Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do I have to have a German shepherd or Rottweiler to participate in Schutzhund?

A. The sport is designed for all athletic dogs with correct working abilities and is not restricted to a particular group or breed of dog. The dog must be physically able to jump the one-meter jump holding a dumbbell, but there's a lot about what is in the dog's head, too.

Q. I have a German shepherd I bought. Can it do Schutzhund?

A. Many factors — one of which can be breed — determine what makes a successful Schutzhund dog. Stable temperament, desire for play, physical soundness, confidence, and many other characteristics must be considered. We would be happy to help you evaluate your dog for the sport if you're interested.

Q. Is it true that training my dog in Schutzhund will make it want to bite people or that the dog will be unreliable around children, visitors, etc?

A. Absolutely not! Many of our club members have small children, and all of us have our Schutzhund dogs in the house all the time. We have found that the dog's basic temperament has much more to do with his manners around strangers than any training. If anything, the training we do makes most dogs that are suited to the work more confident and secure, and less bothered by unusual circumstances.

Q. My dog has bitten several people and I think he'd make a great Schutzhund dog.

A. The polite answer is that it depends a lot on the circumstances that induced him to bite. The direct answer is that your dog almost certainly has temperament flaws that make the dog totally unsuitable for Schutzhund. The rude answer is that if your dog bites people and you LIKE that, then YOU have temperament flaws that make YOU unsuitable for Schutzhund.

Q. My dog loves to play tug, has a lot of energy, and I want to do more with him than just throw the ball once in a while. How do I find out whether my dog and I should try this?

A. Training for Schutzhund is a lot of fun, and tremendously rewarding, but it is also very time-consuming. Our club has no particular breed prejudices — even mutts are welcome! — but the time commitment can be daunting. To find a club in your area where you can visit and see if this sport appeals to you and your dog, click here.

Q. What age can I start training my dog?

We start training puppies as soon as they come home. There is a lot you can teach a baby puppy: targeting helps with go-outs and blind searches later. You can teach sit, down, stand, sit in front, come fast, attention and focus and lots more with a baby puppy. Tracking can also be started at 8 weeks old, and tug play mdash; learning that a quick out leads to more of the tug game — is also important for a youngster. (Don't play too much rough tug while the puppy is teething.)

Socialisation with people (some are tall, some are small, some have loud voices, some come in wheel chairs), other puppies (take a puppy class for its socialisation opportunities), and exposure to the big wide world with different places, slick floors, noise, etc. are all important.

Q. How do I get started?

The first thing you need to do is locate the Schutzhund clubs in your area. It is very difficult to advance in Schutzhund without training with a club. You can find lists of clubs by state at the USA site and the DVG site and by province at German Shepherd Schutzhund Clubs of Canada.

Visit the clubs in your area to see where you feel most comfortable and how you like the people training there and their training methods. Find the best fit for you and your dog. There are many different training styles and hopefully you'll find a club that uses methods you like.

Q. How do I find out what the requirements are for each level, including the BH?

Both USA and DVG have rule books which describe all exercises and explain what is needed for all titles. The DVG rulebook is also available on their website. In addition, there are several articles written by Big Sky Schutzhund club members that detail the requirements for the BH.