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We will be having a Schuzthund
Demonstration on the K9 Day to be performed by some local Schutzhund
specialists and it will be a fun event to watch. Please read through
an article on Schutzhund we which append below to know more about
this dog sport.
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| Schutzhund
and the German Shepherd Dog |
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| What
is Schutzhund |
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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.
Schutzhund work concentrates on three parts. Many are familiar with
the obedience work of the American Kennel Club's affiliates and will
recognize the first two parts, tracking and obedience. The
Schutzhund standards for the third part, protection work, are
similar to those for dogs in police work.
While dogs of
other breeds are also actively involved in the sport of Schutzhund
and often follow similar criteria for breeding purposes, 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.
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| The
Three of a Schutzhund Trial |
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 The tracking
phase includes a temperament test by the overseeing judge
to assure the dog's
mental soundness. When approached closely on a loose leash, the dog
should not act shyly or aggressively. 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 33
foot 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 its
owner.
The protection
phase tests
the dog's courage, physical strength, and agility. The handler's
control of the dog is absolutely essential.
The
exercises include a search
of hiding places, finding a hidden person (acting as a 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 dog's handler from the opposite end of the
trial field. The dog is sent after the decoy who is threatening the
dog with a stick and charging at the handler. 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
possesses the proper temperament for breeding.
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| Schutzhund
Around the World |
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The first
Schutzhund trial was held in Germany in 1901 to emphasize the
correct working temperament and ability in the German Shepherd
breed. Originally, these dogs were herding dogs, but the
industrialization of Germany encouraged  breeders
to promote the use of their dogs as police and military dogs. The
Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde (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 organizations
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).
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| The
Schutzhund Titles |
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The BH
or companion dog title is a pre-requirement for Schutzhund
titles. All breeds and sizes are eligible with the minimum age
requirements of 15 months.
There are three
levels of the Schutzhund test.
For Schutzhund
1 the dog must be at least 18 months old and pass an
initial temperament test by the judge. The dog must heel on the
leash and off, demonstrate the walking sit, the walking down, and
the stay tests, as well as the send-out. It must retrieve on the
flat and over a hurdle. 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
2 the
dog must be at least 19 months old and must already have earned its
Schutzhund 1 degree. It must again pass all of the obedience and
protection tests required for the Schutzhund 1 degree, but those
tests, for Schutzhund 2, are made more difficult and require greater
endurance, agility, and, above all, control. There is an additional
retrieve required over the six foot slanted wall. In tracking, the
Schutzhund II candidate must be able to follow a track laid by a
stranger at least 30 minutes earlier.
For Schutzhund
3, the
master's degree, the dog must be at least 20 months old and must
have earned both the Schutzhund 1 and the Schutzhund 2 titles.
Again, the tests now are made far more difficult. All exercises in
obedience and protection are demonstrated off leash. There is the
addition of a walking and running stand. 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 1 and 2, 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 3
team is a beautiful illustration of the partnership of human and
dog.
In addition to
the Schutzhund temperament tests, the United Schutzhund Clubs of
America offer three training degrees: the FH 1 and FH 2,
advanced tracking degrees; WH, or basic protection degree which
includes basic obedience, and the AD which is an 12.5 mile endurance
test and includes obedience. USA also offers six seperate obedience
and tracking titles that reflect the routines for SchH 1, 2, & 3
levels.
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| The
Value to the Breed |
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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 to the worthiness of the dog for
breeding. Dogs rated Koerkiass 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 structure.
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| What
is the Judge Looking for in the Dog |
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At all three
stages - Schutzhund 1,2, and 3 - 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% - or
if the dog fails the pretrial 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, accurate working dog. High ratings and
scores are given to the animal that displays a strong willingness
and ability to work for its human handler.
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| The
Schutzhund-Trained Dog in the Home |
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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.
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| The
Schutzhund-Trained Dog for Police Work |
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 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 for Schutzhund |
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In every breed,
the pedigree is the key to knowing the potential of the puppy.
Schutzhund revolves around working lines with 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 have intense instinct to chase prey- a ball, a toy,
etc- and also be the leader in the sense of be confident of the
other puppies. The puppy should not show fear when away from its
litter mates. 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.
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| Raising
a Puppy for Schutzhund Work |
Puppy hood is the
most critical period for the development of the characteristics you
want to encourage. Your local Schutzhund club can advise you about
nurturing and
socializing your growing puppy. A puppy learns from its 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 place. 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 behaviors
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 18 months, as the pup begins to mature, by barking at strangers
or intruders. 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 can begin once the puppy is more mature. 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 stress that
may be involved in obedience training. |
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| Do
Dogs Enjoy Schutzhund Training ? |
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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
fulfillment dogs find in this work.
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| About
USA |
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The United
Schutzhund Clubs of America (USA) provides training instruction and
licensing for its member clubs which work under VDH rules, and whose
awarded Schutzhund titles and German Shepherd Dog breed surveys and
conformation rankings are internationally recognized through the
Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde (SV) of Germany and the World Union
of German Shepherd Dog Clubs (WUSV). USA is a founding member of the
American Working Dog Federation (AWDF).
USA is a member
of the World Union of German Shepherd Dog Clubs and sends a team to
the World Championship each
year. USA sanctions club trials, police dog trials, herding trials,
endurance tests, conformation shows, breed surveys, regional
championships and five national championship trials each year.
In 1970 the first
Schutzhund trial in the U.S. was held in California, currently USA
supports over 200 full member clubs, with 14 affiliated clubs in 11
regions across the United States. During the 2001 trial season USA
member clubs conducted 260 trials, 45 conformation shows and 190
individual Breed Surveys.
USA is
responsible for scheduling visits from foreign judges and
administers its own judges program. The USA Judges program currently
has licensed 18 Performance Judges, 2 Conformation Judges and one
Breed Survey Judge with 8 apprenticeships in process.
USA maintains a
Breed Registry and programs, such as litter, individual and kennel
registrations, breed wardens and tattooers, Breeders cup and
Universal Sieger awards for German Shepherd Dogs that are monitored
by the Breed Advisory Committee and consists of the National Breed
Warden and 11 Regional Breed Wardens.
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