Thursday, December 16, 2010

Schutzhund Training And How To Get Involved In The Competition

By Schuyler Schober


Schutzhund is a highly popular dog sport developed in the mid 1900s. It's German for "protection dog" and was enacted to decide whether certain dogs exhibited the necessary traits to become police canines. It is a challenging competition with usually very few dogs passing each year. People interested in submitting a German shepherd should start the Schutzhund training as early as puppy hood.

The kinds of traits which are needed for a dog to succeed in the Schutzhund exam include bravery, a will to work, perseverance, and an intense protective instinct among other ones. A ton of physical strengths, such as endurance and quickness, are tested too. This is since the animals who pass the test will end up doing police work that includes everything from scent detection to search and rescue operations.

The modern test has three phases that encompass it. Tracking, obedience, and protection all make the Schutzhund up and, to pass, dogs must breeze through all three. They must score minimums of seventy out of a hundred points and, at any time, dogs can be dismissed if a judge feels they displayed too much fear or aggression.

As far as the protection abilities of the animals go, a judge will have a helper who's heavily padded hide in a field. The dog is directed to search and must find where the helper is hiding and make their location known. The dog, in similar exercises, must also react when the padded helper attacks the judge or him. Animals must display a healthy enthusiasm and lack of fear to pass.

The tracking section of the process was designed to test the German shepherd's scenting ability and mental soundness. During this phase a person will walk across a long field and drop small items along the way. Later the dog is instructed to track the field by locating each of the dropped articles. Their score is then based on their determination and accuracy.

As with the other sections, the obedience section is accomplish on a big open field too. One dog watches from a few feet away while another is directed to do a number of commands. Gunshots and similar noises are played to test the animal's reaction. Afterwards, they change places and the test moves forward. The canines in this phase are graded on how well they obey instructions, react to loud noises, and skill.

Although there are quite a few breeds that demonstrate an above average level of skill and loyalty, it is the adored shepherd that is considered top dog when it comes to obedience and courage.




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