What is Schutzhund?
Schutzhund is...
This is a brief prelude to the explanation of what Schutzhund/Dogsport
is.
Schutzhund/Dogsport is an internationally recognised
sporting activity for dogs comprising three parts - Part A: Tracking,
Part B: Obedience, Part C: Character Assessment, conducted under
international rules.
The word Schutzhund, directly translated is
two words, Schutz = Guardian, protection or shelter and hund = dog.
Using the word as it is intended, it is an adjective to describe
types of breeds, eg. the Dobermann is a Schutzhund, a guard breed;
the Rottweiler is a Schutzhund, Gebrauchshund (working dog).
The founder of the German Shepherd Dog Club
of Germany, Captain Max von Stephanitz, had the foresight at the
turn of the century to realise that the then current role of the
herding breeds would undergo change as the modern industrial world
developed. He saw other roles that the dog could be utilised for
as a servant and companion to man and one of these roles was as
a companion guard and service dog. Seeing the breed as a working
animal and respecting the breed for this he encouraged the utilisation
of the dog as a service dog. Through the training of the dogs for
service work, the breeders were able to select dogs who showed the
desired characteristics for this work. Further, the breeders were
able to learn a great deal about canine behaviour through the training
and evaluation (testing) of the dogs. As our society and social
culture have evolved, the ways of training and testing of the dog
have changed along with this evolution of society.
Today this sport is practised in all five continents
and twenty-eight countries of the world. The questions often asked
are what is the purpose of this sport or form of training and what
benefits does it bring to both society and the dog?
Q. What is the purpose of the form of dog
training called Schutzhund/Dogsport?
A. Firstly the ambiguity of this question
and purpose and aim of the information should be clarified.
Can the question be answered in a factual brevity
that only addresses the pure visual aspect of the sport viewed by
an individual educated and experienced. Or one which has total ignorance,
yet still disregarding personal biases or anthropomorphic views.
Can one ask why one likes football, equestrian
events, motor racing or boxing. Analogies can be drawn between the
same question of what is the purpose of a culture, religion, marriage
or football.
If the true answer be given for the above examples the reader may
disbelieve the answer.
The sport in itself addresses many individual facets, of which positive
ramifications result, which are used as the catalyst for the further
development of education, dogdom, animal husbandry, sport, entertainment,
competition, assessment, desirable social attributes and respect
for nature.
SCHUTZHUND AUSTRALIA INC.
The sport is exactly that, a vehicle whereby the competencies of
the individuals training well bred genetically balanced animals
compete against each other against an established and proven standard.
The competition and challenge is personal and amongst fellow competitors
due to the time and sacrifice required, a sense of achievement is
gained once successful.
The animals required for entry to the sport
must be of unquestionable character, temperament and soundness before
entry can be gained. The success and knowledge gained ensures the
further reassurance of a genetic pool of animals ideally suited
to the desirable social requirements of our society.
In Australia the Kennel Controls have no assessment
or testing criteria for the temperament and character of animals,
particularly the nervous stability. You do not find this anywhere
else in Business, Education, Industry - Service or Production, where
the service or product must be tested against a standard. If no
measure or validation is performed, how can or where is the objective
evidence of the performance of function.
To grossly summarise, the purpose of the sport
could be expressed as an assessment of the training, genetic attributes,
competition and education.
Q. What benefits does Schutzhund/Dogsport
bring to both society and the dog?
A. This lies in two parts. Firstly to
society, statistical data shows that trained dogs are safer than
untrained dogs. The dog learns to live and learn with people. He
also learns the command, the action and to obey. This promotes not
only his own well being but also his acceptance in society. Dog
training also educates the owner of his responsibilities to his/her
dog and his/her social responsibilities of dog ownership. Further
it enhances their cynological education. It practically teaches
them to understand canine communication to like and unlike species.
It then gives them, if they choose to breed their dogs, the ability
to select appropriate breeding partners and to pass factual knowledge
onto the purchasers of their stock.
Secondly, the benefit of Schutzhund sport to
the dog is thus. In the past the areas in which dogs were used was
greater. These animals were able, due to their use as guard, hunting
and drover dogs, to live out their species related natural drives.
Today it is very restricted or not at all possible to use the family
and companion dog for this kind of work. Long walks are mainly the
only possibility to balance the deficit of their activity. A similar
problem was encountered with horses and thus the development of
equestrian and horse racing type activities. Alternatively, the
Schutzhund/Dogsport work offers the opportunity to release excessive
energy and the accumulation of other drives and this should not
be under estimated.
