Imagine…it’s
competition or certification day, you take your dog out of your vehicle
and your dog instantaneously and willingly springs into a focused and
intense heel. You proceed to the judge; make your announcement and ask
your dog to track. He immediately begins tracking every step - slowly
and calmly yet intensely focused. He stops at every corner, checks for
the next leg and then continues to follow the track. He finds and
indicates every article. On the last article, you ask your dog to heel.
He springs into an intense heel and you both heel to the judge with his
tail happily wagging, where you present all the articles. Most
importantly, all of this happens without you holding your breath!
If you believe this to be reality for you and your dog, then please allow us to show you how.
This workshop provides a step-by-step plan for achieving the same degree of understanding without hardship. Presented for tracking enthusiasts who value innovative insights into tracking training, this workshop fills in the gaps to help you achieve a better understanding of how dogs track and how to assist them. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned handler, all you will ever require to train your dog to be a tracking champion, is right here. This Workshop is a detailed map for creating an extraordinary tracking dog. It covers everything you need to know from getting started to advanced precision training techniques. You will learn how to awaken your personal canine training capability and open doors you never knew existed, enabling you to pass on skills and understanding never thought possible, to your canine friend.
You will learn:
- About a dog’s olfactory ability & tracking theory
- The importance of the first scent-pad
- How to introduce articles and eliminate your dog missing them · How to increase scent commitment
- How to lay, introduce and teach perfect corners and prevent over-shooting
- Integrating the clicker & remote trainer, safely and humanely, to develop a reliable tracking dog
- How to slow down your dog without destroying motivation
- Discrimination training to identify human signature odour
and much more...
We believe that dogs already know how to track it’s just that we teach them how not to track. This workshop is geared at achieving that elusive 100 points or precision tracking. Whether you track for fun, high level competition or Law Enforcement this workshop is a must.
Von Forell K9 Tracking, systematically explores the process of allowing clear mental pathways for you and your dog to gain tremendous results in tracking.
All participation will receive certification of completion.
1 Day: 9am to 4pm Sunday 23rd February 2014
FEE: $220 - Includes Tea - Coffee - Lunch
Please email info@vonforell.com for application form
Thursday 9 January 2014
The Very Best Training Systems using The Most Advanced E-Collars Von Forell Instinctive Training Systems Australia
Never
before has there been such radical transformation to the manufacturing and the
methodological use of e collars. Our aim is simply, to provide a revolutionary
system for all e-collar users by offering a complete
educational program on how to use e-collars properly with effective and humane
results.
Our Seminars and Workshops Specifically
Designed To Teach You:
·
How Dogs Learn
·
How to Teach Them
·
Instrumental Conditioning
·
Classical Conditioning
·
What Drives Them
·
How to Create a Positive Association To The E-Collar
·
Physical manipulation - The Phase before the E –Collar
·
Do’ and Don’ts on the use of the E-Collar and integration with a conditioned reinforcer.
This
Workshop is one of the most sophisticated e-collar delivery systems available today
and is highly recommended for individuals who truly wish to understand how to
use them properly and humanly. Our
Training Workshops are also attended by breed clubs, tracking, field trails,
IPO and ANKC competitors and Law Enforcement Departments.
The Best Double Feedback System I
Have Ever Experience
Most dog trainers start learning to
train dogs in a similar way. Traditionally we are taught to bring our dogs to
class, put a choke chain around their neck, do as the instructor tells us and
most importantly we are to make sure the dog does what you tell him too, no
matter what...right?
Well...not quite.
In recent years dog training
methodology has improved dramatically and I believe we are witnessing a dog
training revolution where by traditional systems of dog training are being
integrated with “operant” methods which is creating the most powerful and
humane system ever in existence.
In these elegant and
tightly-integrated systems, negative motivation and corrections are exploited
to rapidly establish stimulus control over powerfully-motivated behaviours;
rewards are used to teach and motivate performance; and a sophisticated system
of conditioned behaviour markers are used to render it all clear to the dog.
Positive motivational systems like the
“clicker” (conditioned reinforcers) are truly ingenious devices and provide a
pathway for better communication attributed to better learning, creating a win
– win communication possibility for dogs and their handlers.
On the flip side remote trainers are
equally ingenious in design and when integrated properly with the conditioned
reinforcers “clicker”, they provide the most sophisticated double feedback
system I have ever experienced.
