Schutzhund Dog Training

Schutzhund dog training evolved from German beginnings. The word means "protection dog" in German and it initially involved German Shepherd dogs. In the modern day, most breeds can compete.

Shutzhund is actually a very tough, demanding dog sport. It consists of three phases; the tracking phase, the obedience phase and the protection phase. Among the qualities a Schutzhund test looks for in a dog are courage, intelligence, perseverance and a strong protective instinct.

Tracking Training

Dogs can help people to find people or animals with their keen sense of smell. This is another important quality that is looked for in Schutzhund training. Tracking includes dropping items that the dog is supposed to pick up.

The dog follows this trail and each time it finds one of the items, it has to indicate it by lying on the ground with the item between its front legs. The way it tracks these items and its responses will reflect on its score.

Obedience

The obedience part of schutzhund dog training will test the animal in several tricky situations. For example, the dog will need to heel both on and off the leash. There will be a group of people to act as a distraction.

A gun will also be fired to gauge how the dog reacts to loud sounds. There will be several other exercises involved ranging from simple to difficult. These include sitting, staying and retrieving over a high wall.

Protection Phase

Obviously, this part is going to test the dog's courage. It will also test its strength as well as agility. Even the slightest error can lead to disqualification. Judging is tough!

This phase of Schutzhund is a little similar to police work. The dog has to find and guard a human decoy. If this decoy tries to escape, the dog must chase, but never bite.

The only time the dog bites is when the handler or the dog itself comes under attack from the decoy. Then, it can attack by biting, but only on the sleeve.

It must release the bite on command. It has to be under complete control of the handler. If it does not release, it's dismissed. No matter which of the phases of Schutzhund training, the dog has to display complete enthusiasm, since this affects the score.

Schutzhund's Evolution

Over the years the sport has certainly changed. In the earlier days, training was considered brutal by some. Today, thankfully, that has stopped. If you are interested in Shutzhund dog training, there are organizations you can join that offer it.

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