The further well being of the dog is enhanced
through training by the physical activity and mental stimulation
that is produced.
We trust you will appreciate that given the
complexities of this sport we have only briefly touched on the subject.
We would be pleased to provide further clarification and explanation
of this internationally recognised sport.
#
Information supplied by:
Alison Kollenberg - Schutzhund Australia Inc. National Secretary.
http://www.schutzhundaustralia.com
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More About Schutzhund?
Today in Australia, Schutzhund is a fast growing
competitive dog sport. In Europe where it originated, Schutzhund
(SchH) has been a popular sport since the early 1900's. Schutzhund
sport is practised in over 23 countries worldwide, including throughout
Europe, the United States, Asia, South Africa and New Zealand.
In 1899 Rittmeister (Cavalry Captain) Max von
Stephanitz in conjunction with Herr Artur Meyer of Stuttgart founded
the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde. The society was
founded by amateurs and amateur breeders and represented the breeding
association of the German Shepherd Dog and it has extended all over
Germany and abroad. The society promotes the select breeding, endeavours
to raise the capacity for work, as well as to consolidate and accomplish
the natural utility dispositions of the German Shepherd Dog. The
aims of the society are the propogation of the German Shepherd Dog
as a companion, watch and protecting dog. To fulfil society's goals
the formation of selective breeding tests were established so as
to maintain the correct temperament and character of the breed.
Through the last 100 years of the evolution of society and the refinements
of those selection tests we have come today to a Sport which we
know as Schutzhund. The most widely utilised and practised selection
of breed worthy test in the World today.
Schutzhund gives us the ability to test our
dogs to determine if the temperament is correct and to also view
their working ability. It is also a highly competitive sport which
is maintained by the efforts of teamwork between the handler and
his/her dog. In places such as Europe and the United States, requirements
for breed suitability include levels of Schutzhund degrees. It is
interesting to note that many well known and respected breeders
import Schutzhund titled dogs from overseas, many of these dogs
becoming the main progenitors of our pure bred Australian stock.
Schutzhund is designed for the dogs with
working ability.
Schutzhund training and trialling involves
three phases:
*
Tracking
* Obedience
* Character Assessment
There are three Schutzhund
levels one can achieve with his/her dog
*
SchH I - considered the novice level;
* SchH II - the intermediate
level;
* SchH III - the advanced level.
Each handler and his/her dog can
achieve a maximum of 100 points for each phase. Points are deducted
by the presiding judge according to the point system, providing
the dog/handler errors. A total perfect score is 300. In order for
a person and his/her dog to achieve any one of the Schutzhund degrees,
the team together must achieve at least 70 points or better in Tracking
and Obedience and at least 80 points or better in the Character
work. If these minimum scores are not received a Schutzhund degree
cannot be awarded to the participating dog/handler team. The requirements
that a dog/handler team must fulfill become progressively more difficult
from the SchH I level to the SchH III level.
Tracking is a development of a
dog's natural abilities and instincts. It helps build confidence
within the dog. The dog must use his nose in locating a track laid
either by his handler or a stranger and also have the ability to
discover various articles dropped along the track. The track length,
the age of the track, the number of articles and the size of the
articles depends on the level of the Schutzhund degree.
Obedience makes a dog a more enjoyable
companion and also makes him more reliable in everyday situations.
Schutzhund Obedience judges a handler and his/her dog as a team.
The team is required to do various exercises, depending on the Schutzhund
degree one is attempting to earn. In SchH I and II levels the basis
of the Obedience is for the team to heel on and off leash through
a set pattern. This comprises left and right turns and left-about
turns. There is heeling through a moving group of people with a
figure of 8 to be completed. There is a Sit out of Motion, Down
with Recall, Retrieve of a dumbbell on the flat and over a one meter
jump and a Send Away exercise. In SchH II and III there is the addition
of a retrieve over an A-frame scaling wall. In SchH III all heeling
is done off leash and there is a Stand out of Motion (walking) and
Stand out of Motion (running) with Recall. Whilst one dog/handler
team is performing the Obedience exercises another dog/handler team
is doing a Down under Distraction exercise. Whilst the dog is heeling
free two gunshots are fired.
Character work as trained for
Schutzhund requires that the dog have a reliable temperament and
show courage without aggressiveness. It is an advanced and complex
form of training. The Helper in the sport is required to wear protective
pants and a special sleeve covered with hessian for the dog to grip.
