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Questions about
Schutzhund
The Value to the Breed
Any registered German Shepherd that has earned a Schutzhund degree has
demonstrated sufficient ability as a working dog to qualify for breed
evaluation. The breed evaluation is a very detailed examination of the
dog's structure, temperament, and pedigree and requires both a
certification of good hip joints and sufficient performance on an
endurance test (the AD). Dogs that do well in the breed evaluation
receive a Koerklasse I or Koerklasse II. This is a recommendation and
evaluation by a trained and recognized expert judge as to the
worthiness of the dog for breeding. Dogs rated Koerklasse II are
"suitable for breeding" and dogs rated Koerklasse I are "recommended
for breeding." By thus screening dogs in order to select the suitable
specimens for breeding, Schutzhund helps to maintain the quality of
the breed at a very high level. Thus, there is a very high level of
assurance that puppies born to Schutzhund dams and sired by Schutzhund
dogs are more likely to be of reliable temperament, high intelligence,
steady nerves, extreme endurance, great strength, and sound structure.
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What Is the Judge Looking for in the-Dog?
At all three stages - Schutzhund 1,2, and 3 - each of the three
phases: obedience, tracking, and protection, is worth 100 points, for
a total of 300 points. If a dog does not receive a minimum of 70% - or
if the dog fails the pretrial temperament test- it is not awarded a
degree that day and must repeat the entire test, passing all phases of
the test at a later trial. In every event, the judge is looking for an
eager, concentrating, accurate working dog. High ratings and scores
are given to the animal that displays a strong willingness and ability
to work for its human handler.
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The Schutzhund-Trained Dog in the Home
Since Schutzhund is the demonstration of the German Shepherd dog's
most desirable characteristics, dogs well trained in Schutzhund are
usually excellent companions in the home. The German Shepherd Dog -
like any; other working dog that possesses mental stability-has trust
and confidence in itself, allowing it to be at peace with its
surroundings.
 In
addition to sound structural efficiencies for long, arduous work, the
standard for the German Shepherd Dog calls for mental stability and a
willingness to work. The dog should be approachable, quietly standing
its ground, showing confidence and a willingness to meet overtures
without itself necessarily making them. It should be generally calm,
but eager and alert when the situation warrants. It should be
fearless, but also good with children.
The German Shepherd Dog should not be timid or react nervously to
unusual sounds or sights. A dog that is overly aggressive because of
its overall fears of people and events can be extremely dangerous. The
Schutzhund sport is designed to identify and eliminate such dogs from
breeding stock. Because Schutzhund training gives the owner a great
deal of control over the dog, the owner is able to let the dog have
more fun. Not only is Schutzhund training itself enjoyable for the
dog, but the Schutzhund trained dog knows how to please its owners,
creating a stronger bond between dog and owners.
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The Schutzhund-Trained Dog for Police Work
A dog that performs well in Schutzhund work is obviously a very good
candidate for police work. Police dogs, like other service dogs, must
have temperaments with a good foundation of intelligence and utility.
A minimal amount of additional training makes many well-trained
Schutzhund dogs ready for active police duty. Such fearless police
dogs can also work around children and in crowds without worry on the
part of their handlers.
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Choosing a Puppy for Schutzhund
In every breed, the pedigree is the key to knowing the potential of
the puppy. Schutzhund revolves around working lines with generations
of dogs that have proven themselves and produced similar
characteristics in their offspring. These characteristics include not
only the physical structure of the dog, which is very important, but
also its temperament. Selecting the bloodlines from which you want
your puppy may require advice. Information from breed surveys can
help. Of course, it makes sense to discuss your objectives with
reputable and experienced Schutzhund handlers or enthusiasts.
Once you have determined that the bloodlines of the potential dam and
sire are of high quality, you should observe the parents, especially
the mother, if that is at all possible. The dam will be the main
influence on the young pup for the first six weeks of its life. If the
dam is nervous or unsure, chances are this uncertainty will be
transferred to the offspring.
If you are able to see the litter, watch the puppies together and also
separately, to try to determine which is the best puppy. Obvious
structural defects or health problems should be watched for. It is
important that the puppy have intense instinct to chase prey- a ball,
a toy, etc- and also be the leader in the sense of be confident of the
other puppies. The puppy should not show fear when away from its
litter mates. It should not need to stay with the mother. The puppy
should be adventurous and active, playing with objects shown to it by
someone in the enclosure, but it should be independent enough to take
that object and go off on its own as well.
