Bark and Hold Exercise in Schutzhund

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Schutzhund is a dog sport that is practised by canine enthusiasts in Germany, the United States, and many other countries worldwide. It began in Germany as a way to test the ability of working German Shepherd dogs during the early 1900's, but has since grown into a popular sport with dedicated followers from all over the world. To the average spectator, the sport of Schutzhund may be indistinguishable from real protection work, but when it's time to invest money in a dog who is expected to protect oneself and ones family, knowing the difference between a sporting dog and a Personal Protection Dogs is invaluable.

There are many Schutzhund exercises that fail to properly train and prepare a dog for real life scenarios, but one of the worst, by far, is the Bark and Hold exercise. In this exercise, a decoy will hide himself behind a two-sided structure known as a blind. The decoy wears a bite sleeve over one arm, and holds a stick in the other. The dog is trained to corner the decoy inside the blind, and bark aggressively for a length of time. Eventually, the dog is given the signal to take a bite. During the bite, the decoy will strike the dog with the stick in an attempt to distract and disorient it.

Amongst true protection dog trainers, this exercise is given another name: Bark and Die. As grim as this may sound, the reality is that Schutzhund dogs are being trained to make several mistakes in this exercise. In a life or death situation, these mistakes could have terrible consequences. The first big mistake is that the dog is trained to stand and bark in front of a man holding a weapon. The idea behind this is simply absurd. The reality is that an armed criminal is not going to stand idly by while a protection dog barks at him; he is going to attack. The second big mistake is that once the dog takes a bite, the weapon arm is not targeted. Targeting the weapon arm is absolutely essential, as it prevents the criminal from fighting back. A real criminal will not be softly hitting the dog with a small stick; he will be attacking with a real weapon. In a dangerous situation, these mistakes can not only cost the dog its life, but could also cost the lives of the human beings it's protecting as well.

Whether you're looking to purchase a German Shepherd, Dutch Shepherd or Belgian Malinois as a protection dog, it is vital that you understand the difference between a sporting dog, and a real Protection Dogs. Schutzhund is just a sport, and a dog trained in Schutzhund simply cannot be depended on to protect the lives of you and your family.