Our entire system is based on the
sophisticated use of conditioned reinforcers (clickers) drives (genetics) and
consequences. The dog is required to learn that there are and will be positive
consequences for offering or performing a requested behaviour and there will be
negative consequences for offering and not performing the requested behaviour
linked to an active reward - being the motivator. The clicker aids learning by
clearly identifying the behaviour desired creating concentration and the active
rewards create the motivation with the remote collar modulating the behaviours.
Many of us have been to marine parks
and have witnessed the wonderful display demonstrated by dolphins and killer
whales. These behaviours are taught using conditioned reinforcers – i.e. clickers or whistles.
Additionally, I have also been
fascinated as to how horse trainers achieve the complex behaviours in show
jumping, dressage, cross country events amongst many. To my amazement horses
are taught behaviours purely under tactile stimulation. I have asked all the
horse trainers I have worked with as to how they positively reinforce their
horses.
Many stare at me assuming I am asking
a trick question. When they realise I am asking an honest question the standard
reply is... “We stop the stimulation
when the horse is doing the behaviour we want”.
The horse’s reinforcer is the
cessation of tactile stimulation. Isn’t that interesting?
In horse riding the rider or handler
provides tactile stimulation and in dog training the handler through the remote trainer provides a
similar yet more sophisticated tactile stimulation system from a distance. Both
stimulants in principle are the same with the remote trainer stimulation
allowing for much more versatility with the main advantage being distance, and
the possibility of the dog never linking any stimulation from the handler; most
importantly allowing the animal to learn that it is in control of the
stimulation which makes him confident and hence much faster.
Once you are sure that each command is
understood by the dog, and the behaviours you request are very reliable in
multiple environments and the dog clearly has associated that reinforcement
only comes with the correct execution to your commands in and around very low
levels of attractions then the remote trainer can be introduced as the
mechanism of ensuring the commands are executed. The benefit is that the
handler can achieve quick and fast responses to commands without any physical
manipulation or visual stimulus from the handler.
The result that is achieved with this double feedback system is that the dog
eventually maintains complex behaviours under extreme distractions by learning
how to turn off low level remote collar stimulation which in itself is a
reinforcer; additionally, compliance and execution to the command receives
additional reinforcement via a clicker and reward with food to maintain focus
and concentration or active rewards a ball, tug or sheep herding for
motivation.
This allows for true comprehension of
the requested behaviours as the ‘go’ and ‘no go’ capability this system
provides and produces is what gives the dog clarity and emotional balance. When
the dog truly has comprehension then any exercise attempted without a verbal
cue is not to be reinforced but marked with a ‘wrong’ and reinforced with the
remote collar stimulation which is then again reinforced positively because of
the compliance to willingly engage the behaviour known very well for a reward.
With this type of education a dogs capabilities develop rapidly almost like
magic locking in target
behaviours.
Target behaviours are simply any
position or behaviour that provides a positive association for the dog, that he
links to a verbal cue. The dog learns that certain locations deliver positive
feelings with the remote trainer stimulation only enhancing that positively
enhanced position and nice feeling.
This system of learning is easy to
understand which provides a clear way to teach dogs target behaviours (any
behaviour that you want). The important thing to note is that it is not only
aim at obedience as the concept is applicable to all mode of learning, be it
tracking, protection, ANKC, Ring Sport, IPO, KNPV, Police dogs, there is no
bias because dogs are dogs all over the World, however they are required to
have the genetic capability to back up and sustain their behaviour.
A Discussion about The Remote Trainer
Since 1981 the passion in my
life has been dominated by the constant improvement and development of my
breeds of interest; those breeds being the Dobermann and German Shepherd Dog.
As a fervent believer in
the Dobermann and German Shepherd Dog being working dogs, I accept without question
that these dogs require constant testing, training and development in order to
see the breed’s progress, and also individuals within the breed, move forward
in the way most advantageous to all dog owners, trainers and breeders.
It has been suggested to me by many that this
controversial topic of the “Remote Trainer” will severely hamper the
“palatability” of my tracking book – “How
To Achieve Precision Tracking With Your Dog”, however this book has not
been written to be a best seller but a means of educating our community into
the possibility of what knowledge and education can do.
