Schutzhund is a German word meaning “protection dog”
It refers to a sport
that focuses on developing and evaluating those traits in dogs that
make them more useful and happier companions to their owners.
While dogs of other breeds are also admitted to Schutzhund trials,
this breed evaluation test was developed specifically for the German
Shepherd Dog. Schutzhund is intended to demonstrate the dog’s
intelligence and utility. As a working trial, Schutzhund
measures the dog’s mental stability, endurance, structural
efficiencies, ability to scent, willingness to work, courage and
trainability.
This working dog sport offers an opportunity for dog owners to train
their dog and compete with each other for recognition of both the
handler’s ability to train and the dog’s ability to perform as
required. It is a sport enjoyed by persons of varied
professions, who join together in a camaraderie born of their common
interest in working with their dogs. Persons of all ages and
conditions of life --- even those with significant disabilities ---
enjoy Schutzhund as a sport. Often, it is a family sport.
Schutzhund Titles
The BH is a degree for traffic-safe companion dogs that tests the
dog’s temperament in and around people. It includes basic formal
obedience - heeling on and off leash, sits, downs and recalls - as
well as practical tests of the dog’s character in everyday
situations. These include reaction to normal situations
involving crowds of people, strange noises, joggers, cars and other
dogs. Before being allowed to enter for a Schutzhund I title, the
dog must first have successfully completed the BH.
There are three levels of the Schutzhund test for which titles can
be earned.
All work with the
exception of the tracking phase (leash optional) is now off-leash -
including the introduction to the Judge in Schutzhund I.
For
Schutzhund I
the dog must be at least 18 months old. The dog must heel off
the leash; demonstrate the walking sit, the walking down, and the
stay tests, as well as, the send-out. It must retrieve
on the flat, over a hurdle and over a scale. In tracking, it
must be able to follow a track laid by its handler at least
20 minutes earlier. There are also protection tests.
For
Schutzhund II
the dog must already have earned its Schutzhund I degree. It must
again pass all of the obedience and protection tests required for
the Schutzhund I degree, but those tests, for Schutzhund II, are
made more difficult and require greater endurance, agility, and
above all, control. it also includes a walking stand in motion.
In tracking, the Schutzhund II candidate must be able to follow a
track laid by a stranger at least 30 minutes earlier.
For
Schutzhund III,
must have earned both the Schutzhund I and the Schutzhund II titles.
Again, the tests now are made far more difficult. There is the
addition of a running stand, (replaces walking stand in Schutzhund
II) a sit in motion In tracking, the dog must follow a track
that was laid by a stranger at least 60 minutes earlier.
The track has four turns, compared with two turns for Schutzhund I
and II, and there are three objects, rather than two, that must be
found by the dog. The picture of obedience, strength,
eagerness and confidence presented by an excellent Schutzhund III
team is a beautiful illustration of the partnership of human and
dog.
The Three Parts of a Schutzhund Trial
The
tracking phase
The track is laid earlier by a person walking normally on a natural
surface such as dirt or grass. The track includes a number of
turns and a number of small, man-made objects left by this person on
the track itself. At the end of a 10 metre leash, the handler
follows the dog, which is expected to scent the track and indicate
the location of the objects, usually by lying down with it between
its front paws. The tracking phase is intended to test the
dog’s trainability and ability to scent, as well as, its mental and
physical endurance.
The
obedience phase
includes a series of heeling exercises, some of which are closely in
and around a group of people. During the heeling, there is a
gun shot test to assure that the dog does not openly react to such
sharp noises. There is also a series of field exercises in
which the dog is commanded to sit, lie down and stand while the
handler continues to move. From these various positions, the
dog is recalled to the handler. With dumbbells of various weights,
the dog is required to retrieve on a flat surface, over a one-meter
hurdle and over a six-foot slanted wall. The dog is also asked
to run in a straight direction from its handler on command and lie
down on a second command.
Finally, each dog is expected to stay in a lying down position away
from its handler, despite distractions, at the other end of the
obedience field, while another dog completes the above exercises.
All of the obedience exercises are tests of the dog’s temperament,
structural efficiencies and very importantly, its willingness to
serve man or woman.
The
protection phase
tests the dog’s courage, physical strength and agility. The
handler’s control for the dog is absolutely essential. The
exercises include a search of hiding places, finding a hidden person
(acting as a human decoy), and guarding that decoy while the handler
approaches. The dog is expected to pursue the decoy when an
escape is attempted and to hold the grip firmly. The decoy is
searched and transported to the judge with the handler and dog
walking behind and later at the decoy’s right side. When the
decoy attempts to attack the handler, the dog is expected to stop
the attack with a firm grip and no hesitation.
