After Coyote died, we were once again without a German Shepherd dog. I had no preconceived idea or plans of what I wanted to do with him when I eventually got a new pup, other than to give him enough training to be a wonderful companion dog for the family.
Phyllis did some searching and found adverts for German shepherd puppies from breeders in Cape Town. One morning we set out to buy our puppy. They were all so beautiful and cuddly. Phyllis loved them all, but I told the breeder we would call again. We visited a few more litters, but I still did not choose one because I was uncomfortable that the mother of the pups was fairly aggressive and the place where the puppies were raised, did not fill me with confidence. Phyllis was most disappointed, but knowing I had to train the dog, meant I wanted to be sure of its temperament.
A few weeks went by and our flight for our next holiday was already booked when I heard that there were puppies on a small holding near Stellenbosch that may still have one pup left. We decided to go and have a look. On arrival, as we were just observing the house, a German shepherd bitch came running towards us chewing a toy. Just then the kitchen door opened and a puppy came out running towards its mother followed by the breeder.
Jacqueline introduced herself and told us that her Q-litter puppies had been sold but she was still waiting for the payment for the last little guy. His name was Quanto and his father was Zinzan and the mother, Fricka. I paid her R1000 as deposit to keep him for me in case the dog was not taken and told her that we were leaving for a holiday break and please would she keep him for us in the meantime. We would follow up as soon as we got back
Phyllis was amazed that I could decide so suddenly without having had a good look at the dog and knowing nothing of the father. I explained that seeing the mother’s friendly approach to us (with a toy) and for the puppy to come out of the kitchen where he would have been exposed to the bustle of pots and pans and normal daily activities, had made up my mind in an instant. We left a little bit disappointed but with high hopes that there may still be a chance that we could get him.
As soon as we returned to Cape Town, I remembered that I had paid a deposit for a puppy and we needed to establish what had happened with him. The following week we set out to find out whether we had a pup or not. This time we also met Jean-Luc, a dog trainer and friend of Jacqueline. Yes, Quanto was still available, and I was happy to part with the rest of the R4 000. We set about doing the paperwork and found out that because both his parents had “Schutshund-3” qualifications Quanto was entitled to have a Pink pedigree document.
Added to the paperwork was a “Gift certificate” from Gleneagle German Shepherds for 4 complementary lessons at the Durbanville German Shepherd Dog club. At that time I did not think much of it because Durbanville is at least an hour’s drive from Simon’s Town.
Baby Quanto was settled onto Phyllis’ lap, where he soon fell asleep.
When we passed a long stretch of beach we decided to stop and see if he needed to pee. He loved the open beach and rolled in the sand. We simply adored our new puppy, and I started playing with him by rolling a ball as soon as he woke up. He loved chasing it and carrying it everywhere.
With both parents being champion German Shepherds and his dad also a Bite Champion, I could tell that this little boy had inherited a work ethic that set him aside from other dogs. He liked to interact with me and had the stamina to continue long after I was tired. He was loved by both of us and the collage on the right is a record of growing up in his first year.
Born in 2005, Quanto wasn’t just a loyal family companion—he carried royalty in his veins. As a Western Cape Champion, his flawless anatomy and sharp working drive were the direct results of a world-class pairing between two iconic South African bloodlines.
- The Sire (Father): VA1 Zinzan von der Weidenstrasse
Quanto’s father achieved the ultimate pinnacle in the dog world: VA1 (Excellent Select) National Champion. He hailed from the prestigious Weidenstrasse Kennels, an elite breeder holding the legendary Triple Diamond Breeders Award. Zinzan passed down world-champion German genetics, giving Quanto the striking posture, powerful gating, and deep intelligence required for top-tier training. - The Dam (Mother): Fricka of Gleneagle
Quanto’s mother represented the highly respected, classic Gleneagle bloodline. Popularised by dedicated South African hobby breeders during the late 20th-century boom of the breed, the Gleneagle line was famous for producing high-intensity, beautifully structured, and incredibly loyal dogs. - The Legacy: A Trainer’s Dream
With registration number SA035325/05, Quanto combined the elite show structure of his father with the rock-solid work ethic of his mother. It’s no surprise he became a dominant champion in the Western Cape. For a dedicated dog trainer, a canine with Quanto’s genetic willingness to learn, intense focus, and physical capability is truly a once-in-a-lifetime partner.
