Visual treat for fans of German Shepherds, Rottweilers

As many as 80 German Shepherds and 30 Rottweiler dogs from across the state participated in the German Shepherd Specialty Show (GSSS) and the 4th Rottweiler Specialty Show (RSS), organised as a part of two-day national-level dog show organised by Karavali Canine Club affiliated to Kennel Club of India at Nehru Maidan here on Saturday.

German Shepherds and Rottweilers demonstrated a few skills taught by their masters at the show.Each canine was seen obeying dutifully the orders of their master.

On day one, ten gold and silver medals each were awarded to the dogs that performed the best, in all aspects. As the dogs pranced around, judges, Yashodhara Hemchandra and Geo Chacko sized them up on the basis of overall size, head size, eye colour, skin near the jawline, muscle, fore-arm size, lay-back of shoulders, upper and lower thighs, tail setting, movement pace and so on.

At the end of the show, the title ‘Dog of the Year’ will be awarded to the dog that wins the maximum number of titles, in any dog contest throughout India. “The second day of the show will witness a variety of dog breeds, all having been registered with the KCI, and over 3 months of age,” Vishwanath Kamath, Joint Secretary of KCC, said.

Speaking to DH, Swami who had come from Bengaluru with his Rottweiler said: “Tyson is four years old and was orginally shipped from an owner in Chandigarh, when she was just 35 days old. We feed her twice a day, with ‘Royal Canin’ dog food and Chicken. She is not a fussy eater and would gladly have home-cooked food such as rice and chicken, requiring half-a-kilo of food per day. We bathe her twice in a week and vaccinate her once a year, on a regular basis. She weighs around 45 kg. She is a working breed, a guard dog who is very efficient at her job.”

Swami is also the co-owner and head trainer of a dog-training centre in Bengaluru, named ‘K9 Gurukul’. “Our Centre currently trains 40-45 dogs of breeds, such as Siberian Husky, Labrador Retriever, Rottweiler, German Shepherd and Beagle. One of our trained Labrador retrievers - Simba, has acted in a Sandalwood movie titled ‘Naanu Mathhu Gunda’,” Swami added.

Former mayor Ashraf inaugurated the dog show.

On Sunday, native breeds like Mudhol hound and Rajapalayam will also be exhibited along with other
breeds.