Gavin Buck has been in the sport of IPO for many years and has competed with two Rottweilers: Stormhaus Athena and Stormhaus Drago, his current dog.

Stormhaus Athena was the first Rottweiler to compete and qualify at an international trial, the Rottweil Grand Pre in 2013, where they came joint 9th in the trial of 35 dogs.

Building on Athena’s success, Stormhaus Drago became National Champion in 2017 and won the British Rottweiler Sport Dog Club event with best track and best obedience and came second in the protection round.

Due to an injury in 2018, Drago was unable to compete for the title again – and this is when he started to benefit from the Photizo machine.

Gavin and Drago have competed at two Rottweiler World Championships in Belgium in 2017 and Holland in 2018. They’ve also competed at two FCI All Breeds World Championships in Germany in 2017 and Italy in 2018, where they became the first team from Great Britain to compete and qualify with a tracking score of 90/100 obedience and 72/100 in protection work (Germany).

They won the Super Trophy in 2018 with best track, best obedience and best protection – this is the first time a Rottweiler has even won this all breeds event.

Gavin is a former Police dog handler and has worked with two Rottweilers and one German Shepherd within the force.

His love of the sport began after attending an IPO club some years ago, when he wanted to learn about the tracking side of the sport and how to get started.

He has since learned that the sport takes a lot out of the dogs and to keep them in tiptop condition, as K9 athletes, you have to give them the right food, exercise and training program, along with regular massage and light therapy. This has helped to keep Drago in good condition as he approaches his older age.