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 even more useful and happier companions to their owners.
Schutzhund work concentrates on three parts. Many familiar with obedience work 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 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
In addition to the Schutzhund titles, the GSDCA-WDA offers three additional training degrees. Two of these, the FH1 and FH2, are advanced tracking degrees that require the dog to follow tracks over changing terrain, discriminate between cross-tracks and is at least 3 hours old.
The third is the BH. The BH is a degree for traffic-safe companion dogs that tests the dogs 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 successsfully completed the BH.
There are three levels of the Schutzhund test for which titles can be earned.
For Schutzhund I 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 II the dog must be at least 19 months old and 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. 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 III the master’s degree, the dog must be at least 20 months old and must have earned both the Schutzhund I and the Schutzhund II titles. Again, the tests now are made far more difficult. All exercises in obedience and protection are demonstrated off leash. There is the additional 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 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 beautifully illustration of the partnership of human and dog.
The Schutzhund-Trained Dog in the Home
By design, a schutzhund dog is an outstanding companion. There do exist some dogs who are extreme in drive and aggression and do not settle well into family life, and occasionally a dog with faulty temperament and nerves who never should have been bred or titled in the first place can slip through the cracks. But as a general rule schutzhund dogs make great pets, particularly for active people who enjoy going out and doing things with their dogs. Every dog owner, whether they are interested in a dog for sport, work, or family companionship, values the characteristics that are present in a schutzhund dog; mental stability, physical soundness, confidence, fearlessness and a high willingness to work for and please the handler. Likewise, a schutzhund dog has been well socialized and well trained, making them safe, reliable and obedient companions who can accompany their family anywhere. Schutzhund dogs are approachable and excellent with children, while being courageous and protective. They are alert and aware of their surroundings, yet are unbothered by unusual sights and sounds. They are neither fearful and timid, nor inappropriately aggressive, standing their ground calmly and confidently without backing down, but not looking for a fight. They are willing to spring into action and work or play at a moment's notice, but in the interim are content to enjoy quiet time with the family. The control that schutzhund training gives the handler, and the good overall temperament that a schutzhund dog possesses, allows the handler to take the dog more places and do more things with the dog, increasing their bond and having more fun together.
Even if one is not interested in having a dog for work or sport competition, but instead for family companionship, careful research of breeders and dogs is critical. Most problems that pet owners encounter with their dogs are due to lack of socialization, lack of training or poor genetic temperaments. Socialization and training are the responsibility of the dog's owner, but a good dog starts with good breeding. Most dogs that are fearful, skittish and timid are this way because of genetics. Many times, such dogs that are spooky and easily threatened become dangerous fear biters. In fact, most dogs that are dangerous and unsafe are so because of an underlying fear of strange people, objects and events. Fearful dogs commonly react aggressively in an attempt to scare away the threat. Proper socialization and training can improve the situation greatly, but the underlying genetics cannot be changed and the truth is that such dogs are never as stable and reliable as a dog that does not have genetically weak nerve and temperament to begin with. The schutzhund exam does not allow for a dog that shows nervousness and fear, or reacts in a timid and skittish manner. Such dogs are quickly weeded out.
I always dream of having a working dog but my house is too small for a big working dog like that.
