One of the most important qualities of a
Schutzhund dog is his complete obedience under distraction. If there is a female
dog in heat, a cat, a squirrel, or a bird, he should remain at your side and
wait for the next command. Schutzhund is a German word meaning protection dog
and German Shepherd dogs was the breed for this training. That has since changed
and it is no longer breed specific. When it comes to Schutzhund training, there
is a lot more involved than just training a protection dog. Schutzhund dog
training focuses on three areas.
Tracking
In this area, the dog must use his nose to find
someone or something's track as well as dropped items along the way on mixed
terrain, change direction and show accuracy and commitment to the job.
Obedience
This phase will test the dog's temperament, structural efficiencies and its
willingness to serve. There are numerous and demanding exercises which include
sit, down, stand, recall, stay, heeling on and off leash, and heeling through
distractions such as crowds of people and other surroundings that are loud such
as a gun firing. These are just a few
examples of some of the exercises that are required for this section of
schutzhund.
Here is a video of a dog who is obedience trained through Schutzhund.
Protection
This part of the training is a very advanced one. With this phase, the
relationship between the dog and the handler is extremely important. The
dog's strength, agility and courage are tested extensively. This training
involves the dog using his tracking ability to locate a threat (a human decoy).
Once he locates the threat, he must use his obedience skill to keep the threat
in place until the handler arrives. Once
the threat attempts an escape or advances either on the handler or the dog, the
dog must then pursue. The dog can never bite
unless either the dog or the handler is being attacked, in which case, the dog
must attack fully without hesitation. This is where the bite suit or the
bite
sleeves come in handy, but the dog MUST release on the handler's command and
guard the threat without further aggression. The handler must be able to have
complete control of the dog throughout the entire training process of
schutzhund.
If you so desire, there are schutzhund clubs and competitions that you can
enroll your dog into. There are three levels for titles which are:
Sch H I (Novice)
Sch H II (Intermediate)
Sch H III (Master Level)
This is a video of a competition for Schutzhund.
These well trained dogs can make excellent companions for your home as well as a
police search and rescue dog. He will have confidence and trust in himself. He
will be quiet and non-threatening, but still alert and paying close attention to
both you as well as his surroundings.
There are several different types of books about training Schutzhund.
Click the link below to locate some of them. One of these books in
particular is called:
K9 Schutzhund Training: Tracking Obedience and Protection.
But you can choose which one will be best for you. Click the link and type
in Schutzhund.
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