In essence it is the lack
of knowledge and understanding that has created the controversy that currently
exists. I know in my heart that you - the readers and dog owners are entirely
reasonable and scientifically minded thinkers. Based on these assumptions my
intention is in encouraging you to think critically about the support and
stance that you personally and officially take on “Remote Trainers.”
• an applied understanding
of canine behaviour and learning theory
• access to the most
appropriate tools to train in the most efficient and humane fashion possible.
As people who train and own
dogs, there is a vast amount we need to know and understand. Furthermore, this
core of knowledge is imperative for the well-being and benefit of our dogs and
for ourselves, and it is important to possess a keen understanding of these concepts
before we start training any dog.
We
need to ‘Know How’ to:
• Handle Dogs
• Observe Do
• Interpret their Behaviour
• Communicate with them Effectively
• Live with them
• Care for them
• Engage our dogs in
mutually advantageous play
• Manage behaviours, both
desirable and undesirable
• Understand the psychology
of how dogs learn with a thirst for knowledge.
These ‘Know How’s’ not only
strengthen the bond we share with our canine friends, but also provides us the
platform from which to teach them and help them learn what we consider
successful and unsuccessful behaviour. Just like children, dogs need to be able
to learn these behaviours, through experience, reinforcement and repetition.
It is widely believed by
experienced trainers and canine behaviourists that positive reward based
training creates around 50% of the learnt behavioural picture.
If we accept this statement
as fact, then we also must accept that only using positive reward based
training methodologies leaves us without the ability to motivate the other 50%
of the behavioural picture.
Let’s look at it from the
human perspective, and consider the following questions that are created as a
result of critical examination of this fact.
•
Why do our societal laws carry with them a penalty of some sort?
•
Why do we get fined or jailed when we break the law?
•
When was the last time you received a letter from the Police or Government
thanking you for being a well behaved
citizen?
The answer to the last
question is never (or exceedingly unlikely); it is simply expected and one is
required to use judicious discretion and apply shrewd judgement. Generally our
properly taught values and our life experiences are expected to empower us to
make the correct decisions.
Having said this, it has
been proven that dogs don’t have the same capabilities of reason and rational
thought, and hence the community is simply expected to control their dogs or
perhaps their dogs are expected to know what is acceptable or unacceptable
behaviour.
How is this possible when
people don’t know how to truly train or manage an animal you may well ask?
Think back to your first few dogs you owned and now look forward. It is only
the fact that you have been working with dogs diligently and consistently for
so many years that you are now capable of handing your dogs appropriately. That
has taken many years of work. In the 21st century you don’t need to
reinvent the wheel. It has all been done and all dog people should be able to
benefit from this science based information.
I firmly believe that
education of the dog owning public is the clear solution, and the freedom to be
able to express our opinions and position of training techniques that are an
enormous benefit to the dog community.
Educating the dog owning
public is unassailable critical. Responsibility for this education must start
with the person who allows an animal to leave his or her care.
Our breeders, community,
vets, vet nurses, and politicians too need to begin to understand the most
basic principles of canine behaviour when making practical, meaningful,
responsible policies at any level. Sadly, the reality is that the vast majority
of dog owners don’t have much access to lead them to the understanding of
canine training or behaviour, yet these people own the votes that pass
legislation (reasonable and unreasonable) based on the incumbent principle of
penalising the owners for transgression.
Even though most voters
also have next to no understanding of the mitigating circumstances that exist
regarding the practicality of the laws they vote for or against.
This is the current state
of affairs, a state of affairs that I believe to be a no win situation for all
dog owners in both the long and short term.
So now the question begs
asking...
What
is learning?
It has been said that
‘Teaching is the art of suggestion’. Put more rigorously, it could be more
accurately stated that “Learning occurs when outcome and the expectation
differ.”
The implication of having
learnt something is that a change of behaviour is the direct result of
something connected to a past experience.
My dictionary defines
learning as:
1.
To acquire knowledge or skill through study,
instruction, or experience: to learn French; to learn to ski.
2.
To become informed of or to become acquainted with;
to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc) by experience, exposure to example, or the
like; acquire eg: She learned patience from her father.
If we take the above
description literally then we all know that ‘Learning’ is also stressful.
What
is Motivation?
Motivation is recognised as
a key factor which influences a given behaviour will be performed, and the
frequency of intensity of its performance. Therefore, motivation plays an
integral part in the ‘Know How’ of training our dogs.
It is important that we
understand the following:
• We must be well versed in
the science of motivation as well as the science of learning.
