A Quick Guide to Schutzhund

There is a lot of misinformation out there about the sport of Schutzhund. I hear every day that we train dogs to be aggressive, unstable, and unsuitable for homes. Nothing could be further form the truth. Schutzhund requires intelligence, stability, confidence, and a good drive. Unstable and aggressive dogs do very poorly in Schutzhund.

My wife, who trains Schutzhund, suggests that owners first get some obedience on their dogs (and if they¡¦re into titling, to get some obedience titles on their dogs first). Next, they should get their CGC (Canine Good Citizen) certification (in a nutshell, that is a certification that means your dog will behave in public, but it¡¦s a little more involved than that, but that¡¦s a different topic). After you have the obedience down and your CGC, then is the time to start looking into Schutzhund.

First, find a local group. Meet with them, some groups will allow people to watch for free, but pay per visit to work your dog, and if you join there will be yearly dues. Never join a club right away, always visit several times before even bringing your dog. Even do a few pay-per-session weekends before you join, you want to make sure you feel 100% comfortable with the club before you join. There are a lot of good clubs out there and some bad clubs out there. If you feel uncomfortable, you may want to look for another club.

Schutzhund requires commitment. If you¡¦re not going to give 200%, then don¡¦t even start. Once you start working your dog, and the dog enjoys it, the dog will love to do it again and again. You¡¦ll need to jump in with both feet and cannot clack off. Sure, there are times that you may not want to do it, summer time because it is too hot (a cool winter is the best time to do it), or a time it is raining a lot.

Schutzhund consists of three parts, tracking, obedience, and protection. Most people work their dogs in all 3 aspects, but there is no law saying you cannot do just one (but to get the Schutzhund titles (SchH1, SchH2, SchH3) you will need to do all 3 aspects. In Schutzhund, all commands are given in German for several reasons (most people don¡¦t¡¦ know German, the dog won¡¦t confuse commands given by the trainer and the handler, plus it is a German sport). ƒº

Tracking is pretty self explanatory. This is the dog¡¦s instinct to keep their nose in the ground and follow a track (usually left by a club member or a professional track layer). The dog also must find ¡§articles¡¨ (usually a piece of wood, a small piece of fabric, and a small piece of leather). The dog must signal the article, usually by lying down with the article between their front paws. These tracks range from 20 feet straight (for a beginner) to several hundred feet with many turns.

Obedience is the dog¡¦s ability to obey the handler and during trials is done in pairs (two dogs and two handlers). The handler gives the dog a series of commands which the dog must follow and there are distractions during the exercise, including a ¡§group¡¨ of people (preferably strangers), loud noises (usually a gunshot), and times the dog is away from the handler, sometimes the handler is out of site. The commands are nothing too extreme, sit, stay, down, heel but it is the timing, distance, and a few extras thrown in (for example, retrieving an item from over an ¡§A¡¨ frame and a small wall. Most dogs who can do off-lead (leash) obedience should be able to handle this part (as long as they have a retrieve drive).

The protection is usually the most exciting and controversial part of Schutzhund. The handler walks the dog around several ¡§blinds¡¨ and at the end, the dog must perform an action with the ¡§helper¡¨ (the person who wears the protective gear and taunts the dogs). This action can include a bark and hold, where the dog is in front of the helper and lets out a series of barks, a bite, where the dog bites the sleeve, or a chase and bite where the helper runs off and the dog chases them down then bites the protective sleeve. In Schutzhund, the dog can only bite the sleeve. A bite anywhere else is not considered successful and the dog will lose points during a trial and it can lead to disqualification. Another ¡§undocumented¡¨ part of Schutzhund is that the helper should be able to walk up to any dog (other than while working them) and not have the dog act as if he has the sleeve on, this is where the control and stability comes into play. The dog has to know when it is appropriate to bite the helper and when it is not. Part of the trial does include this where the handler and helper walk side by side and the dog has to ignore the helper (until the helper runs off and the dog is given the command to go after them).

What kind of dogs are for Schutzhund? Any dog that has a strong desire to work, confidence, intelligence, stability, and a strong bond with their owner / handler can do well in Schutzhund. While German Shepherds are the most common, our Belgian malinois and collie do Schutzhund. I¡¦ve seen pit bulls, akitas, rottweilers, Dutch Shepherds, and many other breeds do Schutzhund, all of which do it well.

There are two American parent clubs for Schutzhund, USA (United Schutzhund clubs of America) which will allow any breed to work, but only German Shepherds to compete in the national trials, and DVG which allows all breeds to compete at all levels. There are also many international organizations and parent organizations that oversee the USA and DVG clubs.

Don¡¦t feel threatened or insulted if the club tells you that they do not think your dog is Schutzhund capable, most are not, but watch and learn and they may have other avenues that may interest you, maybe just obedience or tracking? Both of which have their own title structure. Maybe get into herding or agility. Most dogs like to work and if you find the right avenue, your pet can become a long term and loyal companion.