Gottfried obtained his first dog at the age of 12 years of age, and has been involved with dog sport for over 45 years. He became a DVG Helper at 16 and by 18 had trained two dogs to Schutzhund III titles. In 1976, he was the youngest person to ever become a licensed dhv/DVG Judge and has been judging club, regional, and national trials ever since. In 1984, Gottfried moved to North America, first residing in Canada where he served as the KG North’s president before moving to Florida in 1989.

Gottfried has been an LV Champion many times in both Germany and, most recently in North America in 2006 in Tulsa, OK with Morris. He is a multi-time competitor at the Deutsche Meisterschaft, SV Bundeseiger, and most recently at the DVG BSP. In addition, he competed in championships at both the Schutzhund and FH levels, winning a LV FH championship in Germany. His current interest these days is in coaching and training others to enjoy the sport of Schutzhund. His expertise and dedication have also been evident in that he has coached many highly competitive and successful teams throughout North America, many of whom have won our LV Championships and gone on to compete in and sometimes win the Deutsche Meisterschaft; as did Jackie Reinhart with Niko (the first American and first woman to this in 1988 & 1989) and Mary Lou Brayman with Igor.

Gottfried has served the sport of Schutzhund as a competitor, certified helper, training coach, as training director to four different clubs, and licensed judge. In addition, he has held the position of OFS, Counselor and Trainer for the Youth Organization in Germany. He also served as DVG America’s vice president.

Gottfried wishes the competitors success and good luck and for the spectators to have fun in Florida.