Suchensieger

A mobile training app that helps hunting dog handlers prepare systematically for official exams. Instead of relying on gut feel and experience alone, handlers can track their dog’s skill progression against the actual exam requirements.

The Problem

Hunting dog exams in Germany follow detailed Prüfungsordnungen — formal regulations that define exactly which skills are tested, at what standard, and how they’re scored. But most handlers train informally, relying on club sessions and personal experience. There’s no structured way to know which skills your dog has mastered, which need work, and how they map to the specific exam you’re preparing for.

The result: handlers show up to exams with blind spots. They trained what felt important rather than what was actually required.

The Approach

Map every exam’s Prüfungsordnung into a skill tree. Each skill has clear criteria, practice exercises, and a progression system — like Duolingo, but for dog training. Since many skills overlap across different exam types (e.g., basic obedience appears in almost every Prüfungsordnung), the app identifies which training activities give you the most coverage across your target exams.

Why This Matters

This is a product thinking challenge as much as a technical one. The raw material — dense regulatory documents — needs to be translated into something a handler can use at 6 AM in a field with their dog. The interface has to be fast, clear, and motivating. The data model has to capture the many-to-many relationship between skills, exams, and practice sessions in a way that enables smart recommendations.

Current Status

Early prototype. Mapping the first Prüfungsordnungen into the skill tree structure and building the core progression logic. The product thesis is validated by my own experience training hunting dogs — the gap between “I think we’re ready” and “we’ve systematically covered every requirement” is real and consequential.