Schutzhund Reality Check. Over the past two blogs Balancing Schutzhund and Life, Part 1 and Part 2 , we have heard from four different competitors who manage to juggle their busy schedules and non-dog-related occupations to fit in Schutzhund.
While this is very inspiring, it also drives home how involved this Schutzhund thing really is. Schutzhund requires a community of other people, which is why we have training clubs or groups.
Photo: Tamandra Michaels. Schutzhund requires dedication and commitment. Schutzhund also requires a community of other people : other handlers, mentors, trainers, helpers.
This is why there are training clubs, which is one of the limiting factors for many who are looking to do IPO. Schutzhund also requires financial investment. But there is equipment to purchase, club dues, training fees, organizational dues, and then entry fees once you start trialing.
Schutzhund is fun, but it is a lot of work, and requires significant investment on financial, emotional, and physical levels — not to mention time! Tracking often requires additional time for travel and for aging the track. Time Tips for Tracking. Carve out a specific time on a specific day for tracking. You don't have to track every day or even five days a week. It just means you may progress more slowly, but if you stick to it religiously, then you will progress!
Use local parks for building basic tracking skills, saving the larger fields for trial prep, more advanced work, or those days when you have more time at your disposal. This will cut down on your travel time. You can teach and test a lot of skills in a shorter track. Within a pace track, you can teach the dog starts, staying on the track, turns, articles, restarts, finding the track when lost, and more. What you put into training your dog is what you will get out of it.
Some dogs learn quickly and love to work, others require more attention and more patience. The average age of a National or World Champion dog is about 6 years old and those dogs have been trained nearly everyday for their entire lives. If you are new to the sport and are interested in quick results with no work, then we recommend purchasing a dog that is already titled. We do not sell dogs, but we can recommend reputable breeders. If you enjoy blood, sweat, and tears while overcoming adversity, then this may be the right place for you.
We actually prefer if your dog has NO training when you first come out. Then there is less to unlearn and fix. For more information please visit www. Tidewater Schutzhund. Top 10 protection dog breeds.
The next step is finding a mentor to help you learn Schutzhund for beginners in a way you enjoy. Every mentor is different and has their own style so it is important to find one that embodies what you plan to do as a beginner.
There are many reasons people get into Schutzhund and for a beginner, it is important to realize what your reasoning is. Once you find this out you can look for similar values in a mentor. For example, if I enjoy having fun working with my dog but not the competitions I should seek out a mentor that feels the same way in order to enjoy and understand each other to the best of your abilities.
This will help you as you and your dog grow because you will have your own unique style and oftentimes this will be an adaptation of your mentor. The most important part of learning Schutzhund for beginners is knowing your dog, this will either happen over time or you already know them very well and are ready to get started.
Knowing your dog will help you both enjoy and understand better how your dog is handling and learning their training. There are also things that you should look for as your dog goes through this process. Every dog has a trigger and it is important to know yours so you can be prepared. If you know your dog hates squirrels, like mine, you can be on the lookout and be proactive on the commands.
You will also learn basic dog ownership skills and theories of training. Socialize, socialize, socialize Take the puppy everywhere with you. Take him to lots of places and see lots of people and objects, if your puppy is a little timid, do this gradually, don't overwhelm him at a park with numerous dogs off-leash.
In the early stages, keep in mind that moving slowly with good experiences is more important than proving what a wonderful temperament he has! Socialization for IPO pups is more about exposure than actually interacting with new things. Ideally we want the pup to grow up and ignore everything around him because he has already seen it and it's not as interesting as his training and his handler. Don't encourage or reward the pup if he is showing fear, growling barking or backing up, in any new situations.
Later in life, the benefits of socialization at a young age will evidence themselves in how well your dog works under distractions and off his home field.
Don't leave toys with the puppy all day Encourage your puppy to play with toys, but do not leave them with him.
You can leave bones or stuffed kongs to keep him occupied when you are at work, but reserve special balls or tugs for playtime with you. Choosing one mentor helps you get started without being confused about all the conflicting advice.
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