• A motivating force can be
either positive (eg: a food treat or reward); or negative (eg: a reprimand.)
• Motivation is like fuel
in your vehicle – without it the engine that drives all learning will not run.
• Motivation is used to
describe the forces which operate within an animal to attain the desired result
(target behaviour).
The main point of understanding
in all of this is that of the relationship between learning and motivation.
These two principles are so deeply entwined and interdependent that it is
fruitless to attempt to conceive one concept existing without the other. For
the most part, learning does not occur without motivation.
Even though behaviour is
learned, however, it may not be performed if the animal is not motivated to
respond.
In any training situation,
it is important that we all consider the motivational state of the animal we are
training, as well as all competing motivators, for example, having a rabbit
running across your dog’s path during a recall exercise.
This is simply to
illustrate that motivation is critical in animal learning and where appropriate
training aids are important in obtaining the desired response.
“Markers, such as clickers,
are as essential a tool as Remote Trainers”.
My stand, along with a
magnitude of canine behaviourists in the world, is that these instruments are
excellent tools used correctly.
Currently in my state we
are expected to have permission to use the Remote Collars from a vet in
writing, however I humbly ask the question; please point out the expert vet
that understands how to use the remote trainer and demonstrate its application
as a tool for quality learning and not as a punishment device as the instrument
is perceived.
I personally am of the
opinion and recommend that all people buying these instruments undergo formal
training not only to learn how to use them correctly but to also understand
animal learning, appropriate animal management and responsible dog ownership.
I am making a considered
and deeply honest effort in my book to ask you to critically consider these
most pressing and concerning issues, as they confront us in our capacity as
truly committed long term dog lovers and trainers. I have a sincere and
enduring passion for all breeds, especially the GSD and Dobermann, the breeds
to which I have dedicated almost 33 years of my life to improving and
developing. Moreover I believe that we, the dog owning public, must not ‘sit on
our hands’ and allow ill-conceived and erroneous laws such as those directed at
remote training devices and breed specific legislation go unchallenged.
We the canine community
must help our governments to see the reality about appropriate training devices
which are an asset to the dog community in helping people manage their dogs and
help decrease community risk assessment issues that may exist.
Kris Kotsopoulos
Von Forell Instinctive
Canine Training Systems
Information
and Orders:
Telephone from Australia 03 5786 5388
Fax from Australia
03 5786 5277
International Calls +61 3 5786 53 88
International Faxes +61
3 5786 52 77
Head Office PO
Box 419 Greensborough 3088 Melbourne Australia
Personal
Advice:
By telephone, e-mail or at our facilities, our
specialists will answer any questions whatever they may be, and guide you in
your choice of products and services.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2013 - Kris Kotsopoulos Von Forell International
No part of this document may be
reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the author.
The “Educator” formally known as
“Einstein” has all the features needed to be the most sophisticated delivery
system in the World.
Andrew Gore Comments on Von Forell Dobermanns
Dobermans, German Shepherds, Training, Seminars, Training Equipment, Performadog Premium Dry Dog Food, Detector Dogs
REFERENCE FOR KRIS & TONIA KOTSOPOULOS -
VON FORELL AUSTRALIA
I write this reference for Kris & Tonia Kotsopoulos of Von Forell,
Australia, to provide to people who are considering purchasing a Doberman from
them as a family pet.
Since I was child I had always wanted to have a Doberman. I was drawn to the breed for numerous reasons with intelligence, loyalty and protective instincts being the most alluring. In my late twenties I found myself in a position where I could finally get the dog I had always been wanting and thus set about searching for the top breeders of Dobermans in Australia (although I also searched the internet for breeders world wide).
After an exhaustive search of the internet, one breeder continued to ‘pop up on the radar’. That breeder was Von Forell of Melbourne, Australia. I also spoke to a couple of close friends of mine who were K9 handlers in a certain Australian Police Agency and asked them if they knew of any good breeders of Dobermans that they could recommend (they had German Shepherds and Labradors as working dogs so I was unsure whether they would know any Doberman breeders). Without hesitation their response was “Yes, Von Forell in Melbourne. We get some of our Shepherds from them and their dogs are exceptional. They also breed Dobermans and we have heard good things”.
