Performance Sports

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PERFORMANCE SPORTS WITH YOUR DOG

Pat and Marta Performance sports are becoming the wave of future for many dog companions. There are many possibilities, including AKC obedience and tracking, flyball, agility, ring sport, and our sport, Schutzhund. Because Riesenschnauzers (Giants) are very athletic and intelligent dogs, they thrive when they are given games to play, jobs to do, and rewards for their efforts. Our dogs compete in the sport of Schutzhund. You might be interested in one of the other possibilities. You can easily find information about all of these activities on the web. You will probably need to talk to someone who is experienced in the sport you are interested in, and you will need a trainer and/or training club. Some sports also require specific equipment. Spending time with your dog in these kinds of activities is probably as good for you as it is for your dog. Visit our Links page to find links to many of the organizations that can start you out in the right direction.

What Is Schutzhund?

Schutzhund began in Germany as a breed qualification test for German Shepherds. It began in Germany in the late 1800's, and even today a German Shepherd cannot receive official registration papers unless each of its parents have passed a Schutzhund trial. In Germany, there are thousands of clubs, and training and trials are social and community outings for the whole family. In the United States, there are fewer clubs and trials, but membership in the national organizations is growing. In both Germany and United States, dogs of all breeds compete at all levels, local, regional, national and international.

History of Schutzhund
in the United States

The first Schutzhund-type trial was held in California in 1963, and a SV sanctioned trial was held in 1969. It was in 1975 that a group of Schutzhund pioneers formed the United Schutzhund Clubs of America (USA) with a mere dozen groups. When personalities and policies led to angry disputes, the DVG of America was formed in 1978. Today USA and DVG are still the two national organizations that sponsor clubs and trials, and the differences between the two organizations are a reflection of the fact that USA's mission is inextricably linked to the German Shepherd, while DVG promotes the sport of Schutzhund for all breeds. A Schutzhund club can be affiliated with either or both national organizations. Each hold their own trials and regional and national competitions. In order to enter a trial, one must be a member of one of these organizations.

We belong to both organizations.

Portia gets in a great bite! Schutzhund can be easily understood as a kind of triathalon for dogs, as it consists of three phases, tracking, obedience, and protection and each phase consists of a potential of 100 points. A perfect score would be 300 points. In order to receive a title, a dog must score no less than 70 points in each phase. The protection phase is especially highly valued as a test of courage, strength, and athletic ability, and as a result, until recently a passing score of 80 points was required. Dogs are also evaluated on their demonstrated courage and receive a rating for this quality. Schutzhund offers three levels of titles. They are:

SchH I Novice
SchH II Intermediate
SchH III Master

After attaining the SchH III, competitors may continue to trial their dog in order to compete at trials on the regional, national, or even international level. The specific requirements of each phase of each level are specifically delineated. Each phase tests a different instinctive characteristic of the dog, and in all phases training is challenging and requisite to achieve high scores in the trials. To learn more about the specific rules, contact DVG or USA and purchase a rulebook. There are many valuable books and videos that you will want to become acquainted with if you would like to try this sport.

Click here to read training-related articles by Armin Winkler. Armin is a well known German trainer now living in Virginia, and translator of Helmust Raiser's Der Schutzhund. Armin's insightful articles have been published in Schutzhund USA and many sites on the World Wide Web. Armin's insight into the working drives and thespecific character of the Riesenschnauzer have been particularly important to our training program for our dogs.