Wednesday July 29th, 2009 - August 2nd, 2009
As early as 1968, isolated groups of people had been working their dogs in Schutzhund trials, Sieger Shows, and Breed Surveys throughout various parts of Canada. Early clubs were to be found in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Langley. These clubs were usually guided by people from Germany who had brought their expertise with them to their new country.
In April 1978, a relatively large trial was held in Richmond, BC. The competitors and guests who represented many of the western provinces decided that a national organization representing Canada and all of our interests would further our sport more effectively than single clubs working in isolation. With the urging and guidance of our guest judge, SV Gernot Riedel of the United Schutzhund Clubs of America, the ground work was laid for electing an executive and making a beginning later that summer. Gernot returned in June, and in Calgary our first ever executive was elected consisting of Frank Mensing, President; Eric Morphy, Vice President; Cathy Gay, Secretary; Karl Hauser, Treasurer; Doug Deacon and Lyle MacMillan, Members-at-Large.
There in the wind and sun, under a flapping canvas tarp, with about twenty-five members casting their votes on scraps of paper, the United Schutzhund Club of Canada, later changed to the German Shepherd Schutzhund Club of Canada, was formed. The first Canadian Schutzhund 3 Championship was held in Vancouver in 1979. In 1982, the first Canadian Sieger Show was held in Edmonton Alberta. In Vancouver in 1983, the Schutzhund Championship and Sieger Show were held in conjunction with each other. In 1987, Quebec City hosted the first national championship in "La Belle Province". This landmark event greeted our French speaking members and clubs into the national organization as full-fledged participants. Today, GSSCC clubs are found throughout Canada.