Schutzhund Dog Training

photo credit: MonkeyMike

Schutzhund is a dog sport originating in the 1900s, out of the country of Germany. It was developed as a test to whether a German Shepherd Dogs could behave the way the original breed was meant to be, instead of just an evaluation of a dog’s physical appearance. In schutzhund, many other dog breeds can compete, but it’s a very demanding test for those dogs. Actually, just a few breeds and dogs will pass the Schutzhund test.

Environmental Training

Part 1- Locations

By Michael Jen – Please direct any questions or comments to mjen@pacbell.net

photo credit: MonkeyMike

Environmental training is extremely important for any protection dog. A real life self-defense altercation is unpredictable as no one knows when or where it may occur. It is imperative that a dog’s ability to protect is not hindered by fear of certain environments. A dog may look great on the training field where it is comfortable, but many dogs become nervous of certain sounds, small confined areas, slick floors (tile, marble, vinyl), etc., especially when it is in a new and unfamiliar area. Training to overcome these environmental fears is an essential part of any good protection training program.

During protection training, when most dogs are very nervous of the environment, their natural tendency is to want to either not bite and avoid the situation or bite and let go. It is imperative that a dog is not allowed to consistently do such things. The dog must never be allowed to think that avoidance and weak biting is ever an option when called upon to protect.

Though there are certain tactics a trainer can use during bite work training to help overcome a dog’s environmental fears, there are also many things the owner can do beforehand to get faster results and insure greater success during bite work training.

In this article, we will discuss how to overcome the fear of a certain locations. Use either food or a toy depending on which your dog has a greater interest in. In this example, we will use food because it is the easiest method for a novice dog owner to understand since it requires minimal knowledge of any other aspect of dog training.

photo credit: MonkeyMike

Let’s say a dog is nervous about entering into in a small bathroom. Give the dog some treats with the dog standing outside the doorway of the bathroom. Then take one step into the bathroom and draw the dog forward so it must stand under the doorway in order to get and eat the treat. Take another step in so the dog must now take a step into the bathroom in order to eat the treat. Repeat this pattern over and over until the dog is completely in the bathroom. You will notice that the dog may be apprehensive and slow when stepping forward, but that is OK.

After the dog is completely in the bathroom, take the dog out and repeat the whole thing again. You should notice that the dog will move forward slightly quicker in order to get the treat. Some dog owners will say their dog is too nervous to even eat the food in this situation. Don’t feed the dog anything but water for 48 hours and then you will see a dog that moves forward very quickly to get that food.

Once the dog is willing to enter, practice obedience in the bathroom. Make sure to reward the dog with food or toy when it performs the obedience correctly. Keep the obedience simple and avoid corrections. Drawing the dog in with treats and doing obedience should be repeated until the dog is completely indifferent about entering a being in the bathroom. Now it will be much easier for the trainer to employ his strategies when doing bite work in the bathroom.

Used by permission from: www.BVDT.net Environmental Training

Environmental Training

Part 2: Noise Desensitization

By Michael Jen – Please direct any questions or comments to mjen@pacbell.net

photo credit: MonkeyMike

In the first article on environmental training, we discussed how to overcome the fear of certain locations. Now we will look at how to overcome the issue of fearing sounds and desensitizing the dog to loud noises.

Get an empty plastic milk carton or any plastic container that has a handle. Place a hand full of rocks in the container and seal it shut. Take a rope and tie one end to the handle of the container. Take the other end and tie it to the dog’s collar. Make sure the rope is long enough so the container can drag on the floor a foot or two on the ground behind the dog. Then hook your leash onto the dog and take the dog for a walk.

At first, some dogs may be startled by the noise of the container filled with rocks, so it is essential that you have your dog on leash or else your dog may try to run. Ignore any reaction from the dog and simply go on your walk. Eventually, the dog will get accustomed to this constant noise.