That was the final confirmation I had been looking for and I then contacted Kris Kotsopoulos of Von Forell. I had a lengthy discussion with Kris about what I was looking for and the conversation further confirmed in my mind that these were the breeders I wanted to deal with. I stated to Kris that my girlfriend and I wanted a family companion that had good protective instincts but that was not overly dominant (it was going to be the first time my girlfriend was going to have a large dog). My girlfriend had a preference for a brown female Doberman although I didn’t mind either way and I relayed that to Kris. Kris informed me that he would not make any guarantees about sex or colour as he based his decision on what pup we would get on the individual personality that best suited what we were looking for and that even an entire litter may not be suitable. This was one of many statements made by Kris that confirmed in my mind that he was a professional and someone who I should be dealing with.
A few months later my girlfriend and I were the proud new parents of a black male Dobbie. From the moment that Tonia brought him out, Harvey (the name we had settled on), impressed me with his confident and stable demeanour and the ease with which he adapted to his new environment with us. From the beginning he was extremely affectionate and loving to family members whilst at the same time displaying protective instincts. I found it an amazing sight to see an 8 week old puppy barking at strangers walking past the front of our house.
I think its important to stress as this time that Harvey never, ever, displayed any aggression to his immediate family. He displayed plenty of controlled aggression towards strangers knocking on my door, walking past my car or oddly approaching us when we were out walking but he only ever displayed love, affection and loyalty towards his immediate family. Harvey displayed the exact traits I had been looking for in a Doberman and Kris and Tonia had provided us with the exact dog we had requested.
One thing I will stress for prospective parents to be aware of is that you are purchasing a dog from working dog bloodlines. They are not a little toy lap dog and cannot be treated like one. That does not mean that you have to treat them harshly but you will have to be firm and consistent with them and you will have to provide sufficient exercise for them. They are incredibly intelligent dogs and I described Harvey as being half human. As long as you are firm and the dog knows who is boss, you will have an incredibly satisfying relationship and bond with your dog. If you are not firm and consistent then be prepared for the dog to manipulate you to the point where either they get their way on almost everything or you give the dog away to a home that can deal with them.
You shouldn’t let this deter you from getting a dog from Von Forell, merely I write this information so that you are aware of what you are getting yourself in to. Kris and Tonia are the true experts and will be able to give you much better advice than I can. I’m writing this from the layman’s perspective as information for other people about to embark down this road.
As a young puppy, Harvey was either playing or sleeping. Once Harvey was old enough to be taken to dog parks and taken on walks (somewhere between 4-5 months of age) he required exercise twice a day to curb his energy levels. I will once again stress that these dogs are from working dog bloodlines. Harvey had an incredible appetite for play that could almost not be satisfied until about 18 months of age when he started to settle down and we slowly reduced his exercise to once per day (30 mins – 1 hour). He would still be happy to play at every opportunity but he was now also happy to lounge around with us and watch TV or movies etc. I won’t lie, there were times when Harvey was between 12-18 months, where he drove me crazy with his constant need to play and these are the times where you must be firm and consistent.
At about the age of 2, Harvey had grown up to be the most exceptional dog I have ever had significant contact with. He was highly intelligent with many human personality traits and the ability to display many different emotions. He had a depth of character not commonly found in your ‘average’ dog and it was the little out of the norm personality traits that made Harvey so special. He was not just another dog but an individual with his own personality, just like a human. Many of you will probably be reading this saying that all dogs display individual personalities. Whilst that is true, your average dog really will act like every other dog, with only a limited number of slight variances in personality. For those of you reading this who have owned an exceptional dog you will understand exactly what I am describing and attempting to convey.
An easy example I can provide of this is when Harvey was of the opinion that I wasn’t providing him with enough attention. In order to gain my attention he would take a sock out of the cloths basket and parade around in front of me until I either chased him in play or told him in no uncertain terms to drop the sock and lie on his bed. As background to this example, when Harvey was a puppy we were always stopping him from chewing on our socks as his baby teeth would put holes in them. He learned quickly that he wasn’t allowed to chew on socks and he stopped. This of course didn’t stop him from simply holding a sock in his mouth without damaging it to use as a bargaining tool. When he paraded with the sock, I truly mean paraded. Harvey would walk back and forth in clear view of me (whether I was standing, seating or somewhere else), clearly displaying the sock with a little smirk on his face and the very tip of his tail slightly wagging.
