DiaNA HAUSKNECHTOVÁ
TAKING PART IN COMPETITIONS IS ALMOST ADDICTIVE

I am 38 years old. I graduated from the Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology at the Technical University in Bratislava. I enjoyed my studies very much so I also completed my PhD in analytical chemistry here. I met Marcel during my studies and we have been together for 16 years. I am working in Adient in Trenčín as a specialist for the International Automotive Data Management System for 10 years. Marcel and I got married in 2013, we moved from Bratislava to Nové Mesto nad Váhom, we built a house in the village of

Rakoľuby, planted a tree, imported our first and later our second Rottweiler, our daughter Ninka was born, we have built our own “dog training club”…

Several years ago, Zuzana Mravíková with her Cujo du Dauchant was competing under the Slovak flag at the IFR WCH in IGP3, then we could see Zuzka Marthalerová who later decided to represent the Czech Republic. The IFR World Championships have not seen Slovak competitors for a few years, until you appeared – I would say “a new dog sports generation of Slovak handlers” – i.e. Ľubo Pastír, Peter Chotár, and you, Diana. So, what is behind your journey to the IFR top events, why did you decide to get a Rottweiler?

Dogs are my love since childhood, I was fascinated especially by large breeds like the Rottweilers or German Shepherds. My entire snack always ended up in the mouths of the dogs on my way to school, I was feeding them over the fence every day. When I was 15, my parents and I moved into a house, and we bought a German Shepherd dog from “Z Lintichu” kennel that specializes in show dogs. I and my father started showing this dog and we got one more dog from the same kennel, we started attending the dog club, passed the first trials and confirmation tests… When we built our own house with my husband, there was no doubt we want a dog. But what breed? Our choice fell on a Rottweiler and it was the best decision. We

had had German Shepherds from show lines until then, so we looked for a Rottweiler puppy in the same way. Show results of dogs from Vachutkovi kennel were interesting to us, we liked their stud dogs and brood bitches, so we bought a male Cam Lib-Vach. We call him Barry and I started to train him, we took part in some dog shows and we learned everything together.

Did you plan to participate with Barry in the IFR WCH right from the beginning? By the way, what conditions do you have to meet in Slovakia to take part in the IFR WCH?

As I have mentioned, Barry comes from a show blood line, so my plans were more about dog shows, may be passing an exam and confirmation test. My husband told me from the beginning that I might be attending the dog club and train our dog, but he would just pet our dog at home. 🤣 

However, Barry is a special dog and we were so lucky to get him. He showed us right at his young age that he loves to be cuddled in the garden, but he also loves to work. And that he can work and will (almost 😀) always work willingly and reliably for me. So we took part in small competitions in the lowest categories and Barry did not miss the podium once. We passed IGP3 during covid time. I have to say I am very sad that due to the pandemic there were no events and Barry could not compete when he was in his best years.
As you have mentioned, Slovakia did not have a national team for several years, so it is not a big problem to meet the qualifying conditions. The IFR World Championship was held in Hungary in 2021 and we decided to try our luck. Even though we did not finish the phase A at the qualifier, we had points from IGP3 exam and that entitled us to participate in the IFR WCH as a wild card. Our goal was to pass each phase, try to show off what we trained for, simply not to embarrass ourselves…🙂  

Our fifth place in individual ranking and third place in teams was absolutely incredible. It was amazing, Barry and I finished right behind the world champions like Hynek Procházka, Pavlínka Fialová, Oliver Neubrandt or Radek Amler!

Your daughter is quite young – when you were competing with Barry, she must have been a toddler. How did you manage to take care of a little baby and at the same time train your dog for the top events?

Ninka was born in 2019, so Barry was three years old and it would be a shame to leave him at home without an activity. During my pregnancy Marcel was training with him and even took part in competitions (yes, the same person who wanted to pet the dog in the yard). 🤣 Shortly after giving birth I couldn´t resist it and I picked up the leash again. I have to thank my parents again, because they have been taking care of Ninka since she was a little girl, when we have trainings, shows or competitions… We would be completely lost without them and we would not be able to train regularly with a small child. Ninka is almost 5 years old, we built a playground for her in our training club. She loves dogs and especially puppies, but our dogs don´t obey her at all, so she doesn´t enjoy the training so far. 😀

What does taking part in competitions and sport cynology mean to you recently? I suppose that your stress and nerves before the first trials changed into adrenaline and sort of addiction?

I still remember my first competition in 2017 when I with Barry entered the BH-VT category at “Z Polytanu Cup”, which was combined with the Slovak RTW National Championship. Perhaps I wasn´t that nervous even at the exams at the university. All the big names of Slovak cynology were there (of course, in the higher categories and nobody was really interested in the BH-VT). Barry´s performance was very nice, I survived and we got our very first medal and cup. My nervousness was less and less with each following competition, I trusted Barry more and more, we were both gaining valuable experience, skill and advice. Well, yes, it became a bit of an addiction. Even though the feelings right before the performance are horrible, the feeling after a good and successful performance is unbelievable.

