About Schutzhund
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"Joy in work, devotion to duty and master... docility and obedience, teachableness and quickness to understand." - Capt. Max von Stephanitz, Creator of the German Shepherd Dog breed |
The ideal dog is a culmination of certain inherent qualities which lend it to be an alert, courageous protector, and a reliable, obedient companion. This is not simply a result of how a dog is raised, but more fundamentally, the result of its genetic endowment. The goal of Schutzhund is to assess each dog's worthiness to be bred.
History ::
Schutzhund is a sport whose purpose is to evalutate a dog's character, by giving it work to do, then comparing its performance to certain guidelines as well as the performance of other working dogs. Schutzhund evolved around the turn of the twentieth century as a means of testing and preserving the character and the utility of German military and police dogs under extreme conditions.
In 1899, a young German calvary officer named Max von Stephanitz founded the German Shepherd Dog Club of Germany (Verein fur Deutsche Shaefhunde - SV). He presided over the club, began the stud book, wrote the breed standard, and organised training contests for the SV. He was possessed by the idea that the German Shepherd Dog should have "a highly developed sense of smell, enormous courage, intrepidness, agility, and despite its agressiveness, great obedience". Von Stephanitz also put in place a strict system of controls that guided the breeding of the German Shepherd Dog for the first half of the twentieth century. He wrote the first breed standard for the German Shepherd Dog with emphasis on "utility and intelligence". It contained the sentence, "A pleasing appearance is desirable, but it can NOT put the dog’s working ability into question!" To be certain he wouldn’t be misunderstood, von Stephanitz coined the phrase: "German Shepherd breeding is a Working Dog breeding, or it is not German Shepherd breeding", which became world famous.
About the Sport of Schutzhund ::
To this day, the SV is the largest and most influential breed organization in the world, and still observes the standards which von Stephanitz implemented to preserve and develop the best physical and temperamental attributes of the German Shepherd Dog. Schutzhund is an integral part of this. The Schutzhund examination is the most basic requirement of the SV for breeding.
A German Shepherd Dog cannot receive official registration papers unless both of its parents have passed a Schutzhund I trial. If the dog itself does not pass a Schutzhund I test, it cannot be exhibited in conformation shows, nor will it be recommended for breeding.
Many organisations which use working dogs, such as law enforcement agencies, do not maintain their own breeding stock. These agencies obtain working dogs from Schutzhund-proven lines. Without Schutzhund, the working ability of GSDs and other working breeds would quickly deteriorate and it would be difficult to find suitable dogs for police work, bomb detection, or search and rescue.
The Schutzhund test is a day-long event which tests each dog's mental stability, drive, concentration, ability to scent, courage, and willingness to work. In one day it must compete successfully in three entirely different phases: tracking, obedience, and protection. There are three levels of Schutzhund, each more progessively difficult in each of the three phases.
Tracking ::
By scenting, the dog must retrace a path of a tracklayer which is anywhere from 400 yds. (Schutzhund I) to 1500+ yds. (Schutzhund III), 20 minutes (Schutzhund I) to 60 minutes (Schutzhund III) after the track has been laid , and be able to find 2-3 lost articles along the track, regardless of climatic conditions.
Obedience ::
The dog must follow the handler's orders to heel both off and on leash, heel off and on leash through a crowd of people, perform a long down, a send away, a recall, be indifferent to and undistracted by a gunshot, perform a long down under distraction, retrieve on flat ground, retrieve over a 1m jump, and retrieve over a 6ft wall.
Protection and Obedience in a Conflict Situation ::
The dog must search a series of blinds under the handler's direction to find a hidden stranger, then without assistance, alert the handler to the presence of the stranger, guard the handler from a stranger, prevent an escape by the stranger, defend against an attack by the stranger on the handler, and safely transport the stranger.