MEET OUR CURRENT PACK

~ a tribute
21 Mar 23 we rushed Synda to the vet after she displayed some significant discomfort moving. Unfortunately, shortly after arriving at the vet Synda passed. It was sudden and unexpected. It shocked and hurt us. And I’m sure it will hurt her number one human, Samantha for sometime to come.

It happened so quickly that we never got to say goodbye properly. We think such an amazing dog deserved more and we would like to write some words to pay tribute to this incredible dog. This is our tribute and farewell to Synda.
Synda was so many things. The perfect companion, a powerful sport dog, a formidable home protector, a discerning mentor to juvenile dogs, a surrogate mother for puppies, and a hilarious playmate.

Within the home Synda was as good as it gets. You would never know she was an extremely driven working line German Shepherd. She was happy to sleep on the lounge for hours, I often shared my meals with her. You had to take care of your fingers though… She loved her food. Your food. All food. She slept next to my side of the bed when allowed but never complained when left to sleep on the lounge, outside, or in a crate. She was very obedient to me and Samantha however was happy to bite her thumb at new people. As if she’d say “who do you think you are?”. She was gentle with children, my kids loved laying on the lounge patting her for hours. She loved to greet her friends with circles and high pitched noises. These hurt my ears, but everyone loved to be greeted with such joy.

When not handing out cuddles and sleeping on the lounge Synda was a powerful sport dog. She was intense, serious and kept a helper on their toes. She responded to pressure by getting stronger. She achieved high in trial Protection and won the helpers choice award for the most powerful performance in the WA trial in 2017. She had a super powerful bark and very firm grip. Unfortunately her body suffered from arthritis early and she was forced into retirement. Forced is the right word because she would still be doing schutzhund now if she could.

Synda often surprised people. Sometimes by biting her thumb at them. We often had to apologise to our staff who were unable to coerce her inside. However, she could also be very protective of her home to strangers. It would give us a little chuckle when she would bark loudly causing people to stop in their tracks. She wouldn’t actually ever hurt a fly… I think…

Often we had juvenile dogs in training that were little delinquents. Synda was the perfect mentor to these guys. Her ability to transition from fair and just disciplinarian, to play mate and mentor was nothing short of incredible. We learnt a lot from her about reading and communicating to these young dogs. However, we could never get close to her skill and ability to bring these delinquents into line.
With puppies Synda was a different dog again. Her patience and tolerance, exceptional. Most of our litters were introduced to her as the first adult they met other than mum. It was always a calm positive experience thanks to Synda.

Synda loved to play. And she was a savant at eliciting play from the unsuspecting. She would bring them things. Anythings. If you weren’t ready, before you realised, you would be playing fetch with said things. These things included toys, inanimate objects, sticks, leaves, fluff, hair, tiny bits of leaves… Anything. She would drop them in your lap. And if you swept them away because you didn’t want slobbery sticks on your lap… you were done. She had you. Most people liked this and thought it hilarious, at first…
Perhaps the most important, enjoyable and profound role in Syndas life was as a companion to Samantha. The connection these guys had was second to none that I have seen in 25 years of working with dogs. To watch them play and interact together was to see a human/dog relationship to be envious of.

Samantha truly loved Synda. They were inseparable. Samantha understood her, knew when she needed, what she needed, and could seemingly empathise with her.
I have often said, dogs don’t love, and at the time I meant it. However, in recent years my stance has softened to; dogs don’t love the same way humans do. Synda is largely the reason for the change to my thought process. If there was ever a dog that truly loved, this bitch is it. She loved Samantha and Samantha loved her.

A brilliant, irreplaceable dog that will be sorely missed by her family and the Kaizen K9 team!

RIP Synda-pie.
You were loved more than you ever knew.

Stanley is Ben’s dog. He has an interesting pedigree. Mephisto, his father, is from French lines. Ben met him in Sydney and immediately fell in love. Compact, athletic, yet imposing. His mother, Sabrina, is from Prix and Yves. This combination has produced numerous excellent working dogs. When we heard about this litter we immediately contacted Lisa Carter and placed an order.

We were not disappointed. Stanley is everything we could have asked for and more. He’s super agile, powerful, possesses extreme play drives and displays appropriate aggression. He’s the dog I always wanted.

At the time of writing Stanley was almost three. At this young age he has already achieved many notable accolades. These include obtaining IGP3 in 2024 winning Grand National Champion (A = 97, B = 97, C = 90) in the WDFA national championships at the Central Coast NSW. He has also achieved FH1 with a score of 96 points.

Stanley has many other roles including movie star. Performing in, “The Surfer” with Nicolas Cage. Greyhound trainer, running laps with our hounds several times per week. And best friend to Ben Geurts.

He’s a legend!

Owned by one of our VIP clients. Frag has become Samantha’s project. He’s highly trainable and very obedient. He’s very fast across the ground and hits like a missile in the courage test. He’s also naturally protective of his owner and his territory, yet very balanced and friendly when he should be. He’s very independent while remaining engaged. He loves to play, bite, and explore the property. He’s quite intimidating when he wants to be yet a lovable friendly dog when he needs to be. He’s much loved by us and his owner. Samantha is training him in the sport of schutzhund for the owner and hopes to compete soon.

She’s a working girl! Takes care of a clients yard by night and helps us train decoys and helpers by day. She’s a sharp bitch, diminutive but with a big heart. Not a huge fan of strangers but very loving once she knows you. She’s lighting fast across the ground and
means it when she bites.