Schutzhund
(German for
protection dog) is a dog
sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breed
suitability test for the German
Shepherd Dog. The test would determine if the dog
displayed the appropriate traits and characteristics of a proper
working German Shepherd Dog.
Today, it is used as a sport where many breeds other than German
Shepherd Dogs can compete, but it is a demanding test for any dog
and few are able to pass successfully. Since Schutzhund is a
sporting event, then mental stability, endurance, strength,
readiness for work, bravery and trainability of the dog are
evaluated in this sport.
Schutzhund does not involve human protection though some of the
skills employed in this sport are similar to those used for
education of the dogs in police K9 and while training the dogs for
protection and guard. Originally and basically Schutzhund is a
sport. And this sport is targeted for evaluation and development
such qualities in dogs which can make them more balanced, happy
and useful companions for their owners.
Those, who are familiar with the events of American Cynology Club
on obedience and tracing work, should clearly understand the first
two components of Schutzhund because they a have much in common
with these testings. The standard of Schutzhund for the third
part, protection service, is similar to analogical for police
dogs.
Though Schutzhund is not a test for police dogs or dogs-guardians,
many dogs trained according to Schutzhund can be further retrained
for these aims. Schutzhund is a sport, which the most different
people are fond of: the young and the old, men and women, but also
the disabled.
Though it has German origin, nowadays hundreds of thousands
people all around the world (at the moment form 17 countries) send
their teams for world championships. The sport gives a participant
the possibility to compare his or her preparation for the event
with preparation of the other sportsmen and their dogs. It creates
new affiliations and unions in the Cynology world.
One of the attractive features of Schutzhund is that this event is
held in the open air but at the same time it is physical and
intellectual test. This is a good exercise, merry and full of
positive impressions. As any sport, Schutzhund requires a
discipline of excellence. These are not eight-week training
courses, when the objective can be achieved for short distance of
time, which an owner with his dog leaves at the end of education.
No, Schutzhund requires several years of work. A true
contestant at Schutzhund works with his dog and with the club to
which they belong, from 2 up to 5 times a week. The middle age of
the dog passing test on Schutzhund I equals to 2, 5 years old.
When major work is over, some of those who work seriously may
continue to train in order to be able to pass Schutzhund III by
the time when the dog reaches 3 years old.
So much time it takes for all the three elements of stable
development: education, imprinting and progress of the dog. If a
person and his dog are going to compete very seriously then
Schutzhund III just is the very beginning. At the age of 3 years
the dog only gets “Black Belt” if referring to combat terminology.
The top grade in the competitions the dog usually achieves just by
5-6 years old.
Many years are needed for training and discipline of excellence in
order to reach the top levels. It has respect to both the dog and
the sportsman. They both represent a team that tries to build its
perfect co-operative dance in unison. If this is done well and
correct, then it is very pleasant to observe.
Schutzhund: Defence
Even today enforcement is one of efficient ways of dog training,
but a one miserable coercion, unpleasant for the dog, may provoke
a strong negative alteration in dog’s behavior. Enforcement has
its big drawbacks. The correction made out of time and on the
enforcement basis may cause undesirable behavior in the dog for a
long time.
If the dog feels tension, uncertainty, or on the basis of wrong
correction it learned undesirable behavior, then it may last for
months and years until the dog forgets or breaks this habit. If
enforcement is unpleasant for the dog then it will arouse its
desire to study at all. But if enforcement is applied properly
that will enable the dog to learn willingly and in a good state of
mind.
Despite the enforcement during training may be very effective,
there are the two reasons to be considered in order to argue you
out of this. Before everything, the dog that wants to work is
already a good dog.
The second item: Protection sport should bring enjoyment not only
to us but to a dog also.
Naturally, that the methods of protection sport from the date of
its origin have moved far ahead and consist not only in punishment
for disobedience.
New theory and practice have changed training methods very much,
at the present time the methods of motivated and rewarding support
are applied more and more.
Full with motivation (without any enforcement) training has not
gained its massive advancement as far. But already now
considerable changes happen in this area: a free from enforcement
motivated training increasingly acquires its spread. In tracing
work it is food to be used as a motivating tool.
During protection service training, the motivating method of
training still has not gained proper appreciation and application
due to many reasons. In protection service a dog endures
correction much better because the dog is brought to an excited
state.
This excited state makes the dog less sensitive to stresses and
pain, therefore all negative experiences acquired by the dog on
the basis of enforcement are not too visible as they are in
tracing work and discipline. At surface consideration it may seem
that motivation will not be suitable in protection service. In
discipline lessons we may not give the dog the things it likes
very much such as dainties.
In discipline, when a dog does not make mistakes we can reward or
not reward it. When the dog’s behavior is undesirable we can
restrain from encouraging it until it demonstrates proper
behavior. That is to say the dog is unable to get a reward without
our desire.
In protection service everything goes on another scenario: the dog
works for a bite, which matters a lot for the dog, even more than
any of encouragements offered by us. The dog wants only one
thing-to bite.
During protection service the dog is often out of our reach. And
even if we are near the dog, it is very difficult to miss being
grasped (bitten) undesirably.
A good dog stands difficulties and enforcement well and is
controlled by enforcing properly. In length of time due to
experience all these qualities become better and on. Skills of the
dog improve and become fixed on the basis of positive experience
and then it is difficult to break the dog of certain things.
At barking in protection service, when a dog is very near from an
assistant, it is necessary to find a way to interdict it from
biting. In this case one may use parforce, collar, lead and not to
think what the operation of this on an aggressive dog. One has to
recourse to such methods in order to inflict pain to the dog if it
is disobedient.
At that one should not reflect on the fact what effect this pain
has on the excited dog and this pain with call enforcement of
power correction. During biting the dog achieves its final phase
of objective. Here we want to make the dog release “prey”, but we
should admit that this will come in conflict with the skills we
have taught it and with its usual behavior.
Then we resort to the simplest thing what we know –to a lead,
stick, etc. Otherwise how can we make the dog give us the thing
that it possesses? The problem in protection service is that we
are unable to give the dog more efficient reward, than its bite
for what it works in fact. This is the main reason of that a
traditional training of protection service is based upon
enforcement.
Video on Schutzhund in Germany
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