Schutzhund (German for "protection dog") tests dogs of all breeds for the traits necessary for police-type work. Dogs that pass Schutzhund tests should be suitable for a wide variety of tasks: police work, specific odor detection, search and rescue, and many others. The purpose of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that have or do not have the character traits required for these demanding jobs. Some of those traits are:
- Strong desire to work
- Strong bond to the handler
- Protective Instinct
Schutzhund training tests these traits. It also tests physical traits such as strength, endurance, agility, and scenting ability. The goal of Schutzhund is to illuminate the character of a dog through training. Breeders can use this insight to determine how and whether to use the dog in producing the next generation of working dogs.
History of dog breeds commonly used in Schutzhund
Schutzhund was developed in the early 1900's as a test of a working dog's ability. It is only by testing the working ability of every generation that the strong working characteristics of the working dogs have been maintained. Dogs of any breed, even mixes, can compete in Schutzhund today, but the most common breeds are German Shepherd Dogs, Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois), Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Giant Schnauzers, Bouvier des Flandres, Dutch Shepherd Dogs, Boxers, American Bulldogs, Airdales and the like.
History of Schutzhund
Iin 2004 the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV) and the Deutscher Hundesportverein (DHV) made substantial changes to Schutzhund. The DHV adopted the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) rules that govern IPO titles, so that at least on paper the SV and DHV gave up control of the sport to the FCI. The DHV changed the name of the titles from "SchH" (Schutzhund) to "VPG" (Vielseitigkeitsprüfung für Gebrauchshunde which roughly translates Versatility examination for working dogs). The SV has retained the "SchH" title names, but otherwise conforms to the DHV/FCI rules.