The Sport of Schutzhund

Schutzhund was developed around the turn of the century as a means of testing and preserving the character and the utility of working dogs.

Originally intended for the German Shepherd, the program has since involved such breeds as Dobermans, Boxers, Giant Schnauzers, Belgian Sheepdogs and Rottweilers.

Schutzhund is still around because of its effectiveness in gauging the suitability of a dog for breeding. As well, people find it's an excellent way to work with your dog in tracking, obedience and protection and to prepare for trials.

Overview

The sport of Schutzhund involves three levels - Schutzhund I, II and III.

Each level comprises three phases - tracking, obedience and protection.

Each phase is allotted l00 points and the pass is 70 in all but protection where the pass is 80 points.

The three phases normally span an entire day, so you can appreciate that a dog that competes in this sport is in excellent shape and has demonstrated endurance.

Tracking

The tracking test assesses the dog's perseverance and concentration, its scenting ability and its willingness to work for its handler. The animal must follow the footsteps of a tracklayer, finding and indicating to its handler articles that the tracklayer has left on the track. With each level of Schutzhund, the length and age of the track is increased.

Obedience

Obedience evaluates the dog's responsiveness to its handler. The obedience test involves a number of different situations in which the dog must eagerly and precisely carry out its handler's orders. It must be proficient at heeling at its handler's side, retrieving, jumping and performing a variety of other skills.

Protection

The protection phase gauges the dog's courage, desire for combat, self-reliance and obedience to its handler under very exciting and difficult circumstances. This phase involves searching for and warning its handler of a hidden "villain", and then aggressively stopping an assault on its handler and preventing the villain's escape, among other skills.

Schutzhund trials are scored by a single judge for all phases (unless the trial is very large, and in that case there may be a separate judge for a specific phase). The dogs are scored in every phase of tracking obedience and protection and the judge is required to make a detailed verbal and written assessment of the performance, which he/she shares with competitors and the audience.

Preliminary Level of Schutzhund

In addition to the aforementioned three levels of Schutzhund competition, there is a preliminary level of Schutzhund called the "B" (or the BH or VB). In 1991 the German organization that oversees the Schutzhund sport worldwide voted to make the "B" mandatory for all dogs entering Schutzhund I. The B is made up of an obedience phase quite similar to the Schutzhund I level obedience routine but without the retrieve or the send away.

Once the obedience section is successfully completed it is followed by a very interesting and revealing temperament test section. Every judge approaches the B differently in the temperament test section, so no test is ever like another, except for the basic elements.