Harvey displayed the perfect balance between being a loving, affectionate and loyal dog to his family whilst at the same time being aggressive and intimidating to strangers coming to my house and around my car. Whilst out on walks or runs, Harvey would not display aggression to passers by unless there was something odd about their demeanour. If he was going to bark at a passer by then I would know in advance, as I would be looking at the same person with the same concerns in my mind. This is an example of the bond that I mentioned earlier where Harvey and I would be thinking and acting as one and where I knew how he was going to act and he knew how he was suppose to act.
You may have been asking yourself why have I written this in a past tense and it is because Harvey was hit and killed by a car after escaping from a friends house during an extreme thunder storm in Brisbane at the beginning of 2014. Unfortunately I was in the USA at the time and my friend was helping me out by looking after him.
Apart from his death being devastating to me, the event was totally out of character as in the 4.5 years that I had the pleasure of owning Harvey, he had never shown any interest at all in escaping from home or running away, nor had he shown any significant nervousness during thunder storms. His main desire in life was to be with his family and even on the few occasions that the back gate had been left open, we would open the door to find him seating there waiting to be let inside the house. In hindsight, it was Harvey’s extraordinary intelligence, personality and stable character that stopped me from thinking of him as just a dog and forgetting that in extreme circumstances even the most remarkable dogs may still act like dogs and make decisions that humans would say are irrational.
As a final testament on my thoughts on whether I would recommend Kris and Tonia of Von Forell to perspective dog owners I say this, when I am ready for another Doberman I will be getting my new puppy from Kris and Tonia and I’m not even considering looking else where. After 4.5 years I have had plenty of time to evaluate the quality of the dogs they produce and I can say that I have no hesitation in recommending them.
Andrew Gore - Australia
Since I was child I had always wanted to have a Doberman. I was drawn to the breed for numerous reasons with intelligence, loyalty and protective instincts being the most alluring. In my late twenties I found myself in a position where I could finally get the dog I had always been wanting and thus set about searching for the top breeders of Dobermans in Australia (although I also searched the internet for breeders world wide).
After an exhaustive search of the internet, one breeder continued to ‘pop up on the radar’. That breeder was Von Forell of Melbourne, Australia. I also spoke to a couple of close friends of mine who were K9 handlers in a certain Australian Police Agency and asked them if they knew of any good breeders of Dobermans that they could recommend (they had German Shepherds and Labradors as working dogs so I was unsure whether they would know any Doberman breeders). Without hesitation their response was “Yes, Von Forell in Melbourne. We get some of our Shepherds from them and their dogs are exceptional. They also breed Dobermans and we have heard good things”.
That was the final confirmation I had been looking for and I then contacted Kris Kotsopoulos of Von Forell. I had a lengthy discussion with Kris about what I was looking for and the conversation further confirmed in my mind that these were the breeders I wanted to deal with. I stated to Kris that my girlfriend and I wanted a family companion that had good protective instincts but that was not overly dominant (it was going to be the first time my girlfriend was going to have a large dog). My girlfriend had a preference for a brown female Doberman although I didn’t mind either way and I relayed that to Kris. Kris informed me that he would not make any guarantees about sex or colour as he based his decision on what pup we would get on the individual personality that best suited what we were looking for and that even an entire litter may not be suitable. This was one of many statements made by Kris that confirmed in my mind that he was a professional and someone who I should be dealing with.
A few months later my girlfriend and I were the proud new parents of a black male Dobbie. From the moment that Tonia brought him out, Harvey (the name we had settled on), impressed me with his confident and stable demeanour and the ease with which he adapted to his new environment with us. From the beginning he was extremely affectionate and loving to family members whilst at the same time displaying protective instincts. I found it an amazing sight to see an 8 week old puppy barking at strangers walking past the front of our house.
I think its important to stress as this time that Harvey never, ever, displayed any aggression to his immediate family. He displayed plenty of controlled aggression towards strangers knocking on my door, walking past my car or oddly approaching us when we were out walking but he only ever displayed love, affection and loyalty towards his immediate family. Harvey displayed the exact traits I had been looking for in a Doberman and Kris and Tonia had provided us with the exact dog we had requested.
