Being back in Cape Town meant living in our own home again in Simon’s Town but also taking up a new role as headmaster of Tafelberg Remedial school in Sea Point. Finally, I hoped to be able to find a dog training club near our home to properly train our German shepherd dogs. Something I had wanted to do for so long.
One morning we were visiting the shopping mall in the Long Beach area, about 20 minutes from our home, when I noticed several dogs being trained on an area of open ground next to the Pick ‘n Pay centre. I approached the trainer who introduced himself as, “Henry” and said that we were most welcome to join his classes.
Nikki brought Loupe, Colin had Coyote and I took Thandi for training. This went on for a few weeks before Nikki and Colin (who was now a student at the University of Cape Town) had to drop out due to pressure of work. I undertook to train Coyote for Colin. He was not only a beautiful dog but, in my opinion, particularly clever.
Coyote was born on 20 July 1992 and after having trained him for a year I took him to the Kennel Association’s Breed show on the 23 June 1993 where he was judged ‘Best of Breed’ in his age group. His obedience training was progressing equally well so on 23 July 1995 at the Kennel Association’s Show he passed his “Beginners” obedience test with a score of 96%, while also judged to be “Reserve Best of Breed.”
I was able to take his Certificates, rosettes and ribbons to the club and show Henry and the club members how well we had done due to the club training we’d received. A week later on 27 July 1995, I took him to the “Working & Herding Club of Cape Town” where he received the second prize and on 11 November of that year, he passed the “Class A test” with 90.7%.
At the end of the year when club activities took a break for the year-end holiday, we invited Henry and Elisabeth, his wife, and the club members to our home for a get together and a braai. I was still very new to dog training but found that by closely watching other competitors and reading further about training (not to mention owning a very clever dog) I was picking up some useful experience.
Club training kicked off in 1996 as usual, and I could see Coyote looking forward to dog school. The club membership had increased, and some participants began to realise, mainly due to Coyote’s successes, I think, that there is a benefit to do dog training beyond just the club on a Saturday morning.
Then, in the middle of the hour class one Saturday, Henry came over to me and asked me to take over the class because he urgently had to do something. He walked towards the shops but did not come back before the end of the lesson. I finished the lesson and went home after waiting a short time.
The following Saturday we gathered as usual, but Henry did not arrive. I assumed that he might possibly be delayed, so not to waste time, I called everyone together and suggested that we begin doing some training. I had not prepared a lesson, but we made it successfully through the class. Henry didn’t turn up I we had no way of contacting him at that stage. The lesson ended and we went home hoping that Henry was not ill or had suffered some accident. I told Phyllis how worried we were for him when I got home.
Week three started with us looking at each car that entered or passed the club. We were relieved when we saw Henry’s car in the road, but he drove right past us without pausing and disappeared again. I began the lesson and ran the class with Coyote next to me throughout. I suggested we put feelers out to find a new trainer, but the club members asked if I would mind continuing.
Quite coincidentally, a young woman approached me and said that she had been about to start a dog training club in Sun Valley. She had prepared the branding design etc. for the club but since she was relocating to Hermanus she would no longer need it and would I like to take it all over? At that moment I was a bit overwhelmed but accepted it gratefully. I liked the German Shepherd logo and have never regretted my decision.
Instantly it became my club and had a name that was to become known all over the peninsula. I became a teacher again and had to prepare lessons and take responsibility for my adult charges. I had Coyote on leash at times and soon got him to do a “Long down” or a “Stand”, while I gave attention to individual members. The long down and stand exercises actually featured in his next obedience tests so it was excellent practice for him.
On the 1st of June 1996, I entered Coyote in the Working and Herding dogs’ Class “B” Obedience competition and was placed 1st with a score of 94%. One month later, on the 1st of July 1996 we entered the Cape Handlers Dog club and entered the “C” test. 19 dogs had entered for that test and we were the 13th in line. It was a long wait for our turn and dogs often become bored during the time they have to sit or lie down awaiting their turn to perform. While No 11 dog was doing his test I took Coyote for a short “warmup” run. He was as steady as ever in the test which included sit, stand and down exercises and was placed First!
I am extremely proud of the fact that we surely must be the only competitors ever, Coyote and I, to have passed all the Kennel Union Obedience tests in less than a year. He was still Colin’s dog, but I had the privilege to have trained and handled a true champion German Shepherd who now had to perform stud duties because such talented genes must be passed on!
Club membership kept increasing and I asked Taryn Blyth, who was studying towards becoming an Animal Behaviourist and had brought her Rottweiler puppy for training, to start a class for puppies since we had sufficient space.
My next step, with the help of Phyllis was to select a club outfit to wear at training. We chose a light blue golf shirt and navy bottoms and had the club emblem and logo printed on it. I explained that by wearing the outfit there was no need to decide on what to wear for training on a Saturday. Everyone bought into it and most ordered multiple sets. Once the correct sizes were available, they were worn regularly and our club membership increased again.
One of the challenges I wrestled with was that I would spend an hour teaching the handlers, only to wonder how much of my advice they remembered by Monday or Tuesday. I decided to print the salient points of my lessons and hand them out at the end of each lesson. Club members could refer to these notes for additional home training.
Discussing this idea later with Colin, he suggested I start a website, and club members could then read the notes and refer to other articles. He offered to develop the website for me and came up with the “Gooddog.co.za” name. This meant that I could write articles on dog training across various categories and have them easily accessible on the Internet.
Both dog owners and dog trainers joined the club, as well as some who showed interest in learning to become a dog trainer. Parents and families of young children who were training their dogs would watch our training sessions. Shoppers visiting the mall would park their cars close by and some came over to watch our training sessions. I had the dogs do their stay exercises on the sidewalk next to the shop and as they progressed, would have the owners go inside and observe their dogs through the shop’s large windows.
Some dog owners had work commitments on a Saturday which made it impossible to attend my classes on a regular basis, so I arranged additional classes on a Thursday afternoon starting from 2pm on the soccer field in Noordhoek.
As the articles I posted on my website increased, I noticed more overseas visitors making use of it and I was particularly proud of an award from the USA calling it the best website for German Shepherds and the accolade is to be found on my website. It can also be found on Google: GOODDOG-obedience training with Jan Meyer.
As my website became more popular, I started getting offers from America to consider writing a book and to incorporate the many articles I have already published on the website. I liked the idea because there are many book shops in the interior of South Africa where such a book would be of benefit to dog owners especially where they do not have any dog training clubs.
Being a complete novice at book publication and having a limited budget, I had to trust upon the expertise and guidance of the publisher. It was a lengthy process, and I was regularly sent typed sections and chapters of the book. Finally, I had to provide a title for the book. Discussing it with Phyllis one evening before going to bed, I liked her suggestion: “A Trained Dog is a Good Dog.”
Using an American printing company turned out to be rather expensive because I did not do my homework sufficiently well. Transport for hundreds of books was pricey, and the book shops and stationery suppliers wanted to take a cut of half the price of a book, so I ended up selling most of the consignment directly to the club members. Nikki and Geoff sold a box in Johannesburg. Club members all bought my book, and it became a popular Christmas present.
I truly love dogs and I think that dog training is in my blood and becoming a dog trainer has been a blessing. This is only the beginning of my life with these wonderful animals and to rescue them often from a life of misery to one of admiration and love, is a privilege. I am immensely proud to be called a dog trainer.