The final test of courage occurs when the decoy is asked to come out
of a hiding place by the judge from the opposite end of the trial
field. The dog is sent after the decoy when he refuses to
listen to the handler’s command to stop. The decoy then runs
directly at the dog threatening the dog with a stick. All
grips during the protection phase are expected to be firmly placed
on the padded sleeve and stopped on command and or when the decoy
discontinues the fight. The protection tests are intended to
assure that the dog is neither a coward nor a criminal menace.
What is the Judge looking for in the Dog?
At all three stages
--- Schutzhund I, II and III --- each of the three phases:
obedience, tracking and protection, is worth 100 points, for a total
of 300 points. If a dog does not receive a minimum of 70 points in
tracking, 70 points in obedience and 70 points in protection --- or
if the dog fails the pre-trial temperament test ---- it is not
awarded a degree that day and must repeat the entire test, passing
all phases of the test at a later trial. In every event, the
Judge is looking for an eager, concentrating and accurate working
dog. High ratings and scores are given to the animal that
displays a strong willingness and ability to work for it human
handler.
Although the
passing score for Schutzhund I & II & III degree/level is 210 points
(70/70/70). It is very important to note that dogs who do not
achieve 80 points in the protection phase, CANNOT go on to the next
degree/level of Schutzhund (not the case in the IPO programme) ie.
the dog competing in Schutzhund I and achieving 79 points or less in
protection, cannot do Schutzhund II, and so on for a dog NOT
achieving 80 points in the protection phase of Schutzhund II cannot
go on to do Schutzhund III.
The same applies to the Koerung, the dog MUST make 80 points in the
protection phase of Schutzhund I before it can take the Koerung.
The
Schutzhund Trained Dog in the Home
Since Schutzhund is the demonstration of the German Shepherd dog’s
most desirable characteristics, dogs well trained in Schutzhund are
usually excellent companions in the home. The German Shepherd
Dog --- like any other working dog that possesses mental stability
--- has trust and confidence in itself, allowing it to be at peace
with its surroundings.
In addition to sound
structural efficiencies for long, arduous work, the standard for the
German Shepherd Dog calls for mental stability and a willingness to
work. The dog should be approachable, quietly standing
its ground, showing confidence and a willingness to meet overtures
without itself necessarily making them. It should be generally
calm, but eager and alert when the situation warrants. It
should be fearless, but also good with children.
The German Shepherd Dog should not be timid or react nervously to
unusual sounds or sights. A dog that is overly aggressive
because of its overall fears of people and events can be extremely
dangerous. The Schutzhund sport is designed to identify and
eliminate such dogs from breeding stock. Because Schutzhund
training gives the owner a great deal of control over the dog the
owner is able to let the dog have more fun. Not only is
Schutzhund training itself enjoyable for the dog, but the Schutzhund
trained dog knows how to please its owners, creating a stronger bond
between dog and owners.
The Schutzhund Trained Dog for Police Work.
A dog that performs
well in Schutzhund work is obviously a very good candidate for
police work. Police dogs, like other service dogs, must have
temperaments with a good foundation of intelligence and utility.
A minimal amount of additional training makes many well-trained
Schutzhund dogs ready for active police duty. Such
fearless police dogs can also work around children and in crowds
without worry on the part of their handlers.
Choosing a puppy suitable for Schutzhund.
In every breed, the
pedigree is the key to knowing the potential of the puppy.
Schutzhund revolves around working lines --- generations of dogs
that have proven themselves and produced similar characteristics in
their offspring. These characteristics include not only the
physical structure of the dog, which is very important, but also its
temperament.
Selecting the bloodlines from which you want your puppy may require
advice. Information from breed surveys can help. Of
course, it makes sense to discuss your objectives with reputable and
experienced Schutzhund handlers or enthusiasts.
Once you have determined that the bloodlines of the potential dam
and sire are of high quality, you should observe the parents,
especially the Mother, if that is at all possible. The dam
will be the main influence on the young pup for the first six weeks
of its life. If the dam is nervous or unsure, chances are this
uncertainty will be transferred to the offspring.
If you are able to
see the litter, watch the puppies together and also separately, to
try to determine which is the best puppy. Obvious structural
defects or health problems should be watched for.
It is important that
the puppy has an intense instinct to stalk the prey --- a ball, a
toy, etc. --- and also be the leader in the sense of bullying the
other puppies. The puppy should not show fear when away from
its littermates. It should not need to stay with the mother.