One thing I will stress for prospective parents to be aware of is that you are purchasing a dog from working dog bloodlines. They are not a little toy lap dog and cannot be treated like one. That does not mean that you have to treat them harshly but you will have to be firm and consistent with them and you will have to provide sufficient exercise for them. They are incredibly intelligent dogs and I described Harvey as being half human. As long as you are firm and the dog knows who is boss, you will have an incredibly satisfying relationship and bond with your dog. If you are not firm and consistent then be prepared for the dog to manipulate you to the point where either they get their way on almost everything or you give the dog away to a home that can deal with them.
You shouldn’t let this deter you from getting a dog from Von Forell, merely I write this information so that you are aware of what you are getting yourself in to. Kris and Tonia are the true experts and will be able to give you much better advice than I can. I’m writing this from the layman’s perspective as information for other people about to embark down this road.
As a young puppy, Harvey was either playing or sleeping. Once Harvey was old enough to be taken to dog parks and taken on walks (somewhere between 4-5 months of age) he required exercise twice a day to curb his energy levels. I will once again stress that these dogs are from working dog bloodlines. Harvey had an incredible appetite for play that could almost not be satisfied until about 18 months of age when he started to settle down and we slowly reduced his exercise to once per day (30 mins – 1 hour). He would still be happy to play at every opportunity but he was now also happy to lounge around with us and watch TV or movies etc. I won’t lie, there were times when Harvey was between 12-18 months, where he drove me crazy with his constant need to play and these are the times where you must be firm and consistent.
At about the age of 2, Harvey had grown up to be the most exceptional dog I have ever had significant contact with. He was highly intelligent with many human personality traits and the ability to display many different emotions. He had a depth of character not commonly found in your ‘average’ dog and it was the little out of the norm personality traits that made Harvey so special. He was not just another dog but an individual with his own personality, just like a human. Many of you will probably be reading this saying that all dogs display individual personalities. Whilst that is true, your average dog really will act like every other dog, with only a limited number of slight variances in personality. For those of you reading this who have owned an exceptional dog you will understand exactly what I am describing and attempting to convey.
An easy example I can provide of this is when Harvey was of the opinion that I wasn’t providing him with enough attention. In order to gain my attention he would take a sock out of the cloths basket and parade around in front of me until I either chased him in play or told him in no uncertain terms to drop the sock and lie on his bed. As background to this example, when Harvey was a puppy we were always stopping him from chewing on our socks as his baby teeth would put holes in them. He learned quickly that he wasn’t allowed to chew on socks and he stopped. This of course didn’t stop him from simply holding a sock in his mouth without damaging it to use as a bargaining tool. When he paraded with the sock, I truly mean paraded. Harvey would walk back and forth in clear view of me (whether I was standing, seating or somewhere else), clearly displaying the sock with a little smirk on his face and the very tip of his tail slightly wagging.
Harvey displayed the perfect balance between being a loving, affectionate and loyal dog to his family whilst at the same time being aggressive and intimidating to strangers coming to my house and around my car. Whilst out on walks or runs, Harvey would not display aggression to passers by unless there was something odd about their demeanour. If he was going to bark at a passer by then I would know in advance, as I would be looking at the same person with the same concerns in my mind. This is an example of the bond that I mentioned earlier where Harvey and I would be thinking and acting as one and where I knew how he was going to act and he knew how he was suppose to act.
You may have been asking yourself why have I written this in a past tense and it is because Harvey was hit and killed by a car after escaping from a friends house during an extreme thunder storm in Brisbane at the beginning of 2014. Unfortunately I was in the USA at the time and my friend was helping me out by looking after him.
Apart from his death being devastating to me, the event was totally out of character as in the 4.5 years that I had the pleasure of owning Harvey, he had never shown any interest at all in escaping from home or running away, nor had he shown any significant nervousness during thunder storms. His main desire in life was to be with his family and even on the few occasions that the back gate had been left open, we would open the door to find him seating there waiting to be let inside the house. In hindsight, it was Harvey’s extraordinary intelligence, personality and stable character that stopped me from thinking of him as just a dog and forgetting that in extreme circumstances even the most remarkable dogs may still act like dogs and make decisions that humans would say are irrational.
As a final testament on my thoughts on whether I would recommend Kris and Tonia of Von Forell to perspective dog owners I say this, when I am ready for another Doberman I will be getting my new puppy from Kris and Tonia and I’m not even considering looking else where. After 4.5 years I have had plenty of time to evaluate the quality of the dogs they produce and I can say that I have no hesitation in recommending them.
Andrew Gore - Australia
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