Schutzhund Training For Your Dog - Family - Pets

Schutzhund dog training is a sport that developed in Germany in the early 20th century as a means to examine various German Shepherd breeds for potential employment as police dogs. Instead of using a dog's appearance as a means of deciding if the dog would be effective, Schutzhund permitted trainers to find the best matched animals for the job. Today, scores of breeds are allowed to take part in Schutzhund training, though very few dogs actually pass.

The Principles of Schutzhund Dog Training

Schutzhund training is a very rigid, highly structured process that has developed over the past 100 years. It is noticeably less abusive toward the dogs than when it started, but continues to be as strict, as is necessary to fully evaluate each animal. While in the past, most of the Schutzhund training that took place was based on a few manuals and organized courses, these days you will find DVDs and videos that help dog owners commence the training process.

The actual training will test a dog in numerous specific behaviors that are perfect for law enforcement work, including tracking, sniffing, protection, and retrieving. Most Schutzhund dog training will commence when the dog is no more than a few weeks old and will last for weeks or even months to make sure the dog is well matched for the job.

The Essence of Schutzhund

There are actually many different aspects of Schutzhund training. The course you use may also depend on which videos or obedience program you prescribe to. Most Schutzhund courses will deal with the following, however:

Clicker Training - Not all Schutzhund trainers will utilize clickers, but it's considered an almost universal method that works exceptionally well with German Shepherds and other Schutzhund suitable breeds. Training using a clicker ought to start at a very young age - about 10 weeks.

Obedience - Basic obedience training is the very first real test in Schutzhund dog training. You'll notice 10-11 basic obedience commands utilised in most programs. These include "focus and attention", "sit, down and stand", front, pointing out of an object, targeting, heel positioning, heeling, retrieving, jumping, motion exercises, and "go out". Full completion involves mastery of all 11 training points.

Tracking - Dogs training to track different objects, including drugs, bombs, and cadavers, will be trained completely in tracking methods. With the "targeting" and "pointing out of an object" obedience cues, Schutzhund dog training will train the dog to recognize the particular scent of the target and then to pursue until called off.

Protection - Dogs may also be trained to protect, as is the case with police dogs, attack dogs, and guard dogs. They are trained with specific commands to both recognize a threat and attack that threat. Alternatively, they can be trained to protect a particular object or person without commands.The essence of Schutzhund is to provide a dog with a very highly specific set of skills they can use to complete a given task quickly and effectively. Dogs in official training programs might complete training at a rate of 20% or less. Nonetheless, Schutzhund dog training is often just as valuable as an obedience regimen for dog owners at home.

If you're thinking about using Schutzhund to train your own dog, remember to research the varied training courses based on their success rates as well as the underlying philosophies used.