I took him to the Kennel Association’s breed show held in Constantia village when he was six months old and he was judged “Best of Breed.” Breed shows have their own rules of showing the dog by staying on leash, running with the dog in such a way that the judge can see different views and gaits of the exhibit. We were learning as we went to shows.
At the beginning of November, I received a call from Jacqui, his breeder, who explained that on 13th November 2005 at a show at the Epping Sports Club, a Judge would be grading German Shepherd puppies, and she strongly suggested that I bring Quanto to be graded. That would also be an opportunity to meet some of his brothers who would also be graded.
We were excited to take him along. The judge examined him and asked me to “show” him. This was my first experience of how a German shepherd should stand and run for the purpose of evaluation. We were placed 3rd and Quanto won a big bag of Ultra Dog food and a trophy.
Early in January of the following year, I decided to take Quanto to the opening ceremony of the Durbanville German Shepherd Dog Club. There were more than 30 handlers with their dogs lined up for the Club photo. We felt rather lost and amazed to see so many German Shepherds in one club. I have never seen so many Shepherds together at a single venue.
What was very interesting was that when some of the dogs started barking, Quanto moved towards them and started barking in return in ‘big boy’ fashion. We were divided into smaller classes and put with a strict trainer who explained clearly what we had to do and was extremely thorough and detailed. We were both being trained.
Over the next three weeks the lessons included footwork, show training and endurance training, and we were looking forward to tracking and bite work. My four free lessons ended but I was now “hooked” and decided to continue with my Sunday morning hour long journeys. In July we received our first Certificate of Achievement, and we were promoted to Class I.
Both of us enjoyed our lessons and did our homework and four months later were again promoted to the Schutzhund class. I discovered that in this class dogs are being prepared to qualify to become a Schutzhund. In German, the word means protection dog, for that is what a Schutzhund is trained to be. The dog must be a friendly, good natured family dog, alert and courageous and obedient. All this must be assessed after thorough training in the Schutzhund classes.
First, we had to find a vet who had the facilities and experience to do the correct hip survey and ensure that Quanto had A+ -graded hips, so that he could get the coveted “V” rating in beauty and structure. Luckily, we found a vet in Somerset West who had the experience and equipment to do the test and forward the information to the Onderstepoort veterinary institute in Pretoria where all records of these dogs are kept.
In the meantime, Quanto was consistently placed in the top 3 places in a succession of Breed shows across the Western Cape. Below are just a few of his many rosettes.
Next, I received a warning to prepare Quanto for an AD test in a months’ time. It is an endurance test that requires the dog to trot for a distance of 20 kilometres in two hours with two rest stops at 8 and 15 kilometres where he would also be examined by a veterinarian and offered a short rest and water to drink.
I had to buy a bicycle and let him run next to me for regular runs on most evenings. He also had to pull me up the (not inconsequential) hills in Seaforth where we lived. Quanto had no difficulty in passing when put to the test on the hills and gravel road near Bellville.
We had one more test to pass before continuing to do the Schutzhund exams. In the prerequisite BH test he had to be calm, do heelwork, not show fear when surprised and to bite an object and to let it go on command from his handler. (Quanto was the only dog that immediately released his bite object.) This test shows a strong desire to work and demonstrated both courage and intelligence. He must be calm and friendly around traffic, sudden loud noises, strange people and other dogs. He had to spend time on an overhead bridge with cars driving beneath. He was also secured to a pole near a shopping centre where many people and bicycles would pass him.
Schutzhund Trial: Both Quanto’s Dad and Mom achieved Schutz III levels and Dad did it twice! Schutzhund Trials consist of 3 phases. Each is worth 100 points. The dog must score at least 70/100 points to pass each test and pass all three on the same day or weekend to qualify for the title Schutzhund I, II or III. Each one is incrementally more difficult.
