Especially in some countries of Western Europe the opinion is, that training of sports defence wakes up aggressivity in the dog and such a dog becomes dangerous and offensive. From where came such an idea? That is very hard to say, but probably from places where the sport defence people train alone with their dog or together with completely incompetent and inexperienced trainer-amateur. Because every cynologist - beginner that starts lessons with an experienced trainer, is informed straight on the very first lesson that training of sport defence is not based on waking up aggressivity of the dog against humans. On the contrary, the sport defence uses the natural hunting instinct of the dog. The dog learns that the sleeve of the assistant is the prey. Training this way becomes a game for the dog and not an aggressive defence. You can see very often, that a dog makes wonderful bites on the sleeve and later he is able to play with the assistant. Would that it be possible, if the training would raise aggressivity in him? Of course not. Surely, training this way is longer and it requires patience and consistency. The easier way to make dog bite, would for sure be to push hard on is psychics and make him attack. But that has nothing to do with sports defence and only the most experienced trainers should do such training and only for special service (for example army dogs, police dogs, guard dogs etc.). It is clear that certain level of adrenalin must show in the blood of the dog even during a sports training. However, especially for the "not biting" dogs (which is something all CSW owners know well) only a really experienced trainer should try to raise it.

Another opinion, which I´ve met in the last days, is that if dog is doing coursing, then it is hard to train and handle. I even heard an opinion, that such a dog has trouble with tracking! Coursing is, like the sports defence, based on using the hunting instinct of the dog. It is practically "hunt" in the real sense of the word, because the plastic stripes really imitate the prey. The opinion, that coursing raises the hunting instinct in the dog, which most of the owners try to put down, is nonsense. The hunting instinct is simply part of the genes of every dog and a man is not able to put it down in his individual dog. Of course, it can be restrained by focused breeding, but that is a matter of many generations. So-called "suppression" of the hunting instinct of the dog is nothing else than obedience. In the moment when a dog wants instinctively start to hunt the prey, the command "stop" is stronger, than his natural impulse. However, even this dog, if he ends up alone in the wild and will be hungry, will start to hunt as any other dog. The dog is not stupid and it knows, that plastic stripes, which it hunts on the track, do not taste so good. It is not even interested in eating them. In most cases, the dog has to be trained to bite the stripes (which brings more points in coursing), because simply when they stop to move, they are no longer interesting. For the dog it is a game, the same like for a puppy, which likes to fight us for an old sock.

Both of the mentioned cases are only the most typical. But especially on them it is possible to demonstrate even to a lay person, that the real sports training is good for the dog and not the contrary. Also, both of the mentioned sports disciplines are somehow allowing the use of the natural instincts of the dog. while the dog hascertainly a lower need to use it on normal walks and real prey.

The sports cynological training and the sports cynological disciplines are not doing anything bad to our dogs. All the allegations by "so-called-specialists" saying a different story are nothing but rumours and without any real base. It is always necessary to ask real cynologists, biologists, ethologists etc. Because the cynological sport was created to support and evolve the (from our side of view) good sides and characteristics of our dogs. They help to keep our dogs in good condition and perfect physical and psychical shape. That is what we all want.

Pavel (Czech Republic)