Schutzhund Training Can Be A Good Way To Spend Your Day
Sep 30th, 2010 Posted in pets | no comment »These days everything seems to be done in a rush. It can be hard sometimes to find activities that are fun and actually entail meeting people face to face. If you are looking for a new way to meet friends and you enjoy spending time with dogs then you may want to consider joining a Schutzhund training club.
Schutzhund competitions started in Germany as a way for breeders to determine which dogs were best suited for breeding purposes. It has evolved into a structured sport with standardized rules and regulations. Although it is most often associated with German Shepherds, it is open to any breed of dog that has the correct temperament for its somewhat rigorous standards. You can see a fantastic free Schutzhund training video HERE.
Started in Germany as a way to determine the best breeding stock, Schutzhund competitions have grown into a real sport with standardized rules around the world. It has become increasingly popular in Canada and the United States and is now the fastest growing dog sport on the continent. Although the competitions can be fun, the real joy may be in the training. This training is divided into three distinct phases, just like the competitions themselves.
Tracking is the first of these and for many dogs it is the easiest to master. It simply requires that the dogs use their superior sense of smell to find a person’s trail and a few items left along the way. This comes naturally to most dogs and the training really only involves teaching the dog what to do when he finds the trail or the items along it.
The obedience phase is a bit more rigorous. In this a dog must heel, retrieve, walk through a crowd of people without becoming excited or distracted and a gun fire test. Training for this phase requires that the dog’s handler train his or herself as well. Only when both the dog and its handler are in sync can you expect to see success on the course.
The final phase is the one most misunderstood by those opposed to the sport. Although the training does involve teaching the dog to attack or defend on command, it is not about creating a vicious dog or even one trained to do damage to a person like a police dog. This phase is about the handler’s ability to control his dog and the dogs ability to control his or herself. When not being ordered to be aggressive the dog most be pleasant and evenly tempered.
If you are looking for a great way to spend some time in a close knit community of dog aficionados then you need to look no further than your closest Schutzhund training club. As it is the fastest growing dog sport in North America, there is bound to be one near you. There you will find great dogs and perhaps even a few great friends.
Schutzhund training in today’s world has shot up in popularity. So many people want to train their puppy in this way. Would you like some free videos on top schutzhund training?