The dog must grip correctly or he will lose points. The dog must
also be trained to release his grip on command. A dog can fail if
he consistently does not release his grip when commanded.
In all three phases of the sport,
the dog is also being tested for impartiality. That is, if any character
traits appear during a Trial which are undesirable, e.g. aggression
towards people, nervousness, inappropriate reactions to gun etc.,
then the dog/handler team can be dismissed from the Trial.
BREEDS ELIGIBLE FOR SCHUTZHUND
TRAINING
German Shepherd Dog, Boxer, Dobermann, Rottweiler, Giant Schnauzer,
Airedale Terrier, Bouvier Des Flandres, Hovawart, Belgian Shepherd
(Groendael, Malinois, Tervueren, Laekenois), Berger de Beauce, Berger
de Brie, Berger Des Pyrenees A Face Rase, Berger Des Pyrenees A
Museau Normal, Berger Picard, Lapinkoira, Suomenpystykorva.
BH (BEGLEITHUNDE - TRAFFIC
SURE COMPANION DOG)
The BH Test is the minimum requirement for further training and
trialling to the Sport of Schutzhund and the Schutzhund dog even
at the basic level of trialling is a controlled companion dog. The
Test comprises Obedience section with heeling on and off leash as
in the Schutzhund test less the retrieve and send-away exercises.
The second section of the Test comprises a social and obedience
test in a public place, usually a shopping complex, train station,
public thoroughfare where the dog's social manners and obedience
and general disposition towards strangers and other dogs are evaluated.
Since 1986 Trials have been held
on a regular basis in Australia with several hundred dogs/handlers
entering those Trials and internationally and nationally licensed
Working Judges officiating. These events have all been advertised
in national canine publications and open to the public. There were
in several instances in excess of several hundred spectators in
attendance at these Trials. It is interesting to note that there
have been no incidents at any such event held within Australia.
*
Schutzhund is a highly specialised form of dog training and is worthwhile
in that it is a form of assessment of the character of working dogs.
#
Information supplied by:
Alison Kollenberg - Schutzhund Australia Inc. National Secretary.
http://www.schutzhundaustralia.com
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Schutzhund Australia Inc. (SA)
Schutzhund sport formed into a
National Council for Schutzhund/Dogsport in December 1990. It's
members and Schutzhund/Dogsport and consists of clubs catering for
the training and trialling of dogs. SA is a National Organizaton
administered along similar lines to some of our National Breed Councils,
eg. German Shepherd National Council, National Rottweiler Council
and National Dobermann Council, and has a system of records for
performance etc. styled on that of the United Schutzhund Clubs of
America.
For your information the following
Clubs are currently members of SA:
Queensland
* Gold Coast Sportdog Club Inc. Secretary:
Alison Kollenberg akollenberg@optusnet.com.au
New Zealand
*New Zealand United Schutzhund Clubs
Inc. Secretary: Theresa Friis friis-n-t@xtra.co.nz
New South Wales
* Waratah Sportdog Club Inc. Secretary:
- Mario Ferkula marjan.ferkula@three.com.au
* Adelaide Sportdog Club Inc. Secretary:
Michael Kamphuis michael_kamphuis@hotmail.com
Only Clubs which are incorporated
associations and maintain insurance (public liability) cover.
SA offers its members:
*
SA sanctioned Working Trials which are held using only licensed
Working * * Judges and licensed Helpers
* Signed, stamped Certificates for
Trials
* Scorebooks for dogs
* Sportpasses for handlers
* Awards Program for handlers
* Helper Program - Certification of
Helpers and issue of Helper Passport
* Judge's Program
* Seminars and Workshops
* National Website
* Library, knowledge and literary assistance
In summation
-
Schutzhund sport is not guard
dog or security training and Schutzhund dogs are not dangerous,
nor does the Organization encourage attitudes of aggression
in dogs towards persons and other dogs.
-
SA member Clubs are responsible
in their training of dogs and many of our Schutzhund dogs are
also responsible members of main stream canine activities, i.e.
Show Dogs, Obedience Dogs, Agility Dogs, Search and Rescue Dogs
as well as Tracking Dogs
-
SA does not agree that there
is a need for privately owned or handled 'attack' dogs and actively
discourages this attitude.
-
Schutzhund dogs have been
tested for their suitability in modern society, the results
of which show that they are trustworthy, confident, willing
and intelligent ambassadors for pure-bred dogs.
-
Schutzhund dogs are highly
specialised, intensely trained members of the canine world and
as such are the ultimate example of the benefits of trained
animals.
