The Secret of Dalton

Drive back the long drive on Krug Rd East of Dalton you will find one of the areas best keep secrets.The secret is John Nussbaum.

For over 30 years Nussbaum’s home has been a Mecca for those involved in the dog sport of schutzhund. Twice a week members from around the state travel to the pristine training grounds to train under the watchful eye of the schutzhund master.

Schutzhund is the german word for protection dog.

“In Germany dogs must have a working title to be registered. The sport of Schutzhund is the testing process for the title. To obtain the title the dog must be trained to a high level of obedience, tracking and handler protection” Nussbaum explained. The dog of choice? The German Shepherd.

“We normally host a trial (testing) about twice per year and bring evaluators in from Germany to perform the evaluations. The dogs are awared points as they are tested so it becomes a competition about who's dog can achieve the best score".

Club members train their dogs to one of three progressively difficult levels. The testing is not easy and those who are successful can be proud of what they have accomplished“. Said Nussbaum.

“Schutzund is something I do for fun and it is not a job for me. Some guys play golf, others fish, or watch TV. I have 20-30 people come to my house and we train dogs. I enjoy helping fellow dog handlers and take personal satisfaction in their accomplishments”.

Nussbaum also works closely with law enforcement and provides assistance in keeping their K9 teams trained and ready to respond.

Nussbaum’s “day job” is auto restoration. "I started doing body work for a small shop in Doylestown and soon started my own business here at my home”.

When ask why his work focus is on restoration as opposed to more common body repair, his reply was “its more fun”.

“I like the older cars and my son Zack (who works with his father) likes them too. Nothing is better than having a job that you enjoy”

On the day of the interview Nussbaum was working on a 1955 Porsche. As he did some welding on the car he stated that the car was scheduled for a complete restoration. The next bay of the shop contained a Jagwire that was also in the process of restoration.

On the wall of Nussbams shop you will find photographs of some completed projects. One of the more impressive being a Rolls-Royce convertible.



"I do not advertise and do not have a website. My work comes to me via word of mouth. I like to stay low profile, and I am happy to say that I have a waiting list for my work." Nussbaum said with a smile.