The German Shepherds of Whirling Thunder Kennel are probably better educated and have better personalities than many of their human companions.
Dogs from the rural Pittsburg breeding and training facility have been honored at competitions throughout the world, and currently serve humanity in police and protection work, sniffing out drugs, explosives and the sort.
A lifelong animal lover, owner Lida Fleury started Whirling Thunder about 18 years ago. She chose that name to pay tribute to her Native American ancestor, Whirling Thunder, a son of the great Chief Blackhawk, warrior and leader of the Sac-Fox tribe.
She breeds only German shepherds because of her deep admiration for their loyalty and abilities.
“A German shepherd will protect you with its life, and they bond very quickly with humans,” she said.
Fleury’s dogs are bred using German shepherd blood lines.
“America has taken the breed and changed it,” she said. “The American shepherds are not the same as the German ones.”
A cornerstone of her breeding program was Triumphs Gucci, whom she obtained from the late Bosse Nyman, the dog’s breeder and first handler/trainer. Fleury’s beloved Gucci, hailed as “one of the greatest examples of the total German shepherd of our times,” died last May, but his sons and daughters are carrying on his tradition.
“The current AKC champion herding dog is a Gucci daughter,” Fleury said.
She’s now welcoming litters of Gucci grandchildren. Puppies are available for purchase, but Fleury must first visit the homes of prospective purchasers.
“We only sell our puppies to approved homes,” Fleury said.
She has several males who are available for stud services, but is also very choosy about this.
“All of my dogs are certified, and the females brought here to breed must be certified,” Fleury said.
Whirling Thunder Kennel also offers training programs, and she and trainer Russ Osburn emphasized that this is open to dogs of all breeds.
Training is available in basic obedience, competition obedience, search and rescue, personal protection, therapy, law enforcement/narcotics and Schutzhund training.
“Schutzhund is a field trial sport which evaluates the temperament of the dog,” Osburn said. “Most police dogs have had Schutzhund training before going into police work.”
Fleury said Whirling Thunder can also work with dogs who have behavior problems, such as fear biting, and has saved the lives of several dogs who might otherwise have been euthanized.
“Fear biting can be corrected, but the owner must follow through with the treatment,” Fleury said. “The owner can’t take the dog home and let it go back to its old ways.”
Osburn, who has a bachelor’s degree in education, has been training dogs since around 1985. He is a past national training director for the German Shepherd Dog Club of America Working Dog Association, and was executive director for the United Schutzhund Club of America. He is also an evaluator for the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program.
Osburn said that he uses motivational inducement — that is, shaping a dog’s behavior through the use of rewards, which could include food treats, toys and attention.
“You start with simple steps and build up to more complex ones,” Osburn explained. “I have to get into the dog’s head and figure out a way to make the dog do the behaviors I want. The key is to not give the reward all the time.”
Well-trained dogs are in great demand.
“If I had them, I could place 100 to 200 dogs a month,” Osburn said.
He pointed out that there are currently hundreds of U.S. military dogs in Iraq, sniffing out explosives and performing other duties.
“Ninety percent of those are German shepherds,” Osburn said.
“One of our dogs is a bomb dog, but not in Iraq,” Fleury said.
Other Whirling Thunder dogs are cherished pets, such as Nick, who lives with Brian Pinamonti and family.
“Nick is just a great family dog,” Pinamonti said.
“Nick’s brother works with the sheriff’s department in Springfield, Mo., and is a good drug dog,” Osburn added.
Nick will probably be coming back to the kennel for an obedience refresher course. This is not unusual, and Fleury and Osburn enjoy keeping in touch with their dogs and the human families that have adopted them.
“One of our dogs sometimes gets a little overweight, and his owner brings him back out here to the ‘fat farm’ so we can get him back into shape,” Fleury said.
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The German Shepherds of Whirling Thunder Kennel are probably better educated and have better personalities than many of their human companions.
Dogs from the rural Pittsburg breeding and training facility have been honored at competitions throughout the world, and currently serve humanity in police and protection work, sniffing out drugs, explosives and the sort.
A lifelong animal lover, owner Lida Fleury started Whirling Thunder about 18 years ago. She chose that name to pay tribute to her Native American ancestor, Whirling Thunder, a son of the great Chief Blackhawk, warrior and leader of the Sac-Fox tribe.
She breeds only German shepherds because of her deep admiration for their loyalty and abilities.
“A German shepherd will protect you with its life, and they bond very quickly with humans,” she said.
Fleury’s dogs are bred using German shepherd blood lines.
“America has taken the breed and changed it,” she said. “The American shepherds are not the same as the German ones.”
A cornerstone of her breeding program was Triumphs Gucci, whom she obtained from the late Bosse Nyman, the dog’s breeder and first handler/trainer. Fleury’s beloved Gucci, hailed as “one of the greatest examples of the total German shepherd of our times,” died last May, but his sons and daughters are carrying on his tradition.
“The current AKC champion herding dog is a Gucci daughter,” Fleury said.
She’s now welcoming litters of Gucci grandchildren. Puppies are available for purchase, but Fleury must first visit the homes of prospective purchasers.
“We only sell our puppies to approved homes,” Fleury said.
She has several males who are available for stud services, but is also very choosy about this.
“All of my dogs are certified, and the females brought here to breed must be certified,” Fleury said.
Whirling Thunder Kennel also offers training programs, and she and trainer Russ Osburn emphasized that this is open to dogs of all breeds.
Training is available in basic obedience, competition obedience, search and rescue, personal protection, therapy, law enforcement/narcotics and Schutzhund training.
“Schutzhund is a field trial sport which evaluates the temperament of the dog,” Osburn said. “Most police dogs have had Schutzhund training before going into police work.”
Fleury said Whirling Thunder can also work with dogs who have behavior problems, such as fear biting, and has saved the lives of several dogs who might otherwise have been euthanized.
“Fear biting can be corrected, but the owner must follow through with the treatment,” Fleury said. “The owner can’t take the dog home and let it go back to its old ways.”
Osburn, who has a bachelor’s degree in education, has been training dogs since around 1985. He is a past national training director for the German Shepherd Dog Club of America Working Dog Association, and was executive director for the United Schutzhund Club of America. He is also an evaluator for the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program.
Osburn said that he uses motivational inducement — that is, shaping a dog’s behavior through the use of rewards, which could include food treats, toys and attention.
“You start with simple steps and build up to more complex ones,” Osburn explained. “I have to get into the dog’s head and figure out a way to make the dog do the behaviors I want. The key is to not give the reward all the time.”
Well-trained dogs are in great demand.
“If I had them, I could place 100 to 200 dogs a month,” Osburn said.
He pointed out that there are currently hundreds of U.S. military dogs in Iraq, sniffing out explosives and performing other duties.
“Ninety percent of those are German shepherds,” Osburn said.
“One of our dogs is a bomb dog, but not in Iraq,” Fleury said.
Other Whirling Thunder dogs are cherished pets, such as Nick, who lives with Brian Pinamonti and family.
“Nick is just a great family dog,” Pinamonti said.
“Nick’s brother works with the sheriff’s department in Springfield, Mo., and is a good drug dog,” Osburn added.
Nick will probably be coming back to the kennel for an obedience refresher course. This is not unusual, and Fleury and Osburn enjoy keeping in touch with their dogs and the human families that have adopted them.
“One of our dogs sometimes gets a little overweight, and his owner brings him back out here to the ‘fat farm’ so we can get him back into shape,” Fleury said.