-
The strict guidelines for
participation and training in the sport ensure that the Schutzhund
dog does not become a statistic in the ever increasing spate
of incidents involving dogs and people. In fact, trained Schutzhund
dogs have not in this country been responsible for any attacks
on humans.
#
Information supplied by:
Alison Kollenberg - Schutzhund Australia Inc. National Secretary.
http://www.schutzhundaustralia.com
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Is there a difference between a sport dog & service, protection
or guard dogs?
The intention of this article
is to briefly describe the differences between a working sport dog
(Schutzhund) and a service, protection or guard dog.
Firstly, let's look at the basic
purpose of the service dog, protection dog and the guard dog.
The service dog is trained to
track down persons, usually criminals, to locate illegal substances
i.e. drugs, control crowd riots and stop armed offenders as well
as protect the handler from attack. The protection dog is trained
to protect its handler from attack and usually to guard property.
The guard dog is trained to guard commercial or domestic properties.
The second area we will look at
is who trains these dogs and to what standard.
Service dogs are usually trained
to a standard of the law enforcement agencies within which they
will be operational. This standard varies considerably from service
to service, country to country.
Protection and guard dogs are
trained and sold as a commercial commodity and the bottom line is
to turn over as fast a profit as possible. The standards to which
these dogs are trained are self imposed and unregulated.
The sport dog (Schutzhund) is
trained and used for a competitive sport which involves tracking,
obedience and character assessment (Schutzdienst).
The standards to which he is trained
are uniform and world-wide. One must be aware that the intention
and purpose between these dogs is very different even though the
outward picture may appear to be the same. The Schutzhund dog is
a sport dog and is competing for points: the dog is assessed for
the quality of the work and how close it aligns with the standard
it's being judged upon. The Schutzhund dog is fixated upon a sleeve
which it must grip and counter through particular phases of the
competition routine. In the 'Hold and Bark' phase the dog is usually
barking to gain access to gripping the sleeve.
Through the whole Schutzdienst
phase the dog's nerves, temperament, character, courage and working
ability are being assessed. The intention of the sport is to identify
animals suitable for breeding. Many Schutzhund dogs will not perform
the routines if not exposed to all the associated stimuli which
are used in training for the competition.
Even though the dogs are working
in a sporting environment the mental and physical pressure placed
on them is sufficient to highlight deficiencies within the temperament,
character and nerves of the animal.
The service dog on the other hand
does not have the associated article or stimuli to place the dog
into drive. The dog must be able to work without the help of these
secondary stimuli.
When trained properly there appears
to be very little difference between the two purposes of training
principles but when trained properly and
with control as a main criteria, channelling between drives
and into equipment is the difference.
The Schutzhund dog's purpose or
aim is to bark intensely to gain possession of the sleeve, to either
wrestle in a tug of war or to carry the prize/prey away from the
helper.
Other facts like the grip, hit
backs or rebites are skills the dog is taught to gain confidence
or correct itself during a competition.
The service dog is not allowed
to eventually channel into the sleeve but rather to remain focused
on the decoy remaining more in the defence drive with the aim being
to bite or fight only the man and not the equipment. This is usually
achieved by the use of under garment protection and body bite suits.
The personal protection or guard
dog is usually trained in a high defence drive based on self preservation,
countering the stimulus with aggressive barking and hectic biting.
These dogs are never allowed to become equipment focused and are
usually trained with full body bite suits and under garment protection.
In most cases, control is not critically important as the dog is
mainly worked on lead as this helps in giving the dog support and
in most 'real life' biting situations the dog would be on the lead
where the handler could physically control the dog.
Dogs that are used to guard property
are either high in instinctive territorial defence behaviour or
are trained to be territorially defensive, i.e. a compound or enclosure
to entice aggressive responses, the agitation desists and the proximity
of the decoy is increased to reinforce the aggressive behavioural
response which is usually barking and baring teeth. In both the
guard and personal protection dog, social contact with persons other
than the handler is usually not permitted.
The Schutzhund dog has to undergo
hundreds of hours of training and usually lives in a family situation
and travels in public places. The Rules of the Sport are fairly
clear in that the dog must undergo a test of impartiality prior
to the commencement of a Trial. This usually involves the Judge
handling the dog, eg. examination of tattoo in the ear whether it
is present or not, examination of the dog by touching, patting or
stroking, and the dog being placed in a very tightly closed crowd
of people.
