|
 
Schutzhund and the GSD
Courtesy of United
Schutzhund Clubs of America
Schutzhund
and the German Shepherd Dog
What
is Schutzhund
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.
The
Three Parts of a Schutzhund Trial
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.
Schutzhund
Around the World
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).
The
Schutzhund Titles
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.
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 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.
What
Is the Judge Looking for in the-Dog?
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.
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 for Schutzhund
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.
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.
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 fulfillment dogs find in this work.
About
USA
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.
To get a National Schutzhund Events Schedule or to find a
recognized Schutzhund Club near
you, contact:
United Schutzhund Clubs of
America
3810 Paule Ave.
St. Louis, MO
63125-1718, USA.
Tel: (314) 638-9686
Fax: (314) 638-0609
E-mail:
usaoffice@germanshepherddog.com
|
