Winifred
Strickland’s methods are proven. Her
training and competition records are unmatched, and she has
successfully
trained thousands of dogs and their handlers.
I was one of those handlers. I consider myself lucky to have
befriended such a wonderful person who shares the same personal
feelings about
the German Shepherd Dog as I. While
assigned to the NYPD K-9 Unit in the
1980’s, I contacted Mrs. Strickland after reading one of her books. I was preparing for competition in the United States Police Canine Association and was hungry for
knowledge and obedience
techniques. So I began my search for the
best trainers known!
A personal
friend of mine (Don Steerling), who was a K-9 officer and trainer for
the Suffolk
County Police Department with over 25 years of experience donated his
time
training me on weekends. This went on
for years! However; I felt that I needed
more precise training. That’s when I
contacted Mrs. Strickland. I remember
being nervous while talking to her and she quickly put me at ease! She was outgoing and forthcoming in sharing
her obedience training methods & techniques with me.
During that time we became friends and it has
lasted to present time. One of the first
& most important things I remember Mrs. Strickland telling me, was
to “trust
my dog – trust my dog”! That advice
earned me a perfect score in obedience during the USPCA trails and more
importantly, kept me alive on the streets of NYC. I
knew someday I was going to own one of her
dogs. That was my goal and my
dream! Twenty years passed and that
dream and goal became reality.
In June of
2000, I purchased a female German Shepherd Dog from Winifred
Strickland’s
Wynthea’s Kennels. I named her Wynthea’s
Jaycee. Mrs. Strickland bred her Sire: Wynthea’s Ace of Diamonds UDX, CGC, TDI (Obedience Trail Champion) OFA, to her Dam:
Allie Vom Kirschental (German Herding Champion) “A” stamped. Out of that litter I got my little girl
“Jaycee”. By the time Jaycee was 8
months old she won her CD, (Highest score in the FT. Myers Dog Show 199
points). This show was the most
memorable for me. The reason being, a
ring judge came up to me and stated “Your dog was perfect, you were
not”, and
for that, a point was taken away. The
judge then asked me a question, “is that a Strickland dog”? I replied, “yes”… The
judge smiled and walk away.
Jaycee's
Parents are shown on the front of
this book. |
As you can see from the litter, Jaycee’s
offspring are magnificently gorgeous and portrays the ideal German
Shepherd characteristics
and qualities.