My Blog
Schutzhund
Schutzhund is a German dog sport that has increasingly become popular here in the states. When I was young, it was rare to see working dogs here doing what one was only used to seeing in Germany and other European countries. I have loved the sport since childhood and had always yearned for a dog that could compete in the sport. I have found the perfect dog, through a roundabout way, and together we have been exploring the world of Schutzhund and I must say, it is fun, but it is a lot of work!
There are 3 different phases that you and your canine must compete in and they are judged by actual German judges that have years experience breeding, training, showing in Schutzhund. This sport was originally a breed test in Germany for GSD's (German Shepherd Dogs). If the dog's failed any of the three test's, they were not considered 'breeding quality' and were altered. Many people mistake the sport as a sport that teaches dog's to be aggressive. This is far from the truth! Before you really even begin training your dog in the protection phase of the sport, you must first demonstrate that your dog is under complete control at all times.
You must demonstrate to the judges that your dog is under voice control AT ALL TIMES. You do this by doing a series of obedience routines starting with basic walking patterns and eventually demonstrating that your dog will go over obstacles and retrieve objects, recall, send outs, etc. This is all under voice command, no leash. Another test you must pass is tracking. You must demonstrate to the judges that your canine has the ability to stay on a track and locate scent articles. Last, you must demonstrate to the judges that your dog can and will protect you and can be done so under voice command, no leash. The canine team must run through a series of routines and show the judges that the dog is only interested in protecting you, not just biting. The dog must do a search pattern, where they run down the field, run around the blinds, while searching them, and then run back down the field where the 'bad guy' is hiding in blind and they must do a bark and hold. They are not allowed to bite unless threatened. The owner has to call the dog away from 'bad guy' and demonstrate that the dog is under control, even when agitated. It is only then that the 'bad guy' threatens you and the dog is allowed to release it's heel and bite. The dog also demonstrates that they will apprehend the 'bad guy' when he runs away from us. They must also let go of 'bad guy' when he surrenders. Another test of the dog's protective ability is the challenge routine. This is where the 'bad guy' is hiding in a blind at other side of field and you ask him to step out of the blind, stop or I will release my dog. The 'bad guy' then runs aggressively towards you and you release your dog with it's bite command and the dog must run straight at bad guy and protect you, even if bad guy is waving his stick and even smacking him (not too hard, playfully) with it.
When your dog can demonstrate that he/she can do all three phases of the sport then they can move on for higher titles, where the test's get more diffucult and lengthy.
It is very fun and Hyde and myself are having a blast. We have yet to earn our BH (beginner handler) title. This is what you must earn before even stepping foot out on the competition field with a dog trained for protection. It is a series of obedience and temperament tests that will let the judges know that the dog is safe and ready to compete in a time old dog sport. We are hoping to earn this BH title as soon as our newly formed working dog club put's on a trial. We then go on to earn ScH1, ScH2, and ScH3.
Please don't be alarmed when you see pictures on Hyde's profile of him biting Kevin. Kevin is our club's agitator and I can assure you that Hyde is having the time of his life and is not scared, intimidated, beaten, mistreated in any way! The stick that Kevin is holding is a leather bat, the agitators use it as a whip to smack the air to get the dog's agitated and excited; the agitators must also use it later in the higher stages of the sport, to actually hit the dog, hard enough to get dog's attention. This is to demonstrate that the dog will still do his job even when threatened. You will notice a sleeve on the agitator's arm. This is the only spot the dog's are allowed to bite, most likelyhood of a weapon being in a hand, not a leg, chest, butt or back.
Next time someone comments on how aggressive those schutzhund dog's are, I hope that whoever has read this now knows that it really is more than just the bite work. Police k9s, SAR k9s, Detection K9's, all have stemmed from this wonderful sport.
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