# Schutzhund



## ditchdoc24 (Nov 2, 2009)

I'm thinking about getting started in Schutzhund and the problem is that I don't know what I don't know. How hard is it to get started? Is it expensive to do? What kind of time do I need to dedicate to it? I'm sure there are a bunch of other things I haven't even thought of yet but these are the things I'm thinking of right now. I don't have a dog that's suitable for this but I want to get one soon. Thanks!


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## UGA hunter (Nov 2, 2009)

It takes a lot of time and dedication! You'll need to join a club to train. Look up Mr. Jerry Lyda on this forum. The man is a dog training genious! He has couple of Schutzhund titled dogs and has his own club that trains for sport work.


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## ticeman (Nov 2, 2009)

My breeder is a schutzhund trainer for the local LE academy, it takes alot of work, she breeds/trains Rotty's (I bought one) but it is amazing to watch.

Here's my mutt. Just a year.


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## Nautical Son (Nov 2, 2009)

Well you gotta have a dog that fits the program, think Rotti, Shepard, even Labs...or some exotic breed...It takes alot of dedication and time from the few times I went to a demo day, these folks are hardcore about it, the dogs are generally very well behaved but just not as social as I like....there was a place in Covington where they held the demo's and the guy that lived there had kidney issues and was awaiting a transplant, I think his name was Tim...but that was 5 years ago and I really can't remember much except it was somewhere over near except it was over near Tabor Mtn Church ...


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## K9SAR (Nov 2, 2009)

ditchdoc, your best bet is to find a Schutzhund Club in your area and visit them during a training session or during an event


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## ditchdoc24 (Nov 2, 2009)

Thanks for the advice everyone. I've pretty much decided on a German Shepherd and found a club in Monroe that does Schutzhund. That's not very far so it would be convenient. It turns out I have a former co-worker who is the club secretary so I'm going to stop by on a training day and check it out.


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## TripleXBullies (Nov 2, 2009)

It definitely takes a lot of work. I've been working with Yohanny Gamez who is now in Carrollton for several years now off and on. I've got a little more time to spend with it right now, and have one dog that's doing well with training now. I'm not working for Sch right now, but maybe one day.


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## boz614 (Nov 2, 2009)

A few things to consider-  First of all, you need to remember that Schutzhund is a competitive SPORT dog competition, and in my opinion, not the best training "ring" (for lack of better word) for training a dog for policework or personal protection.  Personnally, I wish I could compete in KNPV, but since the Dutch refuse to allow clubs or competitions in North America and I don't have that kind of $ laying around to spend that much time in Europe, that will never happen.  Of the many dog sports (IPO, KNPV, French Ring, Mondio, etc.), Schutzhund is by far the most popular here in North America, but even finding a club that is truly dedicated to the sport can be tough without frequent travel.  Much time and expense is necessary to properly title a dog, even in Sch I, so be prepared to truly dedicate yourself and your wallet unless you live in an area of large population (ie. Atlanta).  There is a guy in our area (Augusta) named William (last name escapes me) who made the US team that competed in Europe, I believe last year or the year before, and he is a close friend of Jerry Lyda's.  If it is a reliable "real-world" protection dog you seek, and not the competition or the title, make sure you check your trainer out carefully.  Be wary of the guy that says he can do anything with any dog.  While most competent trainers can train any dog on obedience, the same is NOT true for protection/tracking dogs.  As nerely any duck dog/bird dog/ hunting dog (I don't train any of these) will probably agree with, if the dog lacks the drives to do the work, the trainer could be the world's best, but the dog will not make the cut.  The same is true for protection/tracking/sport dogs.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not downing the sport, but I just feel that the training philosopy of the sport is the weakest of those out there, and would not feel comfortable with calssifying a Schutzhund dog as a protection dog.  Therefore, just think about what your end goal is when you make your decision as to what you want to do with your dog.  Just my 2 cents.  Good luck to you and your endeavours.  The end reward can be incredible and as with anything, the more time you invest, the greater the reward.  On a side note, if you want to see a pretty cool video of some hard hitting dogs, go to youtube.com and do a search for israeldogs.com.  Look for the video that is about 7 minutes long (think it has a picture or avatar of a dog jumping out of a boat).  It is filled with competition clips (mostly KNPV), as well as some actual footage of live bites on it.  I must warn you though, it has some cheesy, lame, yet irresistably soothing music!  LAME soundtrack!!


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## boz614 (Nov 2, 2009)

Before I get corrected, I didn't mean to put IPO in the mix.  I realize that is correlated w/ Sch.  By the way, I looked at triplexbullies' guy's website.  I don't know him or if he is all his website claims he is, but according to the site, he has titled dogs in KNPV and French Ring as well as Sch.  Again, I am not endorsing him, merely b/c I don't know him, but if he is close to where you live, I'd check him out.


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## K9SAR (Nov 3, 2009)

boz614 said:


> There is a guy in our area (Augusta) named William (last name escapes me) who made the US team that competed in Europe, I believe last year or the year before, and he is a close friend of Jerry Lyda's.



McClure?


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## wellham (Nov 3, 2009)

I did Sch for years with a lab; starting at 8 months. we progressed later into SAR work; it was absolutely the best foundation. I highly recommend it. the Lab was not as aggressive as the shepherds were, but it got him to be plenty protective of me and able to track well. You wil enjoy. We went 2-3 times a week; dividing time between tracking on Sat and obedience/blind work in week.


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## boz614 (Nov 3, 2009)

That's it, K9SAR!  McClure!


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## ditchdoc24 (Nov 25, 2009)

Going to pick up our new GSD pup tomorrow. Sent an e-mail to the local club about observing on their next training day. Should be fun!


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