Another thing you can do to help desensitize your dog to loud noises in general is to place it in its crate and place it next to your television. For those who have home theater systems, place the dog next to one of the speakers. Put in an action movie into your DVD player and turn up the volume. Of course don’t turn the volume so high that it injures the dog’s ears.

The tactics mentioned above can help desensitize the dog to loud noises in general, however, sometimes there are specific sounds a dog is afraid of. We will use the sound of metal pots banging together in this example, however, once you understand the training concept, the same technique can be applied to anything from gun fire to loud machinery.

photo credit: MonkeyMike

While the dog is eating its food out of its bowl, stand back about 20 feet and bang the metal pots together once. If the dog backs way from the food and stops eating, you are too close and need to back up more. When you are at distance that does not stop the dog from eating, stand in place and bang the pots together repeatedly until the dog is finished eating.

The next day, feed the dog in the exact same spot, but stand a few feet closer and bang the pots together. Once again, if the dog backs away from the food, back up slightly as you have advanced too close too soon. Repeat this each time your dog eats its meal until you can stand by the dog while it is eating and have it completely unaffected by the noise. Once you have accomplished this, walk towards the dog as you make the noise. If the dog is fine with you walking towards it while making the noise, then run towards it while making the noise. If the dog ever backs away from the food while you are walking or running towards it and making the noise, immediately stop moving forward until the dog continues to eat and slow down the pace in which you are advancing.

photo credit: MonkeyMike

When it is no longer bothered by the noise when eating, have someone else make the noise and do obedience with the dog. It is important that the dog is not only unafraid of the noise, but also able to completely ignore it when a big bowl of food is no longer present and you are giving it commands.

Once you have done this to help your dog overcome the fear of a certain noise, you will see much faster results when the trainer uses his strategies during bitework in the presence of that noise.

Used by permission from: www.BVDT.net .

German Shepherd Origin and History

The German Shepherd dog breed has its origin in the late 1800s when Max von Stephanitz from Germany began developing a breed that would later become the dog we know today as the German Shepherd.Von Stephanitz desired to produce a dog breed that could be utilized as an all-around working dog.Developed from various farm and herding dogs of his time, von Stephanitz’s original German Shepherd was derived from a herding dog he acquired in 1899, and he and his friend Artur Meyer formed the Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde which was the first club in the German Shepherd dog breed history. This club and von Stephanitz kept tight control over the breed until his death in 1936.

He determined which dogs would be used to breed based on how well they did in various shows and trials that were the precursor to the Schutzhund tests still performed today. His main criteria for judging a dog’s success were both its usefulness coupled with its intelligence. Von Stephanitz also promoted the utility of the breed to the German government for work in both the police and the military as well as other all-purpose uses as a working dog breed.
German Shepherd Breed History

Following the creation of the German Shepherd breed by von Stephanitz in the early 1900s, the breed’s popularity soon soared and became one of Germany’s most popular dogs. Serving in both World War I and II, the German Shepherd was a favorite military dog, primarily in Germany, but American and British soldiers were also impressed by the breed and brought the dog home following both wars.

In fact, one of the most popular German Shepherds dogs was Rin Tin Tin, originally from France, and brought to America by an American GI following the first world war. Rin Tin Tin went on to make 26 movies until his death in 1932 and contributed to the breed’s enormous popularity.

In addition to its use in the police and military arenas, German Shepherds have a history of usefulness in other areas, is known as a successful show dog and has been a popular family pet. German Shepherds were the first dogs used as seeing eye dogs in the late 1920s and Helen Keller, an avid dog lover, owned a couple of German Shepherds.

The first German Shepherd Club in America was formed in 1913 and the breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1908. Instantly recognizable, the German Shepherd continues to be a popular dog breed, and the German Shepherd is continually in the top five most popular registered breeds as determined by the AKC.
About Author: German Shepard Breed information, history, origins, pictures and demographics.

Back to Training Articles.

Share on Facebook