SCHUTZHUND AND THE BOXER
by Cathy Hubert-Markos(The following was written by Cathy for the Northwoods Boxer Club a few years back.)
Mention "Schutzhund" to a group of dog fanciers and you will probably get quite a mixed response. Schutzhund enthusiasts will tell you that it is a dog sport that requires dedication on the part of the trainer, and a dog of exceptional working ability and extremely reliable temperament. It is their extreme reliability and intense working drives that makes the German Boxer so popular for Schutzhund work in their native country. In this country, only a handful of Boxers compete in Schutzhund, and of these, most are German imports or have some German dogs in their background.
Schutzhund developed in Germany around the turn of the century. It's original purpose was to test breeding stock for suitability for police and military work. It is still a required test for some of the working and herding breeds in Germany, Boxers included. The dogs abilities in three areas are tested, these being tracking, advanced obedience work and protection work. It is the third phase of protection work that causes the general public to often misunderstand Schutzhund.
In the tracking phase the dog's performance and concentration are scored, unlike AKC tracking which is strictly pass/fail. A perfect score is 100, and points are deducted for such things as the dog lifting its head from the track, quartering, circling the turns and faulty indication of the dropped articles. In Schutzhund, dogs are taught to indicate the article, usually by doing a "down" when they find one, rather than retrieving it. A minimum of 70 points is required for passing.
The tracking photo is my husband, George Markos with his first Boxer, Reward's Rebel Rouser, SchH1. Rebel was one of the first American born Boxers to earn a schutzhund title. The obedience takes place on a large open field. There is both on and off leash heeling, heeling in a group of people, a sit, down and stand in motion, a recall, a go out, retrieve on the flat, retrieve over a high jump and over a six foot wall, and a long down while another dog works on the field. Gunshots are fired during off leash heeling and the long down to show that the dogs are gun-sure. (A gun shy police or military dog would be useless.) Attitude, speed, and desire are very important in Schutzhund, and a dog with a poor attitude towards the work will receive a lower score, even if its work is accurate. Again, 100 is a perfect score and a minimum of 70 is required.
The obedience photo is my dog Axel von Bachbett, BH, SchH1. All dogs, regardless of breed or size, must do a retrieve over a one meter high jump. In protection work the dog must find and hold a "bad guy" at bay (without biting him), protect itself and its handler from an "attack" by a threatening man and run a "courage test", where the dog is sent towards a man that menaces the dog as it approaches. The dog must still catch and hold the man, even when it is hit twice on its side with a padded leather stick. Whenever the dog catches and stops the man, it must immediately release its grip, either on its own or when commanded to by its handler. The "bad guy" is disarmed by the handler, and then handler and dog "escort" the prisoner to the judge. Any dog that is given three commands and will not "out", (let go of the padded sleeve the man wears), will be failed. Throughout the protection performance, the dog must show that it is under control of its handler at all times, and much obedience work is required. In order to do well in this phase a dog must have strong nerves, confidence, prey drive (chase instinct), defensiveness (the instinct to protect itself), and fight drive (the "tug-of-war" instinct). A perfect score is 100, and in this phase 80 points, not 70, are necessary for passing. In addition, the dogs "drives” and hardness are evaluated and rated as insufficient, sufficient or pronounced. Only sufficient and pronounced dogs can pass the protection phase.The protection photo is my Axel again, performing a Hold and Bark exercise. The dog must search the blinds looking for the "bad guy". Once found, they must hold the man at bay without touching or biting him, and bark to signal he has been found. In the protection phase, the dog is not allowed to bite the man unless they or their handler is actually threatened or attacked by the "bad guy". Control and obedience to the handler is emphasized in this portion of the competition.
All three phases are tested at the same trial, and the dog must pass all three the same day to earn its title! In addition, the judge pays close attention to the dog's temperament throughout all three phases of work, and at any time may excuse a dog they do not feel is suitable. In all, Schutzhund is a grueling test for handler and dog alike and both must be in good mental and physical condition to do well.
Other titles are available besides the Schutzhund I, II, and III. Before a dog may compete for a SchHI title it must first pass a Begleithunde (B or BH), companion dog test. This combines the SchH I obedience, without the retrieving and jumping, and a traffic test around people, noises, other dogs, etc., to show that the dog is reliable and stable under normal everyday conditions. The FH title is the TDX of Schutzhund. The FH has two levels, the FH1 and the recently added FH2. Like the SchHI, II and III, the FH2 is harder than the FH1. The Ausdauer (AD) is an endurance test where the dog is expected to run alongside a bicycle for 12.5 miles with no adverse results. Several short rests are taken and the dog must do some obedience at the end of the test to show that it is not in physical or mental distress. The AD is a breeding requirement for Boxers in Germany.
How does the Boxer do with all of these tests and guidelines? Well, in Germany, where these titles have been required for breeding dogs for 75 years, they do very well. In fact, according to statistics published in Germany each year, there are more Boxers doing Schutzhund in Germany than all other breeds combined, (including Rotties and Dobes), with the exception of German Shepherds, which dominate the sport worldwide. Over 5000 Boxers compete in Schutzhund trials annually in Germany. Unfortunately, in general, our American bred Boxers do not do as well, but that is to be expected, since working temperament and drives, especially prey drive, have not been a breeding priority because performance titles are not required for our dogs. I'm sure it would surprise many Boxer fanciers to know that many of our early foundation dogs in this country were Schutzhund titled, including dogs from the von Dom and Sirrah Crest kennels!
Why is the Boxer so popular for the sport of Schutzhund in Europe? Many of the breeds used in Schutzhund can be "sharp", quick to respond with their teeth. This is not the case with Boxers. They are confident, fun-loving and overly friendly to the point of obnoxiousness, making them safe family pets and companions. However, they are also courageous and strong when a true threat is presented.
These are the characteristics of a true Schutzhund dog, not the snarling, junkyard dog portrayal the uninformed would cite as the end product of this training. Only dogs of excellent drive and character should even be considered for training in the sport of Schutzhund. If this is done, the sport of Schutzhund is a fun and rewarding training experience for both dog and handler.
(The author of this article and her husband own and breed German-bred Boxers and actively train and compete in Schutzhund. Cathy has also been an AKC exhibitor for almost 20 years and has put titles ranging from Champion, to UD and TD on dogs. She is a full time trainer/obedience instructor and owns the LaCrosse Dog Training School in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Cathy and husband George are also officers of the United States Boxer Association, a working Boxer club that is the U.S. representative to ATIBOX, and the Boxer representative for the American Working Dog Federation.)
Copyright 1998 Cathy Hubert-Markos (SchutzBoxr@aol.com) and the Boxer Mailing List
