INTRODUCTION TO THE SCHUTZHUND SPORT - part2 (for part1, please click here)

There are reservations in many minds about protection training of dogs by private individuals. These questions are relevant, for enhancing a dog's willingness and ability to perform an effective attack on a human being is very serious business. One view is that nobody should be permitted to keep or breed animals capable of harming a man, that the emasculation of our utility breeds is a noble service to mankind. Perhaps the happy day when no man need be concerned with defense of family and property is on the horizon, perhaps our all powerful government is about to introduce a global program to incapacitate the criminal element (surly the best kept secret of recent years!), rendering dogs with the protective potential superfluous. You may not believe it, and I may not believe it, but by and large contemporary American breeders of working dogs are well on the way to being prepared for the new era, well on the way to rendering our protective heritage breeds impotent!

But if the breeding and possession of dogs with credible protective capability is to be a valid prerogative of the individual citizen, there must be a means to encourage responsible ownership and provide the necessary training and support. The Schutzhund movement has a major role to play in this.

Proper training does not create something that was not there in the first place, for the dog that can be effectively trained was physically capable before hand; his reactions simply become more predictable and controllable. The properly protection enhanced dog is truly a more reliable companion, for the most dangerous dog is the one apt to bite out of fear, an inability to deal with the world at large. The strong, confident dog who knows he can deal with whatever comes over the horizon has no need of the preemptive bite, can wait for a real threat before taking aggressive action.

The correct Schutzhund may be taken out in public with confidence and introduced to guests in the home along with the rest of the family. There is something very seriously wrong with the dog who must be locked away when there are gusts in the home, regardless of breed or training history. The prime purpose of the Schutzhund sport is the provision of strong, stable dogs by serving as a guide to breeding programs and providing the training so that the individual dog can become the good canine citizen he should be, an animal that can participate in all aspects of the day by day life of his family.

There are those who would have you believe that there is no need to train a dog in order to bring out the protective potential, that a particular breed is made up of "naturally protective" individuals. This is well and good if one finds it of comfort and has no real need, there is after all the place for the placebo. But if one intends to go in harms way, to depend on the dog for assistance when the going gets rough, there are two very sound reasons for protection training. In the first place, the dog that is not tested is simply an unknown quantity, for there are some dogs in every breed that just don't have what it takes, and it is impossible to identify them without testing each candidate. Finding your dog inadequate when he fails to respond to a real attack may mean that you never have the opportunity to replace him with an adequate dog.

The other reason for protection training is that many dogs are taught from a young age that any sign of aggression, even in play, is not allowed and will in fact result in being cuffed in the head. Dogs are sensitive, they can be tremendously inhibited without the owner's being aware of the process. The well trained obedience or show ring competitor is at a particular disadvantage in that they are apt to ignore the mugger thinking he is just another "distraction" and expect you to be pleased at the show of good manners! Many dogs will simply stand confused, not know how to react, when a simulated attack on the owner occurs as part of an evaluation. Their training has blunted the protective instinct, rendered it impotent when most needed.

Since the sport is a gauge of the working potential of the protective breeds, its credibility would seem to be dependent on the link between successful participation in a trial and practical applications such as police work or family protection. It is to be understood up front that it would be most foolish to take your high scoring Schutzhund III to a tough neighborhood and insult the natives, expecting him to spare you the normal consequences of such a foolish action! When the chips are down the dog may realize that this is not a game and head for the hills. On the sport field most dogs understand quite well for the agitator must play by the rules and may only strike back in a prescribed manner with limited force.

It would seem reasonable that the capable boxer would be an effective street fighter and most of them probably would, but this is not necessarily true in every case. Similarly, most good sport dogs have the potential for a real protective functionality that could be readily enhanced with a minimum of additional training. The protection test is a simulated situation, somewhat stylized and not totally realistic. There are those dogs who can by careful training be acclimated to the sport situation and yet who would likely falter when faced with a real, unrehearsed, threat. The more skilled and experienced the judge and helper, the less likely these boarder line dogs are to pass a protection test.

The experienced trainer will usually have a good idea of which dogs are dependent on the familiarly of the padded sleeve as permission to bite and which would respond to a real situation, attack regardless of the garb of the aggressor. A hidden sleeve, that is one compact enough to be worn under a shirt or jacket, can be used to test a dog's reaction to a more realistic situation and also as a means of more advanced training to insure a realistic protection functionality.

Thus while it is true that some successful sport dogs would fail in an on the street confrontation, just as some soldiers who are sound in training fail in combat for reasons not fully understood, it is not necessarily the fault of the training methodology. Dogs are not machines and it is not possible to be absolutely sure of what they will do in a new situation.

