Nuri von Sonnenhügel, BH, IPO-RH V
Nūrī (نوري) means “my light,” and in her own way, she truly is. I chose her because the white star on her chest reminded me of Chaos, my heart dog. When I brought her into my life, I was hoping for an easy path to my dream of titling a dog in Mondio Ring. Instead, I ended up with a strange little fluff ball who has very strong opinions about how things should be done.
Our relationship isn’t always easy, but one thing is certain: Nuri is teaching me more about dog training, life, and partnership than I ever expected. Along the way, she’s also helping me become a better therapist.
Our goal for 2025 is to try for IGP 1 in April, 2025 and possibly for IPO-RH level A.
Trial photo courtesy of Flash of Paws
Team Nuri’s Past Trial Adventures:
May 2024, BH (Begleithundprüfung or “traffic-sure companion dog test”)
Our first attempt as a team didn’t go quite as I had hoped – but we did pass. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that all the hard work I had poured into training didn’t show in our performance. For the first time, I found myself wondering how I could put so much effort into something and have so little to show for it.
Looking back, I think it was because I was laying so many foundations: agility, canine conditioning, obedience – building skills that would serve us in the long run. But at the time, my only benchmark was Chaos, who had set an almost impossible standard back in 2012. Training him always felt effortless; we earned high-in-trial BH on our very first attempt without the guidance of a club or any prior experience training a dog for competition.
IPO-RH (Search and Rescue) F (Tracking) V Level, September 2024
Our first “real” trial combined two phases: tracking/victim alert and obedience. Nuri was incredible during the tracking phase, earning an unexpected 96/100. As a complete newbie to tracking, I truly just held the other end of the leash and hoped for the best. It felt like the perfect partnership – I was trusting my dog to figure out what she needs to do and she did.
The obedience phase, however, was a very different story. It began with a long stay in the sun, which set the stage for what turned into a tough and, frankly, painful experience. Adding to the challenge, one of the team members – who shall remain unnamed – displayed some unsportsmanlike behavior, goofing around between exercises. We were able to scrape by with a score of 75/100.
Trial photo courtesy of Flash of Paws
In Memory of Chaos vom Eisenherz, BH, CGC
(September 11, 2011- July 10, 2021)
My heart dog, exceptional in every way. The German Shepherd I have dreamed of since I was a kid, and borrowing from his breeder, Jen Williams, “a dog that exceeds expectations – a companion and working partner sound in both body and mind, properly balanced between drive for the work it was intended to perform and the unyielding desire to work alongside its master”.
Since the day he came in my life at 8 weeks old, Chaos was my shadow, every moment of every day, always next to me. It didn’t matter what I was doing or where I was, he was always close by, a true partner and a friend. Chaos was one of a kind – he had stunning looks, incredible intelligence, loyalty and intensity. He loved swimming, tugging and playing ball, bananas and blueberries and he had to participate in everything that was happening around him. He despised walks with a passion, and yet, begrudgingly walked with me every day. I never imagined that dogs like him could exist in real life and as heartbroken as I am with his departure, I am grateful that I had him as my companion and partner.
Rest in peace, buddy, your work is done. I will hug you again on the other side, whatever that may look like.
