Rules For Schutzhund

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With the membership "For the German Shepherd Dog" the United Schutzhund Clubs of America is an organization that is dedicated to protecting and preserving the German Shepherd's working heritage through Schutzhund training. Schutzhund, which is translated as "Protection Dogs" originated in Germany so that breeder could evaluate and pick the highest quality dog for their breeding programs. In Germany still to this day a German Shepherd dog can not be bred without a Schutzhund title. The three titles are Sch H I (novice), Sch H II (intermediate), and Sch H III (master level). Schutzhund still continues to function as a breed test but it has grown into an extremely popular sport, especially in North America. The purpose of Schutzhund is to demonstrate the dog's intelligence, utility, endurance, ability to scent, courage, trainability and many others as well. The three parts of Schutzhund are obedience, tracking and protection, the whole sport has many rules and regulations that must be followed.

The following are just some rules and regulations of the Schutzhund sport. To begin with, the minimum age requirements for entry into the different degree levels are as follows, SchH A -18 month, SchH 1 -18 months, Sch1-1 11 -19 months, Schl-l 111 - 20 months, FH -16 months, and B -12 months. When only one judge is present a maximum of 10 (12 in the USA) dogs may be entered in the trial. If the amount of entries exceeds this, then the trial must be extended another day or more judges must be brought in. Only dogs that are in good health can be in a trial, also the dog must pass a test of impartiality and sureness. Another rule is that a dogs are only allowed to be in one Schutzhund degree for each trial. Also if a dog has been awarded a degree, a four week (two weeks in USA) waiting period must occur before the dog can be put into the next higher degree. When it comes to the event the participant must follow the instructions of the judge as well as the trial committees', without any disagreement. Also the handler must show the dog in a sporty and faultless manner, poor sportsmanship will lead to expulsion from the trial. Regarding score and ratings, the highest maximum score in each phase is 100 points, therefore the highest score for all three phases is 300 points. Again, these are just a few of the Schutzhund rules and regulations.