Schutzhund (German for protection dog) is a dog training method that developed inside Germany in the early 1900s to test whether Shepherd Dogs (GSD) could perform as police dogs. It was a way of determining whether a dog would be effective that relied on more than simply the appearance of a dog to evaluate. Today, many breeds other than GSDs compete in Schutzhund, but it is a demanding test for any dog and few of them can pass this type of testing.

Characteristics of Schutzhund Dogs

Schutzhund (German for “protection dog”) tests dogs of all breeds for characteristics that are necessary for Police work,  guard dogs, tracking, protection and many others. The purpose of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that are likely to have or not have the exact characteristics required for these demanding jobs.Some of those features are:

• Strong desire to work
• Courage
• Intelligence
• Trainability
• Strong commitment to helping
• Endurance
• Protective instinct

Schutzhund training tests these traits. It also examines physical characteristics such as strength, endurance, flexibility, and smell capability. The goal of Schutzhund is to illuminate the character of a dog through training.Breeders can use this insight to determine how and whether the dog used if they produce the next generation of working dogs.

The Basics of Schutzhund Dog Training

Schutzhund training is a very highly structured process. The Schutzhund test has changed over the last 100 years, becoming a lot less abusive than when it began. Modern Schutzhund consists of three phases: tracking, obedience and  protection. A dog must be awarded all three phases. Each phase is judged on a point scale of 100, where the dog must exceed the minimum score of 70. At any time the judge can dismiss a dog for the showing of bad temperament, including fear or aggression.

Schutzhund dog training starts when a dog is very young, no more than a few weeks old. It can last anywhere from weeks to months to be sure the dog is suited to the job.

Phases of Training

The essence of Schutzhund training is the same everywhere although the exact specifics will depend on what course you enroll in. In addition to the three phases — Obedience, Tracking and Protection, modern Schutzhun also includes clicker training in many cases. Clicker training should start early, by around 10 weeks.

Obedience training is the foundation on which Schurzhund dog training is built. Dogs must learn 11 basic commands including such things as retrieving, targeting, heeling, heel position, and “focus and attention”.

In the tracking phase, dogs must learn to track different objects such as drugs, bombs, and cadavers. Here is where they make use of their “targeting” and “pointing out of an object” obedience cues.

The protection phase of Schutzhund training is critical for police dogs, guard and attack dogs.

The best source of training information is a good Schutzhund club. The overwhelming majority of Schutzhund training is done by the owner with the assistance of the local clubs. There are very few clubs in the U.S., making books and videos a vital source of information. Most Schutzhund clubs tend to small to be 20 or fewer members, because there is a limit to the number of dogs that can be trained in one session.