Dogs that are trained to have
human species conflict, i.e. a mistrusting dislike for humans via
defensive self preservation stimulus placed upon them by humans
in training, will fail a test such as the test of impartiality used
in the Schutzhund Trial and which has been deliberately designed
to identify dogs that are trained in civil protection work which
Schutzhund Clubs are prohibited from conducting.
The adversaries to Schutzhund
sport know little of the training of either dogs for the sport or
dogs for service work, personal protection or guard dogs. They most
certainly can with great clarity and information give a clear explanation
of their views, or can they? But further, we can practically demonstrate
that dogs trained for the sport are safe. We wonder if they can
not only in written thesis but also by practical example give their
viewpoint. We doubt not.
#
Information supplied by:
Alison Kollenberg - Schutzhund Australia Inc. National Secretary.
http://www.schutzhundaustralia.com
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Freqently asked questions
Q.
Does this training make the dog dangerous ?
A. Refer to attached article "Is
there a Difference between a Sport dog and Service, Protection or
Guard dogs?" This will in part answer this question. Evidence
indicates that a trained dog is a safe dog. Refer
to attached article "Who are the killer dogs?" by Ed Weiss
& Tom Rose. Many thousands of dogs undergo this form of training
in countries which have much higher density living than Australia
and there has been no cause or reason for prohibition of this training
in those countries. In fact, dogs trained in this activity are entitled
to receive reduced registration fees. As demonstrated, the dog is
only interested in the padded sleeve.
Q.
If a Schutzhund trained dog saw a person wearing a coat or glove
similar in colour to a padded sleeve wouldn't it be likely to attack
that person?
A. QQuite simply, NO. The training
equipment, i.e.the padded sleeve, is very distinctive and the dog
has the ability to distinguish between a jacket and a sleeve. If
one doubts this, this can be amply demonstrated but we would ask
you .... "Is a trained seeing eye dog likely to mistake a swimming
pool for a puddle of water?" NO!
Q.
What happens to the "half trained dogs or rejects?"
A. At no stage in the training of the
dog is the dog ever a danger to a human but again we reiterate,
a trained dog is a safe dog.
Q.
Does this training change the dog's character?
A. Yes, it gives the dog a purpose
for existence by utilising inherent behavioural instincts, makes
the dog controllable in pressure situations, sociable, and an asset
to the community.
Q.
How do I go about training or getting a dog to participate in this
sport?
A. You can join a recognised Schutzhund
Club for training. You could purchase a puppy or older dog from
a breeder. You could purchase a trained dog from overseas, or you
could purchase a dog which resides in this country.
Q.
What is involved in this activity?
A. To be successful in this activity
requires a commitment of around 10 hours per week but that varies
from competitor to competitor, dog to dog, trainer to trainer.
Q.
What if a dog gets out of control?
A. We pose the questions ..... What
is out of control? Does a field and game dog get out of control
and hunt and kill?
Q.
Why do you teach a dog to bite?
A. We don't teach a dog to bite, we
teach where, how and when to grip a padded sleeve in a controlled
environment.
Q.
What about aggressive dogs participating in this sport?
A. Some of these dogs will become controlled
and disciplined members of the community. Schutzhund training does
not create this unacceptable behaviour, it identifies and weeds
out these unacceptable dogs. The knowledgeable trainer, in the majority
of cases, identifies the generating cause of the behaviour and prescribes
the corrective measures needed.
Q.
What if the dog won't let go of the sleeve?
A. Letting go of the sleeve when commanded
is a "learned behaviour" not instinctive. If the dog does not let
go when commanded, the learned behavioural response has not been
completely established.
Q.
Could this training lead dogs to attack people carrying umbrellas
or walking sticks?
A. We pose the question ... In teaching
a dog to fetch a stick or a wooden retrieving article, could this
lead a dog to attack a person with a walking stick or umbrella?
Q.
Why do you hit the dog with a stick?
A. We don't hit the dog with a stick.
We use a thin rubber tube covered with foam rubber encased in soft
leather. This is used to stimulate the dog's nerves and apply pressure
to the nervous system thus testing the nervous system in a combat
between the helper and the dog over the padded sleeve. This has
no adverse physical or mental effect on the dog.
Q.
Is teaching a dog to scale a 6 feet A-frame dangerous, in that he
may escape from his yard?
A. No. The dog associates the command
and does the behavioural response of jumping to the command. Does
training a horse to jump fences lead him to escape his paddock and
run free onto the road?
#
Information supplied by:
Alison Kollenberg - Schutzhund Australia Inc. National Secretary.
http://www.schutzhundaustralia.com
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