Which phase did you enjoy with Barry the most and the least, and why?

Our most favourite discipline was obedience and I really enjoyed it with Barry many times, because he was very reliable. On the other hand, our least favourite phase was tracking. We struggled with tracking, we both didn´t like it and that is why our performance looked like that in competitions. If I were given 1 € each time I heard from people after some performances: “Congratulations, your obedience and protection were amazing, but it´s a shame tracking didn´t go to plan!”…today I would be rich.🤣

Which IFR Championship is the most unforgettable to you?

I think it will probably be Hungary 2021. It was our first one and I really didn´t even hope for such a result. However, in France, our team (I, Peter Chotár and Ľubo Pastír) managed to finish second and take silver medals in teams, Barry also got the award for the best obedience, so French Championship is also special for me.

Barry´s competing career ended last year. We have to mention his excellent appearance, show results and his capability as a stud dog. Not many dogs are successful at all of these fields, is it even possible to compare your other dogs to him?

As I have said… I am afraid I won´t have a dog like Barry anymore. Barry did really well at shows as well as on the competition field. As he is such a versatile dog, he has had many litters and it makes me very happy that his good genes have passed on to many of his offspring. We have two of his sons and even one grandson at home.

Are you training a dog for future competitions? Not to forget Marcel, your husband who is the IFR delegate and head trainer of the RTW Club of Slovakia. Is he preparing a dog, too?

I am currently training with Barry´s 2-year-old son Luky (Rott-Berger since '83 Edison). He is a sort of Barry clone, he is very good to work with and when he gets more experienced, we can hopefully continue in the footsteps of his amazing father. Marcel is training with Aslan Akim-Jenn, we call him Miky or Mishko, he will be 4 and we also hope that they will show off what Barry and I have taught them. 😁

In your opinion – is it better when you share the same hobby with your husband, or does it sometimes make things more difficult?

I definitely take it as an advantage. We are great training partners, we can see our mistakes, we talk about them and we look for solutions to problems that arise in training. If he tells me he is going to train, I am not angry and I go with him. If I tell him that I need to go tracking, he is willingly taking care of Ninka… We have much more understanding for this than if one of us was “normal” (i.e. non-dog) person. 🤣

What about the Rottweilers and dog sport in Slovakia, is the number of handlers working with the Rotties increasing? I hope that Slovak national team motivated some dog handlers in the last three years and so a new generation of competitors may enter the competition field in future?

We still do not know who the members of the national team for 2024 will be, I am curious to see the names of competitors. However, I have a feeling that there is a slightly increased interest in dog sport among Rottweiler owners. Despite the fact that in Slovakia there is no compulsory working exam for breeding, I know a number of dogs and bitches who have passed either A/B/C exam or one-phase exam according to national or international regulations. I am very happy with every such exam passed by a Rottie in Slovakia. It is a working breed and in many cases these dogs still want to work and can work.

You, Marcel and Janka Šafářová are the core of the organizing team for the IFR World Championship in Slovakia. How to manage organizing such an event together with your family, work, and training your dogs?

The preparations for this event are not so intensive at the moment, but we are aware that as the date of the Championship gets closer, the more tasks, duties and problems to solve will come. I know this from experience with organizing other dog sport events. Your priorities have to be changed a bit for a while. But we are looking forward to this “struggle”, our main goal is to organize the World Championship on the top level and provide comfort and service for all competitors at 100 % quality.

Do you have any spare time for other hobbies? How did you enjoy your leisure time before getting Rotties and competing?

I somehow can´t remember what I did with so much free time before Rottweilers and Ninka…🤣Dogs, cynological events and Ninka really take up the majority of my time. And so I recently got a licence as a judge (only for the Slovak National Regulations so far), so I will have even less free time. I also try to keep fit from time to time, so I do some work out (with weights, not just with the dogs), and I go jogging or swimming.

Could you invite all readers, even those who do not have this breed, to the IFR World Championship 2024? Why is visiting this event worth coming?

The IFR World Championship annually attracts many fans of dog sport and Rottweiler breed and visitors from all over the world. Cooperation with famous delegated judges, world-class helpers and tracklayers is a necessity and the aim of the RTW Club of Slovakia is to organize a smooth and great event, to provide comfort and service for all competitors and visitors, and

to make this World Championship simply the best and thus to spread the good name of Slovakia and Slovak cynology in the world. I believe that Slovakia can, in addition to the top dog sport event, offer visitors many of its wonderful places such as castles, chateaux, caves or our famous Tatra Mountains. Dear visitors, arrive and explore them just like the Rottweiler in our logo for the IFR World Championship 2024. We are looking forward to you all!

Thank you for the interview, Draha Mašková

Translation: Eva Fiedlerová