PETER FRIEDRICH
IFR WCH 2024 judge for tracking IGP3 

Dear Mr. Friedrich, could you tell us something about you, please?

We live together with my wife Heide near my home town of Mainz. I am 65 years old and work as a professor at the University of the Police. I started dog sports at the age of twelve. I started to work with Rottweilers in 1974, but initially with dogs that were owned by fellow club members. In 1980, me and some friends founded the district group “Mainz und Umgebung” within the ADRK. It still exists today. I was its head trainer for several decades and I also held this position in the bigger region of the “Landesgruppe Pfalz”. I have always enjoyed my work as a helper in protection the most, which I did almost every day for about 30 years. My wife and I took our first puppy, Osko vom Haus Winter, into our family in 1983. I have passed a large number of IGP and FH trials and won a whole series of ADRK titles. My best result in IGP3 is 297 points in total and I achieved 100 points in FH2. Due to a temporary health problem of my wife, which makes it difficult to keep particularly strong dogs, we now own Sloughis and Greyhounds. Of course, I remain closely connected to the Rottweilers and its club. I bred the Rottweilers as a member of the kennel “vom Sternbogen”, which I still belong to today. I have not bred any other breed of dog. My wife is the owner of the kennel “Tahuara's”, it is dedicated to Sloughis and Greyhounds with my active support. She has never bred any other breed of dogs. I have most often shown Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Sloughis and Greyhounds. I am a working judge and a Körmeister in the ADRK.

How many times have you already judged at the IFR World Championships? What does judging at this event mean to you in comparison with other competitions and championships?

I have already judged the IFR World Championship twice, once on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the ADRK in Rottweil/Germany in 2007 and once in 2021 in Jakabszállás/Hungary. Such an assignment is associated with a special responsibility, because on one hand the course is of particular importance for every dog handler and on the other hand it is also extremely desirable for the IFR that the entire event is a success.

You judged protection phase at the IFR WCH in Hungary. This year, it will be tracking phase in Slovakia – which discipline do you prefer as a judge and what are its specifics of judging for you? Do you, as a dog handler, like tracking?

I value all three phases equally as a judge. As a dog handler, I find tracking work extremely attractive. I have passed more than fifty tracking dog trials with some Rottweilers (per dog). I particularly like the fact that tracking is a highly species-appropriate activity for almost every dog and that they pursue it with obvious enthusiasm provided they have been trained using the right methods. I very much regret that there are currently fewer dog lovers than there were a few decades ago who pursue the sport of tracking with real enthusiasm and in a relaxed atmosphere.

What do you want to see when judging tracking and on the other hand, what do you not forgive?

In my opinion, three examples of positive phenomena are: 1) Dog's high motivation and interest in the tracking work, 2) Dog's ability to find solutions to problems on its own if it strays from the track, and 3) Dog's ability to cope with different types of terrains.

Three examples of negative phenomena are 1) Relatively strong stress symptoms of the dog during work, 2) Lack of or fluctuating intensity of tracking and 3) Lack of physical fitness.

What does sports cynology mean to you? Compared to the dog shows – which “world” do you prefer?

In my opinion, breeding dogs, exercising them and showing them belong together. A balanced relationship between these three activities is beneficial in the long term. A one-sided or even extreme orientation is associated with serious risks for the development of dog populations.

What makes the Rottweilers special to you, why do you love them?

What I admire about the Rottweiler is that this breed combines strength, substance, motivation, dynamism and a certain independence. I also find them to be natural and unaffected. Excessively molossoid dogs, those with a lot of loose skin and those with little drive are absolutely undesirable up to my mind.

Are you looking forward to Slovakia? What do you think of when you hear “Slovakia”?

As always, I am looking forward to Slovakia. I have every reason to do so, not least because I have had nothing but good experiences with this country and people there in my life to date.

 

Thank you for the interview, Draha Mašková