Tracking:
The dog must follow a human scent trail across open ground and must locate small dropped items along the path. This tests his scenting ability and mental focus.
Obedience:
The dog must do heel work, jumps and dumbbell retrieves. He must also obey commands from a distance and stay calm around distractions like gunfire or moving crowds.
Protection:
Protection training is the most advanced discipline and a very difficult and demanding test for both the handler and the dog who have train specifically for this. In this test the dog’s intelligence, courage, drive and control is tested to the limit. To achieve this we need a specially trained helper, who taught him to bark continuously until ordered to stop, maintain his grip on the protective sleeve, focus and maintain eye contact with the “baddie” etc.
Blinds are temporary, triangular fabric structures placed on a field to hide a decoy (helper) during the protection phase.
During a trial, an off-leash dog must first search the blinds. In Schutz 3 there are 6 blinds to search before finding the decoy and once located, the dog must hold the decoy by barking or biting the sleeve and then immediately release when given the command. He has to guard the decoy on his own and when said decoy attempts to ‘escape’, re-capture him within a prescribed distance. He must also show the courage to disarm him in a full-frontal attack. This tests his courage, control and ability to distinguish between a threat and non-threat.
Luckily Quanto’s parents were Schutz 3 champions and he proved that had what it takes and achieved around 80% scores in each of his tests from 1 to 3.
Protection work at the club started on a “first come first serve” basis but by the time I reached Durbanville on a Sunday my name was entered near last which meant that my training often only started by 2 or 3pm and I got home when it was getting dark.
The Obedience Tests:
Obedience training is preparing the Schutzhund dog for most jobs that he has to do with humans.
Basic exercises:
1 Heel. Done off lead, this exercise includes changes of pace and direction, heeling through a group of people and the sound of gunfire. What is different is that in the about turn the handler does a left about turn and the dog does a right about turn. The heel pattern is predetermined. Forty 40 paces straight paces, turn and now 10 normal, 10 slow 10 fast and 10 normal paces on the return.
2 Sit. While heeling the dog sits on command while the owner continues forward and then returns to his seated dog. The sit now is now tested while on the move. Heeling forward you must order the dog to sit on your 10thfootstep when the dog should drop like a brick. The problem is that soon the dog starts counting and at step 9 begins to go down and you lose points. Also, gunfire is used to test the dog’s nerves.
3 Down with a recall. The dog must on the command, “Voraus,” “Vorentoe” or “Go out” run in a straight direction at speed until commanded to “Plutz” lie down. This is usually taught using a favourite ball or toy. The problem occurs in competition when the dog does not lie down but begins to search for his toy.
4 Retrieve exercises:
4.1.Using a 2kg dumbbell the dog must, on command, go out and retrieve dumbbell.
4.2.Repeat the exercise but on return jump over a I metre high gate.
4.3.The Wall. The dog must retrieve a lighter dumbbell that is thrown over a 6ft (1.8m) high “wall” by climbing over the obstacle and return the same way over it and present it to the handler. This tests the dog’s agility, raw strength, jumping technique, courage etc. under physical exertion. 20 points 10 each way.
4.4.The send away. On the command, “Voraus!” to run away from the handler in a straight line at high speed until the command “Platz!” (down) when the dog must drop down flat on his belly.
As if these tests are not difficult enough, we had to do these tests one night in the dark under floodlights. Quanto had to do our training over a few evenings and had to pay a company for the use of their lights when we practised in the evenings. Fortunately, we passed but it was a great test and good experience to see how the dogs did the retrieve over the wall and all the exercises with a large crowd of onlookers. I sure was very proud of my dog.
Tracking:
Tracking teaches a dog to follow a specific human scent foodprint methodically rather than just searching for him blindly or moving too fast.
The way you start is with a “scent pad” by stomping a small area of the ground to crush the vegetation and then to scatter some high-value food in that patch. So you build a food base first. When the dog searches outside the crushed area he won’t find food.
You now start a track by crushing each footstep and leaving a treat in it. When the dog is hungry for food, he is then guided to find food in each step of the track that is laid for him. Later he may find nothing in a footstep but searches the next ones for food.
