What is Shutzhund?

Shutzhund (translation= "protection dog") is a sport composed of three parts - Tracking, Obedience and Protection work (man work). The dog and handler must pass all three parts to earn a Schutzhund title.  Popular breeds that compete are German Shepherds (Alsatians), Rottweilers, Boxers, Doberman Pinschers and Belgian Malinois.

Schutzhund was developed for German Shepherd dogs (Alsatians) in Germany as a way to  measure the working ability of a dog. Sheep herding with German Shepherds (Alsatians) was declining so Von Stephanitz, the driving force behind the German Shepherd Dog, developed this sport as a test. Schutzhund is supposed to bring out the character and quality of dogs as potential breeding stock.

The difficulty of the Schutzhund test should determine which dogs are physically or temperamentally suited to this sort of work.
Many countries have adopted Schutzhund as a sport and test of working ability. International rules have been established by the Verein fuer
Deutsche Hundesport (VDH).

The British Shutzhund Association website:  http://www.schutzhund.fsnet.co.uk