Katka Müller, FMBB IGP World ChampionKatka Müller is a soft spoken IGP dog sport trainer from a small northern border town called Teplice, in the Czech Republic. She is the 2023 FMBB IGP World Champion with her dog Be Eddy de Fontemordant. Her passion for dogs began at nine years of age. Following are some of her dog sport highlights:
Dita (GSD) Katla’s love of dogs began well before her father gave her first dog, Dita, as a gift for your 9th birthday. Dita went everywhere with Katka. For training, they would walk several kilometers to the training facilities. Katka would tie Dita to a fence and they would wait for her turn to train
Ascarri Hvezda (DSH) At the age of nineteen she moved to Germany. She didn’t speak the language and didn’t have much of a network, but she didn’t care. A life in Germany called to her. The first years were a struggle, however within a few years she had become conversant in German she started to find her groove. Then out of the blue her interest in dog sport reawakened. Her first dog after the pause was Susi. Sadly she was injured, so Katka made her a companion pet. She still wanted to train and she found a Dutch Shepherd named Ascarri Hvezda. She took a mentor in Andre Fermum, who helped her handle some of the challenging aspects of Ascarri and provided Katka with a solid training foundation. Coincidently, Andre and his student Katka, will be competing with one another at the 2024 FMBB IGP National Championship.
Kizzy vom Falkenstock (MAL) Wolfgang Tome offered a puppy which would be the dog which would take Katka to national level IGP competition. She was still in Germany at this time and for foundation training, Katka would train with Stefan Juntke for the first two years. Then unexpectedly, Katka had life events unfold that required her to return to The Czech Republic. She made the most of the changes and competed with Kizzy in four national championships in the Czech Repiblic, twice earning vice national champion. They qualified for the FMBB World Championship in 2020 but unfortunately it did not take place due to Covid. And since Covid didn't subside for another year, Katka decided to retire Kizzy early.
Be Eddy de Fontemordant (MAL) In 2017, Katka lost her beloved Ascarri. Fate has a way and a few days later Oliver Radke contacted Katka about a special puppy out of his dog Ferro du Mont St. Aubert who was VDH Vice Champion and 6th place at the 2015 FMBB World Championship. Katka fell in love with ‘Ferro’ the first time she saw him perform and it was a enduring impression. The opportunity and timing to have a Ferro progeny meant to be. Enter the stage- Eddu (Be Eddy de Fontemordant). Eddu is a clear headed but dominant Malinois with extreme drive. Establishing reciprocal relationship and channeling the drive has its challenging moments and the journey has been an adventure. Oliver Radke is an FCI world championship judge, International level competitor and breeder. He has been a mentor for Katka, helping guide and influence her to the best path forward. Another important element in their protection performances has been the helper work of Marek Urban. The journey has led the pair to earning the title of World Champions.
The Road Ahead Becoming a world champion has not changed Kafka’s philosophy. She still has a day job and dog sport is her passion. When she brings a dog into her home it is for life so she will continue her commitment to bring the best from her dogs. She likes the quote "without work, there are no cakes.” In her own words “if you want something you simply have to be diligent, and willing to deny yourself some short-term pleasures. Above all, love your dog, even with the faults. And of course, be realistic, because not every dog is suitable for top sports.” A few things are new, a few welcomed sponsors and requests for training seminars. Dog sport is still an amature sport, mostly funded out of pocket by competitor’s, so these to relationships ease some of the pressure. Eddu is only 5-years of age, so we can look forward to seeing more of this wonderful team in the future.
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