What I found difficult about tracking was that in Simon’s Town I could train Quanto to track early in the morning but all the fields were grass covered. The Schutz trails were all conducted on farm lands on farms with no grass and lots of cow dung.
Breed Champion:
Both Quanto’s parents were pure bred German shepherds so when he was still a puppy and was judged “Best of Breed” in a show, I decided to investigate the possibility of seriously compete for the title as an adult.
At the club we received show training and the instructor had difficulty in getting him to maintain the required show gait. However, I persisted and he improved over time. My problem was that when you walk or run with your dog you don’t see his legs or body moves. Getting to “Stack” him in the right pose for a German shepherd was a lot easier.
To become a breed champion, he must be a pure-bred dog that meets the official written standards and wins at Championship Shows. How he moves, his temperament and have the ideal traits for his specific breed. Same sex dogs compete against each other and must achieve a set number of points under 5 different judges to earn the title “Best of Breed” in Championship Shows.
Only one judge may be from his home city. Two may be from another city and one show must be from an away venue. These requirements make it very hard to become a champion because judges have their own likes and preferences when they have to decide on which German shepherd of all in the ring is the champion in that show.
In his first Championship show Quanto was judged to be “Reserve Best of Breed.” Coming second was great, but unfortunately it does not qualify if you want to a champion. However, in the next show a judge from Guatemala awarded him his first Challenge certificate (below) confirming: “I am clearly of the opinion that this exhibit is of such outstanding merit as to be worthy of challenging for the title of champion.”
On Sunday 1 April 20007 we entered the German Shepherd Open Dog Show and Quanto was placed first and received his 2nd CC (Challenge Certificate) as well a beautiful trophy. He also received the coveted V Grading Certificate. A V-grading in GSDs stands for “Vorzuglich”, meaning “Excellent” in German. The rating is issued for excellence in physical structure (size, anatomy, movement), as well as having working/obedience titles and a stable temperament.
On the 20th October 2007, we entered the Breede River Valley Kennel Club, Championship show and the Canadian Judge, Mrs Egerton, awarded Quanto his 3rd CC.
It was nice to have Colin handling Quanto during the GSD Federation show where he again received a trophy and a V Grading. We attended breed shows while continuing our German shepherd classes on most Sundays. Breed shows were seasonal and mostly from September till the end of March each year.
The 2008 season started very well for us. On1st March 2008 we entered the Kennel Association – Championship show and the Gauteng judge Mr R Ryrie Placed him first and his fourth CC
One day later, on the 2nd March, we entered the Liesbeek 59th kennel Club Championship Show. Judge Mrs M Haystek of Gauteng again placed us in front of the queue of entries. I knew we had a good chance by the number of times the judge turned and looked at Quanto. We circled the ring, but it did not seem good enough and we had to run again. Again, I was asked to run, but faster. I explained that I had an injured leg and could not run any faster. At that moment a voice from the stands offered to run with Quanto. The judge agreed that he could.
This young man took Quanto and ran as beautifully as if they had trained together. Quanto was officially lined up first in order of merit. We had our 5th CC and Quanto of Gleneagle was a breed champion. I thanked the man who ran with him, but he disappeared fairly quickly. The next day I saw a picture of him in the local newspaper mentioning that he was on his way to represent South Africa at the prestigious “Crufts” Dog show in London.
The KENNEL UNION OF SOUTHERN AFRICA sent me a letter of congratulations as well as the certificate linting him as CHAMPION as well as the Breeder’s Diploma that I had to present to the Glen family who were very involved in Schutzhund training where I regularly kept them informed of our progress in the breed ring.
Two months later on the 17-18 th May we entered the Western Provincial Schutzhund Trail and Quanto scored above 80 % in each section Obedience, Protection and Tracking and was rewarded with his Schutzhund 1 title Trophy and badge.
In September we entered the Cape Handlers Obedience Trial in which we were able to scored 91% and we received a certificate declaring Quanto an Obedience champion and a CD title to his name.
