Fallbrook man and his Belgian Malinois claim third Schutzhund championship

FALLBROOK – They did it again. David Greene and his Belgian Malinois, Luigi du Dantero, won the 2011 Southwest Region Schutzhund III Championships. They won this prestigious designation the weekend of March 19-20 in Phoenix, Arizona, and this is the third year in a row they have claimed the championship.

According to the United Schutzhund Clubs of America, the Southwestern Regional Champion silver cup shows Greene and his dog breaking a three-time back to back to back record.

This win distinguishes Luigi for the third year in a row as the top dog in his field throughout California, Southern Nevada and Arizona. Schutzhund, a German dog sport, entails advanced levels of protection, flashy off-leash obedience, and scent-tracking with up to 800 human footsteps.

Greene, a Fallbrook resident, said winning this award once again doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have to rigorously train his dog.

“By no means is Luigi a remote control dog – I constantly have to train him and think out of the box when Luigi decides out of the blue that he wants to do part of a routine differently,” Greene said.

Greene has owned Luigi since he was a puppy. Now five years old, Luigi has a long list of accolades. His first accomplishment was in 2007. Since then, the awards have flowed in.

First and foremost, Greene attributes his success with Luigi to their relationship.

“In a great working relationship, when a dog trusts and believes in you, they will try their hardest to please you,” Greene said. “And Luigi does just that and has fun doing it, too.”