In the
20 years I have been working with dogs and the few
years since I opened West Wind Dog Training, I
have probably heard every question or comment
about Schutzhund work and Personal Protection
training (crudely called Attack Training).
After one recent
phone call, I decided to write a bit about the
Schutzhund and Personal Protection training.
(Shortened to Sch and PP). The caller wanted
to know: 1) do I teach attack training (no) and
(2) what was the baddest dog he could get to teach
to attack. Though the caller scared me with
what he wanted to do, his call was no shock.
I wish to dispel some myths regarding Sch and PP
work. Before I continue, I wish to thank Mr.
Marcelo Villanueva who is a training assistant and
decoy (the guy in the padded suit).
He has
been training with the Schutzhund Club of Canada,
a recognized organization within the Canadian
Schutzhund Community. Also, thank you to Lia
Maher who belongs to an Australian dog club that
counts Schutzhund as one of its many activities
offered. I was able to get views from both
the experienced and the novice. This article
is being written for the general public to help
clarify these often misunderstood dog-related
activities.
There are
differences between Sch and PP. To break it
down simply: Sch is a sport that includes bite
work, tracking and obedience/agility. PP is
a form of training that puts the dog and handler
team in real world situations. Sch was
developed in Germany to test the German Shepherd
Dog's working ability and temperament for future
breeding. Not all Sch dogs will make good PP
dogs and vice versa. Why? Well, not all PP
dogs can handle the physical requirements of Sch
and some Sch dogs cannot transition to the real
world scenarios of PP.
In theory, any dog
can do either activity. For example, in Sch,
most people think of German Shepherd Dogs,
Belgian, Malinois, Rottweiler, Dobermans and a few
others. But other breeds such as the Bouvier
des Flandres, American Pit Bull Terrier and
American Bulldog can excel in this sport.
Crossbred dogs can do quite well and there have
even been the odd Golden Retriever, Border Collie
and Australian Cattle Dog in competition.
But there are limitations.
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