Stability and inherent responsibility are essential attributes of any dog to be protection trained, either for sport or service. Children and people in general are going to walk up and handle the police dog just as they are going to approach the private citizen's sport trained dog. It is pointless to say that they should know better, the simple fact is that it is going to happen. Fair or not, the burden is on the dog and his owner. The dog who threatens or bites innocent people simply cannot be tolerated; and it is a tribute to the stability of the animals and the skill of those doing the training that this high standard is almost universally met.

Although Schutzhund training and competition is a sport, it is also a very serious business with important obligations for those who choose to participate. The decision to become involved should thus be made only after careful investigation of what is involved and careful consideration of the implications of a commitment. Many who become interested are likely to be subject to subtle warnings such as "One of your kids is going to give the attack command, how will you feel when a neighborhood child is mauled by your vicious Schutzhund dog and ends up in the hospital?"

Is protection training a dog in fact equivalent to leaving a loaded pistol on the dining room table? Does it increase the likelihood of a serious incident resulting in injury to an innocent person? The answer is a qualified no, and the qualifications are a sound dog and sound training methodology. It is a simple fact that owning a dog physically capable of injury to a human being involves an element of risk, for several times each year there are newspaper reports of a death of a human being, all too often a child, as a result of an attack by a dog or dogs. In a sense the fact that such incidents are reported in detail is positive, in that very few of the 25,000 deaths that occur as a consequence of mixing alcohol and motor vehicles are interesting enough for much newspaper coverage. But even one death is of course one too many.

The fact is that very few if any of these incidents involve protection trained dogs, although I do not claim that such dogs are less likely to be involved; I simply have no relevant statistical information. What I do know is that by building the dog's confidence in himself and enhancing the handler's control and understanding the properly trained Schutzhund dog is a better canine citizen, substantially less likely to be involved in an irresponsible action after his training than before. One of the primary causes of dog bite incidents is the fear motivated preemptive action by the dog that was not properly socialized and/or of inherently unstable character.

The sport trained dog is exposed to many situations that require restraint and self control as a normal part of his training and living with his partner. In the properly run Schutzhund club, unstable dogs are recognized as such before the protection training begins or advances very far and the owner made aware of the danger he is living with. If a dog is refused training and put down or more closely watched as a consequence the safety of the public is enhanced by one less potentially dangerous dog.

The danger that a child will send a trained dog against an innocent person and cause an injury is simply not a serious concern if proper precautions are taken. The Schutzhund dog is taught to respond only to the active adult aggressor rather than a passive person. He understands full well that it is the commands of adult family members that must be obeyed, those of small children are in general regarded with tolerant amusement. It is the situation and tone of voice that leads to the aggressive response rather than the actual words used.

The owner of a dog of any of the protective breeds takes on important responsibilities, for they are capable of a great deal of damage. Schutzhund training, when applied to a sound dog in responsible hands, is an effective means of fulfilling these responsibilities, for it provides an enhanced level of discipline and control that renders unjustified aggression less likely. Also, the discipline also provides the ability to call back a dog when necessary, thus providing an extra margin of safety.

Although not likely, it is conceivable that a dog could be taught to make an unprovoked attack on verbal command and that a child could then invoke the trained response. But the same child could also abuse an automobile or alcohol with tragic results; and these are much more common occurrences as the reader of any newspaper is well aware. The owner of a Shepherd or Bouvier must teach his children respect for the potential of the dog, just a he should teach respect for the automobile, alcohol, power tools and the many other things that have legitimate purposes but are nevertheless potentially dangerous. This is a very serious responsibility that every dog owner should be made to understand.

As in any physically active sport, there is an element of risk on the training field where a single lapse in concentration can be the cause of an injury. The agitator is the most likely candidate; and he understands the risks before stepping on the field and picking up the sleeve. The point is that it is his own choice, the gratification of working the dog and contributing to his progress is satisfactory compensations for placing himself in jeopardy.

Each of us who participate - as instructor, agitator or trainer - is responsible for the safety of those involved and for producing reliable dogs suitable for living with their families in contemporary American society. Each person interested in participation must make his own evaluation of the overall merits of the program and make his own commitment. He should also contemplate the inherent risks of owning a dog with the protective potential without knowing how it is likely to respond in a situation he regards as provocative, or even which situations will be so regarded. The owner of the Schutzhund trained dog has the advantage of knowing first hand how his dog will respond to a wide variety of stressful circumstances.

(Articles written by: Jim Engel Copyright 1993)