Felix Ho
Encyclopedia
Felix Ho is a canine
behaviorist, animal trainer, writer
, athlete, and international Schutzhund
/IPO competitor. He is one of the most recognized dog sport competitors and behaviorists in the world, and one of the few dog trainers that has gained international popularity. He is highly skilled in the art of canine training especially in Schutzhund and Belgian Ring
Sport.
for high school when he turned 16. Ho continued his pursuit of animal studies, leading him into La Trobe University
in Melbourne
for his Biological Science degree.
has become his lifestyle and chosen career.
, a country renowned for its history and knowledge in animal training and breeding.
In one of Ho's interviews in 2006 in Slovenia, he stated that his training system is strongly based on a foundation of Clicker Training
, and later polished off with Aversive Stimulation. Since moving to Europe, Ho's training has evolved to a vastly meticulous structure, being heavily influenced by his current coach and mentor - Julien Steenbeke. Ho has also worked with several other influential individuals in the working dog and sporting dog world including Johan Weckhuyzen, Bart Bellon, Christoph Joris, and Mario Verslijpe. In the 2006 FCI IPO World Championship, Ho's handling style has noticeably refined and closely resembled the style of Verslijpe, who guided Ho's training from 2005 to 2006.
Felix Ho is renowned for his imposing presence, combined with a powerful yet elegant style in his performance, which frequently attract a great deal of attention in major events.
Felix resides in Belgium and continues his pursuit of canine behaviour, breeding, and international dogsport competitions. He travels frequently around the world to give seminars and private consultations regarding canine training.
First and currently only person to title a dog to SchH/IPO3 from Hong Kong and China
First and currently only FCI and FMBB world championship competitor from Hong Kong and China
First and currently only IPO judge in Hong Kong and China
First and currently only person from Hong Kong, China, and Australia to title a dog to Mondio Ring 1
First person to title a Belgian Shepherd to IPO3 in Australia
First person to compete in FCI and FMBB world championship from Australia
2005 Australian National Championship with Schwarchund Marko IPO3 90 90 91. 2nd Place
Europe
2006 FMBB World Championship Hungary with Schwarchund Marko IPO3 95 88 82. 50th Place
2006 FCI World Championship Slovenia with Schwarchund Marko IPO3 85 86 87. 63rd Place
2008 FMBB World Championship Slovenia with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 88 85 99. 25th Place
2009 Belgian Special CAC Gerpinnes with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 95 95 96. Winner
2009 FMBB World Championship Czech Republic with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 98 91 89. 16th Place
2009 FCI World Championship Austria with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 95 92 89. 19th Place
2009 KUCBH Belgian Grand Prix with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 94 94 80. 3rd Place
2010 Belgian CAC Grace-Hollogne with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 100 97 91. Winner
Highest Individual Scores on Each IPO Discipline:
Tracking 100 Eclipse van de Duvetorre 2010 Belgian CAC Grace-Hollogne
Obedience 100 Eclipse van de Duvetorre 2008 De Westerschelde Trial Holland
Protection 99 Eclipse van de Duvetorre 2008 FMBB World Championship Slovenia
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
behaviorist, animal trainer, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, athlete, and international Schutzhund
Schutzhund
Schutzhund is a dog sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breed suitability test for the German Shepherd Dog. The test would determine if the dog displayed the appropriate traits and characteristics of a proper working German Shepherd Dog...
/IPO competitor. He is one of the most recognized dog sport competitors and behaviorists in the world, and one of the few dog trainers that has gained international popularity. He is highly skilled in the art of canine training especially in Schutzhund and Belgian Ring
Belgian Ring
The Belgian Ring/Ring sport is a Protection- or "Police"-dogsport, organized by the "NVBK" , "KKUSH" as well as the "KCB"...
Sport.
Early Life and Education
Born in British Hong Kong, Ho was always interested in animals, even from a very young age of three. Eventually when Ho was seven, his parents decided to adopt a puppy from RSPCA for their only son. Due to the family's lack of experience about bringing up a dog, they had to return the German Shepherd puppy back to RSPCA after a short time. However, this event somehow planted a strong desire in Ho’s head about working with dogs in his adult life. Recognizing their child’s talent and ability with animals, Ho’s parents decided to send him to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for high school when he turned 16. Ho continued his pursuit of animal studies, leading him into La Trobe University
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
for his Biological Science degree.
Initial Involvement in Canine Training
During his university years, Ho began his dog training career as an amateur enthusiast, practiced much of his hands-on skills with a wide range of dogs, and worked with experienced trainers including Jim Tokis and Kris Kotsopoulos. At the beginning, Ho dealt with a large number of pet dogs and problem dogs, mainly teaching them a set of basic commands so they would obey their owners. As the more he learned, the more fanatical he became, after about two years, training dogs in obedience and security simply could not satisfy his hunger for knowledge anymore. He wanted to enhance his skills and ability and to compete in the world wide sport involved with working dogs, and began training and competing in Schutzhund/IPO. Eventually, this passion with canine learning, behaviour, and psychologyPsychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
has become his lifestyle and chosen career.
