My Arco Experience

My Arco Experience

By Martin Wahl

Is it possible for a man to have a “friendship” with a dog? Must be, because I wouldn’t know what else to call it. And it certainly did exist between Arco and me. The kind of friendship where words aren’t necessary, you just know what the other is thinking. You simply “click”, have complete and total trust in each other. It’s a time of “building”. Not fighting, using, or destroying; but of harmonizing, supporting each other, of climbing to new heights, of soaring, exploring, learning, sharing, gaining new insights. Arco was an extraordinary dog, and living with him was a positive learning experience that has enriched my life forever.

He used body language to teach me some of the workings and complexity of dog society. Dogs have certain laws that they would not dare violate. Such as: owning the space it presently occupies. No dog in its right mind (with good nerves) would dream of displacing (pushing) another by any means, certainly not by force.

Arco at breakfast in hotel restaurant

Allowing another dog a “sniff” or two is a non-aggression pact. If two strangers meet, the one allowing the other the first sniff is acknowledging submission. If neither one is willing to submit, they may have to settle their dominance question in a fight. A male will never bite a female (except seriously deranged males), even after being bitten by her. Dogs never lie, only humans do, dogs are 100% honest. (Maybe body language just doesn't lend itself to lying?) Dogs live only in the present, as in right now, not yesterday or tomorrow.

Dogs are absolute realists, they don't have any of those human hang-ups like worrying about the weather, traffic, what will the neighbours think, getting a job, going on a date, smoke or drink alcohol (yuck - how stupid can humans get?) Dogs do not believe in any religions, politics, unions, or kennel clubs; only in themselves and those they know. Which is probably why I could never explain the spirit of Christmas to Arco. He just looked at me as if there was something wrong with me. And by now I think he was right.

Arco died almost a year ago, but I am still under the spell of that friendship, wanting to build and support and share, which is part of the reason for writing this paper. (The other part of the reason is to dispel some of the hype being spread by dog-selling con artists). I have given a lot of thought to the question: what made Arco so special and different from the close to 400 dogs I have owned over the years? There were many German imports, east and west, and several well trained SchH3 dogs, plus hundreds of puppies I raised and helped their owners raise. And Arco wasn’t my very first dog, or first import, or first working temperament and therefore best dog, either.

As always in life, there seldom is a single reason for an occurrence, it’s usually a combination of circumstances that are responsible for everything. In the case of Arco, I believe the combination was: He had the strongest nerves of any dog I ever experienced, but at the same time was very “tuned in” or “aware” of his surroundings, without ever being afraid of anything. He had that rare combination of self confidence and sensitivity, without ever showing a hint of bully-aggression or fear reaction, the perfectly balanced temperament, that is even hard to find in humans.

Arco had no problems "releasing"

I could turn him ON and OFF with a single word (like a light switch), from being docile to being a fierce protector, and right back to resembling a 'complete suck', in a fraction of a second. He seemed to enjoy either mode equally well. Arco’s training (SchH1, FH) certainly had a lot to do with him being absolutely reliable under the worst of circumstances. He had only minor problems obeying my “down” command while chasing a cat. Another factor that probably contributed to Arco being almost human has to be the way his breeder in Germany raised him. Arco was just under 3 years old when I imported him.

Where do dogs like Arco come from? This one came from an average breeder in Germany that typically has one litter a year and would be called a “backyard breeder” in America. The fact that that type of breeder produced such an outstanding dog speaks for the German system of breeding, a system that has consistently produced superior dogs for very many years and is therefore worthwhile exploring in detail.

The German system of breeding has two main components, working together like two legs. One is the breed registry with its Breeder Guidance system, the other is called Schutzhund. Needless to say, it takes both legs to run well.

But before going into more detail, I like to point out a few general but interesting facts about German Shepherds in Germany and their history.

Return Home