An Introduction to the Sport of Schutzhund

German Shepherd waiting to be sent to bite the helper during protection phase of Schtuzhund

This article is a brief introduction to the sport of Schtuzhund and is by no means a complete reference.

Schutzhund literally means, "protection dog" in German. Schutzhund was created by Max von Stephanitz in the early 1900's as a way to test the German Shepherds temperament, structure, and overall working ability.

Schtuzhund served to help select the best dogs for breeding along with finding dogs that would do well in Police and Military service.

Today more people compete in Schutzhund as a sport than to use it for these purposes.

Schutzhund has three phases. They are:

Obedience
Tracking
Protection

Each phase is designed to test the dog as well as the handler. Let's break down the phases ...

The Three Phases of Schutzhund

Obedience. The obedience portion of Schutzhund is designed to test the communication skills between handler and canine. The exercises in the obedience portion include on and off leash heeling (fuß pronounced, foos), sit (sitz), down (platz), the recall (hier),retrieve on the flat, retrieve over a hurdle, retrieve over A-frame, sit out of motion, down out of motion, send aways, and down on send aways.

Each of these exercises increase in difficulty depending on what level of Schutzhund you are working in. For example to earn your BH (Begleithund) you are not required to do the send away or down on send away but you are required to demonstrate a down out of motion with recall.

If you are titling Schutzhund I, II or III you will also be required to demonstrate your dogs ability to manage obstacles like the hurdle and the 6 foot A-frame while retrieving a wooden dumbbell.

Tracking. Since Schutzhund was originally designed to test the German Shepherds suitability for work they included tracking as this is a vital role in Police K9 duties. Tracking in Schutzhund today is a strict exercise that requires you and your dog to navaigate 90 degree turns and tracks that can be 300-800 yards with up to five legs.

Tracking tests the dog and handlers ability to communicate and work together to find articles that are laid on the track in various locations. Your dog will indicate the article by laying down when they find it. When they find it your dog must maintain the down while you pick the item up and hold it high in the air to indicate to the judge that the article was found.

Upon being given the signal to continue tracking your dog should not jump up and start running the track but rather stand up and start tracking in a methodical but consistent manner.

Protection. Probably the most widely known phase of Schutzhund is the protection phase. During the protection phase you and your dog will engage in activities that include but are not limited to; the back transport, the flee attack, defensive of handler, the blind search, and the hold and bark.

What makes Schutzhund such a challenging sport is finding and training a German Shepherd with the all around ability to excel in all three phases.

Schutzhund is a demanding sport that requires both time and financial commitment. While it can be great to train on the weekends with your dog make sure you are prepared to invest the time into your dogs training before you get started.

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