Turning Pro
In 2002, with the encouragement of Tokis and Kotsopoulos, Ho started his own business CanineSquad, a dog training and behavioral consultation company based in Melbourne, Australia. The services include solving behavioral problems for dog owners, training their dogs in obedience and protection, and educating the general public the proper way to communicate with their pets. The company maintained a healthy growth and Ho became increasingly successful and popular in both sport and business.Moving to Belgium
In 2005, Ho met two times Schutzhund/IPO world champion - Haruo Masuda from Japan. Sharing the same passion, the two became friends instantly. Masuda saw the talent and desire in the youngster, and encouraged him to further his career in Europe. A few months later, Ho decided to leave behind everything in Australia, to further develop his finesse with working dogs and to pursue his dream to compete on the world stage of dog sports. He migrated to BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, a country renowned for its history and knowledge in animal training and breeding.
In one of Ho's interviews in 2006 in Slovenia, he stated that his training system is strongly based on a foundation of Clicker Training
Clicker training
Clicker training is an operant conditioning method for training an animal using a clicker, or small mechanical noisemaker, as a marker for behavior. The method uses positive reinforcement - it is reward based...
, and later polished off with Aversive Stimulation. Since moving to Europe, Ho's training has evolved to a vastly meticulous structure, being heavily influenced by his current coach and mentor - Julien Steenbeke. Ho has also worked with several other influential individuals in the working dog and sporting dog world including Johan Weckhuyzen, Bart Bellon, Christoph Joris, and Mario Verslijpe. In the 2006 FCI IPO World Championship, Ho's handling style has noticeably refined and closely resembled the style of Verslijpe, who guided Ho's training from 2005 to 2006.
Receiving Recognition in Europe
In 2008, Felix Ho was selected for the FMBB World Championship hosted in Slovenia with his Malinois bitch Eclipse van de Duvetorre. Being the youngest dog in the whole championship, Eclipse made a spectacular performance in her Protection routine, scoring 99 points. In 2009, the duo took out one of the highest (98 points) in Tracking and ranked 16th in the FMBB World Championship in Czech Republic, and 19th in FCI Austria. 2009 was also the year for Ho to finally earn the respect from the Belgians when he took out the Special CAC Championship Selection in Gerpinnes leading by 13 points. He is currently one of the best IPO trainers and competitors in Belgium.Felix Ho is renowned for his imposing presence, combined with a powerful yet elegant style in his performance, which frequently attract a great deal of attention in major events.
Felix resides in Belgium and continues his pursuit of canine behaviour, breeding, and international dogsport competitions. He travels frequently around the world to give seminars and private consultations regarding canine training.
Career Highlights
Graduated in 2003 Bachelor of Biological Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, AustraliaFirst and currently only person to title a dog to SchH/IPO3 from Hong Kong and China
First and currently only FCI and FMBB world championship competitor from Hong Kong and China
First and currently only IPO judge in Hong Kong and China
First and currently only person from Hong Kong, China, and Australia to title a dog to Mondio Ring 1
First person to title a Belgian Shepherd to IPO3 in Australia
First person to compete in FCI and FMBB world championship from Australia
Schutzhund/IPO Competition High Lights
Australia2005 Australian National Championship with Schwarchund Marko IPO3 90 90 91. 2nd Place
Europe
2006 FMBB World Championship Hungary with Schwarchund Marko IPO3 95 88 82. 50th Place
2006 FCI World Championship Slovenia with Schwarchund Marko IPO3 85 86 87. 63rd Place
2008 FMBB World Championship Slovenia with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 88 85 99. 25th Place
2009 Belgian Special CAC Gerpinnes with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 95 95 96. Winner
2009 FMBB World Championship Czech Republic with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 98 91 89. 16th Place
2009 FCI World Championship Austria with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 95 92 89. 19th Place
2009 KUCBH Belgian Grand Prix with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 94 94 80. 3rd Place
2010 Belgian CAC Grace-Hollogne with Eclipse van de Duvetorre IPO3 100 97 91. Winner
Highest Individual Scores on Each IPO Discipline:
Tracking 100 Eclipse van de Duvetorre 2010 Belgian CAC Grace-Hollogne
Obedience 100 Eclipse van de Duvetorre 2008 De Westerschelde Trial Holland
Protection 99 Eclipse van de Duvetorre 2008 FMBB World Championship Slovenia
External Links
- Felix Ho website
- Schutzhund (German for "protection dog") tests dogs of all breeds for the traits necessary for police-type workSchutzhundSchutzhund is a dog sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breed suitability test for the German Shepherd Dog. The test would determine if the dog displayed the appropriate traits and characteristics of a proper working German Shepherd Dog...