It is independence and confidence, combined with the positive contact
with the pack leader (the dam, at this time) that will develop into
the traits of trainability that you need.
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Raising a Puppy for Schutzhund Work
Puppy hood is the most critical period for the development of the
characteristics you want to encourage. Your local Schutzhund club can
advise you about nurturing and socializing your growing puppy. A puppy
learns from its experiences, so you want to provide only positive
ones. It should be provided with opportunity to explore and
investigate new situations and new people, but always in a
non-threatening way. Remember that your goal is to build confidence in
the young animal. Your aim is not to dominate or oppress the young
pup. Exposure to different environments is crucial to the general
education of the dog and also to assure it that the world is a safe
place. If something appears to make the dog unsure, give it the
opportunity to investigate it slowly, but do not force the issue.
 It
is imperative to avoid situations where your dog would be dominated by
another, older or stronger dog, or by another puppy. You also want to
avoid having to discipline or correct your puppy and thus dampen its
spirit or damage its self-confidence. You can do this by never leaving
the pup in a situation where it can cause damage to your valuables or
find itself in a dangerous predicament.
The final area of development is that of drive encouragement. The
natural behaviors that you want to encourage are playing with the
ball, tug of war, hide and seek, pulling toys on a string, pursuing
you rapidly when you run away, and finally defending itself, its
family, and its home. The latter really only shows itself between the
ages of nine and 18 months, as the pup begins to mature, by barking at
strangers or intruders. Acceptable manners at home and in the car and
"play" training, like learning to sit for a food reward, with no
corrections involved, is advisable. Real obedience work can begin once
the puppy is more mature. It is better to leave for later formal
obedience training with a young dog. The character of the puppy is not
sufficiently strong to withstand the stress that may be involved in
obedience training.
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Do Dogs enjoy Schutzhund Training?
If trained in the right manner, dogs enjoy working, as anyone who
attends a Schutzhund competition can see. The joy of the dogs in
working with their handlers is evident. For thousands of years, dogs
have adapted to serve humans in a mutually beneficial relationship.
While dogs could move quickly, hunt prey, and protect flocks and their
owner, the humans could provide food, shelter from the most severe
elements, and protection from larger predators, besides tending to the
dog's injuries. A dog's reason for being is to serve humans.
Schutzhund training helps develop the dog's natural instincts to a
high level. Self-confident dogs, doing work for which they are well
trained, are happy dogs. Wagging tails, sounds of excitement, and
strong pulling on a leash all show an observer at a Schutzhund trial
how much fulfillment dogs find in this work.
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 About
USA
The United Schutzhund Clubs of America (USA) provides training
instruction and licensing for its member clubs which work under VDH
rules, and whose awarded Schutzhund titles and German Shepherd Dog
breed surveys and conformation rankings are internationally recognized
through the Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde (SV) of Germany and the
World Union of German Shepherd Dog Clubs (WUSV). USA is a founding
member of the American Working Dog Federation (AWDF).
USA is a member of the World Union of German Shepherd Dog Clubs and
sends a team to the World Championship each year. USA sanctions club
trials, police dog trials, herding trials, endurance tests,
conformation shows, breed surveys, regional championships and five
national championship trials each year.
In 1970 the first Schutzhund trial in the U.S. was held in California,
currently USA supports over 200 full member clubs, with 14 affiliated
clubs in 11 regions across the United States. During the 2001 trial
season USA member clubs conducted 260 trials, 45 conformation shows
and 190 individual Breed Surveys.
USA is responsible for scheduling visits from foreign judges and
administers its own judges program. The USA Judges program currently
has licensed 18 Performance Judges, 2 Conformation Judges and one
Breed Survey Judge with 8 apprenticeships in process.
USA maintains a Breed Registry and programs, such as litter,
individual and kennel registrations, breed wardens and tattooers,
Breeders cup and Universal Sieger awards for German Shepherd Dogs that
are monitored by the Breed Advisory Committee and consists of the
National Breed Warden and 11 Regional Breed Wardens.
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For More Information About Schutzhund
Contacts for the United Schutzhund Clubs of
America can be located on this web site. For more information go to
the contacts page and find your local
Regional Director or Club, or you may contact the USA Office at:
3810 Paule Ave.
St Louis Mo. 63125
(314) 638-9686
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