Hi, my name is Dawn Kundert,
and I raise and train working Belgian Shepherds.
Although fairly new to the working lines of Belgians (2011), I’ve been handling and training dogs my entire life. My Mom often joked that the first word I said was Yiya, which was one of the family dogs. The name Yiya, means someone who will give you their heart and soul, which turns out to be incredibly ironic, as that’s what working Belgian Shepherds are all about.
Mom was right when she teased, because I had lived and breathed dog shows, puppies and dog training. My parents raised and showed English Setters. When they were showing their Setters in the breed ring, I was off watching obedience. I admired those dogs that were intensely focused on their humans. It was then that I fell in love with the Belgians. I was about ten years old. These memories stayed with me. Later on, when I left college and bought a small farm, I wanted a good dog to help out. Naturally, I got a Belgian!
My first Belgian Tervuren 30+ years ago taught me a lot about the breed. I added a second a couple years later and by then I was hooked. I’ve had many since then, some good, some not so good, but all easy to love. I competed with them in obedience, conformation and agility, and used several for herding at home.
During this time I also taught obedience, agility, and family dog training classes. I had numerous dogs stay with me for training. I found that I liked different things about different breeds but knew they just weren’t right for me. Belgians were special.
About a 15 years ago, I had a couple of family obligations that required me to stop teaching classes and back off on outside events. I stopped competing and training. I eventually took a leave of absence from work. My Mom’s cancer progressed and then she got much worse: she had multiples strokes and developed dementia.
During this time I also taught obedience, agility, and family dog training classes. I had numerous dogs stay with me for training. I found that I liked different things about different breeds but knew they just weren’t right for me. Belgians were special.
About a 15 years ago, I had a couple of family obligations that required me to stop teaching classes and back off on outside events. I stopped competing and training. I eventually took a leave of absence from work. My Mom’s cancer progressed and then she got much worse: she had multiples strokes and developed dementia.
Bonnie and her flock
During this time, a couple of things made a huge impression on me.
1) While Mom was in a nursing home, I watched police dogs (including a Malinois) search for a dementia patient that had walked away from the facility. Of course I *knew* that dogs were bred to do important jobs like this, but seeing it in person made it real.
The thing that struck me was that these dogs and their handlers were doing something truly meaningful. Even though my focus at the time was on my mom, I knew right away that this was something I might someday have the potential to do.
2) At the farm, we lost a couple of sheep to coyotes and decided to add a Livestock Guardian Dog to the farm to protect the sheep. I couldn’t afford a fully trained adult dog, so added a 3 month old puppy (Bonnie). I had no previous experience in handling this type of dog, so I relied heavily on the breeder for advice. She basically told me it was all instinct, there was no training that I should do, and that actual ‘training’ was counterproductive as the pup needed to make her own decisions down the road. She said I should make sure the pup likes all kinds of people, knows how to get on a livestock trailer and holds still for things like shots. Just put the pup in with a group of mellow sheep, and once she is comfortable with them, gradually introduce her to the whole flock. That was it!
1) While Mom was in a nursing home, I watched police dogs (including a Malinois) search for a dementia patient that had walked away from the facility. Of course I *knew* that dogs were bred to do important jobs like this, but seeing it in person made it real.
The thing that struck me was that these dogs and their handlers were doing something truly meaningful. Even though my focus at the time was on my mom, I knew right away that this was something I might someday have the potential to do.
2) At the farm, we lost a couple of sheep to coyotes and decided to add a Livestock Guardian Dog to the farm to protect the sheep. I couldn’t afford a fully trained adult dog, so added a 3 month old puppy (Bonnie). I had no previous experience in handling this type of dog, so I relied heavily on the breeder for advice. She basically told me it was all instinct, there was no training that I should do, and that actual ‘training’ was counterproductive as the pup needed to make her own decisions down the road. She said I should make sure the pup likes all kinds of people, knows how to get on a livestock trailer and holds still for things like shots. Just put the pup in with a group of mellow sheep, and once she is comfortable with them, gradually introduce her to the whole flock. That was it!
Eventually my mom passed away and things started to settle down. It was time to add a new puppy.
My experience with “Gracie” turned out to be a life changing event for me.
This confident little puppy hopped off the plane and totally and completely stole my heart. To this day she has done everything I have asked of her and more, with spunk and a happy attitude. She makes me laugh every day with her silly antics. She has a wonderful character, incredible drive and is a phenomenal worker. Not a day goes by that I’m not in awe of what she can accomplish. I truly can’t believe that I am so incredibly lucky to have such an amazing best buddy.
These last few years have shown me a different side of Belgians; lines that have been specifically selected for good working qualities for over 100 years. I am hopeful that our breeding program will help these characteristics live on for many more generations.
These are the type of puppies that I want to produce: healthy, versatile and extremely agile. They have strong focused drives and great environmental stability. They impress you daily with their quick thinking and awesome work ethic. They are not meant to be pets or couch potatoes and will pester you to work if you don’t train or play with them on a daily basis... there is no such thing as staying in bed all day sick with one of these dogs. They are social, adaptive and confident; truly a pleasure to work with. They are incredibly loyal and literally live for the opportunity to do work with their humans.
My overall goal is hard to put into words; it encompasses the above, but it also has to do with believing there is a need for truly good working dogs. I want to share this kind of dog with other dedicated owners who will appreciate their TRUE value as much as I do.