Schutzhund is the triathlon of working dogs which includes
3 different disciplines: Tracking, Obedience and Protection:
Tracking: In the tracking test, a dog must accurately follow
the scent of a 30 minutes to several hours old human track
to look for "lost" articles.
Obedience: The dog and the handler follow a pre-defined handling
pattern on an open field to demonstrate several exercise (i.e.
heeling turning, sitting, staying behind, running ahead, jumping
etc.) The obedience performance of a dog is judged on its
accuracy, speed and general attitude.
Protection: A lot of people confuse the protection work in
Schutzhund training with Police dog work. While police dog
work has the same roots, the bite-work in Schutzhund protection
is exclusively directed at a heavily padded sleeve on one
arm of the helper. The dog grabs and hold the protected arm
with its mouth to stop the helper - not because it wants to
"bite" but rather because dogs use their mouth for what we
do with our hands. To succeed in protection, the dog needs
to demonstrate courage when protecting himself and his handler
from the helper's attacks while staying under complete control
of his handler. A dog that gets out of a handler's control
during a protection trial is automatically disqualified.
If you would like to learn more about Schutzhund, visit the
following links:
External links:
Wikipedia
explanation of Schutzhund
United
Schutzhund Clubs of America
Verein
für Deutsche Schäferhunde (S.V.) e.v.
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