The puppy should be adventurous and active, playing with objects
shown to it by someone in the enclosure, but it should be
independent enough to take that object and go off on its own as
well.
It is independence
and confidence, combined with the positive contact with the pack
leader (the dam, at this time) that will develop into the traits of
trainability that you need.
Raising a Puppy for Schutzhund Work.
Puppyhood is the most critical period for the development of the
characteristics you want to encourage.
A puppy learns from
it experiences, so you want to provide only positive ones. It
should be provided with opportunity to explore and investigate new
situations and new people, but always in a non-threatening way.
Remember that your goal is to build confidence in the young animal.
Your aim is NOT to dominate or oppress the young pup.
Exposure to different environments is crucial to the general
education of the dog and also to assure it that the world is a safe
pace. If something appears to make the dog unsure, give it the
opportunity to investigate it slowly, but do not force the issue.
It is imperative to
avoid situations where your dog would be dominated by another older
or stronger dog, or by another puppy. You also want to avoid
having to discipline or correct your puppy and thus dampen its
spirit or damage its self-confidence. You can do this by never
leaving the pup in a situation where it can cause damage to your
valuables or find itself in a dangerous predicament.
The final area of development is that of drive encouragement.
The natural behaviours that you want to encourage are playing with
the ball, tug of war, hide and seek, pulling toys on a string,
pursuing you rapidly when you run away, and finally defending
itself, its family and its home. The latter really only shows
itself between the ages of nine and eighteen months as the pup
begins to mature by barking at strangers or intruders.
It is better to leave
for later formal obedience training with a young dog. The character
of the puppy is not sufficiently strong to withstand the corrections
involved in obedience raining. Acceptable manners at home and in the
car and “play“ training, like learning to sit for a food reward,
with NO corrections involved, is advisable. Real obedience
work should begin only after the dog is well on its way in the
protection training.
Schutzhund
around the World
The first Schutzhund trial was held in Germany in 1901 to emphasise
the correct working temperament and ability in the German Shepherd
breed. Originally, these dogs were herding dogs, but the
industrialisation of Germany encouraged breeders to promote the use
of their dogs as police and military dogs. The Verein fur
Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV), the parent club, became concerned
that this would lead to careless breeding and undesirable traits
such as mental instability, so it developed the Schutzhund test.
Since then, many other countries and working dog organisations have
also adopted Schutzhund as a sport and a test of working performance
in dogs. International rules have been established, and they are
administered by the Verein fur Deutsche Hundesport (VDH).
WUSV World Championship
- More than 25 countries send teams of competitors to the World
Championship for Schutzhund dogs from the World Union of German
Shepherd clubs.
The Value to the
Breed
Any registered German Shepherd that has earned a Schutzhund degree
has demonstrated sufficient ability as a working dog to qualify for
breed evaluation. The breed evaluation is a very
detailed examination of the dog’s structure, temperament and
pedigree and requires both a certification of good hip joints and
sufficient performance on an endurance test (the AD).
Dogs that do well in the breed evaluation receive a Koerklasse I or
Koerklasse II. This is a recommendation and evaluation by a
trained and recognized expert Judge as the worthiness of the dog for
breeding. Dogs rated Koerklasse II are “suitable for breeding”
and dogs rated Koerklasse I are “recommended for breeding”. By
thus screening dogs in order to select the suitable specimens for
breeding, Schutzhund helps to maintain the quality of the breed at a
very high level. Thus, there is a very high level of assurance
that puppies born to Schutzhund dams and sired by Schutzhund dogs
are more likely to be of reliable temperament, high intelligence,
steady nerves, extreme endurance, great strength, and sound
structures.
Do
Dogs Enjoy Schutzhund Training?
If trained in the
right manner, dogs enjoy working, as anyone who attends a Schutzhund
competition can see. The joy of the dogs in working with their
handlers is evident.
For thousands of years, dogs have adapted to serve humans in a
mutually beneficial relationship. While dogs could move
quickly, hunt prey, and protect flocks and their owner, the humans
could provide food, shelter from the most severe elements, and
protection from larger predators, besides tending to the dog’s
injuries. A dog’s reason for being is to serve humans.
Schutzhund training helps develop the dog’s natural instincts to a
high level. Self-confident dogs, doing work for which they are well
trained, are happy dogs. Wagging tails, sounds of excitement,
and strong pulling on a leash all show an observer at a Schutzhund
trial how much fulfilment dogs find in this work.
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