As word of Quanto’s breed award and obedience record was being spread as well as his direct link to the famous Zinzan, I was approached by breeders for stud purposes. This I had not seriously considered before and Quanto did not even have a stud book. This I had to obtain from the GSD dog federation of South Africa.
Once I received same, I had to read through all the rules and obligations that are demanded from the union. At that stage I already knew the breeders quite well and left them to explain the procedures to follow. Mating is not as easy as leaving two opposite sex dogs together. Bitches have a finite number of days when copulation must take place. Sometimes we had to physically help them during the act of penetration.
What was not nice was to sometimes have to leave Quanto on the stud farm for a day or two before fetching him. What was enjoyable though, was to go and visit the puppies at around a month old. We already had a new female puppy, Polo, and did not want more dogs.
Blessing of the animals
During that time, I was chairman of the TEARS animal rescue organisation and Quanto and I regularly participated in the “Blessing of Animals” in the Company’s Garden next to the Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town. This ritual honors the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. Many different animals were brought to the venue to be blessed and many press reporters were in attendance. There were horses and donkeys, cats and birds and other pet creatures that were lovingly presented by their owners.
I was asked to do a scripture reading and have a picture of Father Jeniker blessing Quanto during the ceremony. He was happy to wander among the animals but did not like being splashed with the holy water. Quanto received a lot of attention from the press representatives, and I had to answer many questions about him. He was comfortably wandering around without a leash and was even hugged by some people in the crowd.
Goodwill
My Obedience club had received quite a lot of attention and we were invited to do a dog display of or training activities at schools for their fund raising. These institutions arranged their fund raising over a weekend and then asked us to entertain the crowd. This ranged from schools in Kommetjie to Sea Point in which many of the senior members of the club, all in club uniform, participated. To end our exhibition Quanto and I and a helper gave a Schutzhund exhibition of what protection training is all about. This was a very popular part of each show.
As Quanto grew older I noticed that he was having difficulty going over the “Wall” so we stopped doing the Schutzhund exercises. He was almost 10 years old and we had arranged for a house sitter to look after the dog while we were overseas on a two week trip.
Unexpectedly we were told that the house sitter could not look after the dogs so I searched for a kennel to help but all demanded a valid kennel cough vaccination document. I received one from our local vet and they agreed to house our dogs in separate kennels because of the short vax notice.
We were relieved and were going on with our trip preparations when Quanto starting to cough on the Saturday evening. I got hold of our vet and demanded an explanation. He said that it is possibly a different strain of kennel cough and I needed to bring him in on the Monday for an examination.
That week Quanto stopped coughing and we were hopeful that we were over the scare. Back home and the next Sunday morning, Phyllis woke me and said that Quanto was on her side of the bed and he was very ill. I could also see that the was doing badly and immediately called the Claremont clinic that was open 24 hours and they agreed that I could bring him in for an examination.
I arrived there when it was still dark and explained to the vet that he had a kennel cough injection and explained what my local vet had diagnosed. I was asked to wait and Quanto went with the duty vet. I sat alone in the waiting room for some time before he returned without Quanto. The vet then told me that he did not have kennel cough but that it was his heart. He explained that half of the heart was gone and he did not have much longer to live. There was not much that they would be able to do and I could take him home and consult with my vet.
I immediately phoned Phyllis and gave her the terrible news. The prognosis was extremely poor with limited time to live. We were also going overseas in a few days’ time. She said that she would be happy with any decision I would make. I was still alone in the waiting room waying up the options confronting me. I did not want him to suffer after the wonderful active life he had led and told the vet that It was my decision to end his suffering. Some of the staff knew me and Quanto’s achievements.
The vet team gave me an empty room where Quanto and I, could spend half an hour to “say good bye” to each other. He laid on a soft blanket on the table while I stroked and caressed his body but I cried that morning like I have never done before. I was still crying as I settled the bill. At home Phyllis and little Polo joined me in our sadness.
I hope that Quanto and our other dogs are all healthy and waiting for me at the rainbow bridge and that we all can cross it together.🌈 🐾🐾
