You may wonder what Schutzhund Training means. Actually, Schutzhund is not a breed of dog. Instead, it is a German term that means protection dog. Meanwhile, Schutzhund Training refers to a method of developing better canine traits. The schutzhund training mostly focuses on three aspects: namely, tracking, obedience, and protection. Getting done with these three aspects means that your dog is near perfectly trained. It means that Schutzhund training guide goes beyond teaching simple sit, down, come, or stay commands.
As mentioned above, the Schutzhund Training consists of three phases. The three phases in how to train your schutzhund teach your dog with higher level of focus, speed, precision, enthusiasm, and accuracy. When the Schutzhund Training was firstly developed, it was designed for German Shepherds. However, other breeds of dog can be admitted in the training.
The three levels are essential for developing the canine endurance, mental stability, courage, scent tracking, and structural efficiencies, namely:
- Tracking. This phase aims at determining trainability and potential of your dog to track scent and well as testing its physical and mental endurance
- Obedience. This phase aims at testing his temperament, willingness to work and to protect, and structural efficiency;
- Protection. This is the final phase, aiming at testing his courage, agility, and physical strength. At this final phase, you need higher level of ability to control the dog throughout the Schutzhund training sessions.
Schutzhund Training Guide : The Basic Principles
As the Schutzhund training guide goes beyond the basic training sessions. Accordingly, you may need better comprehension on the basic principles of canine training. Overall, the canine training sessions aim at making sure that you reward only the desired behaviors, ensuring that they are not punished physically for misbehaving or failure to understand you commands, and making sure that the process and the training sessions are enjoyable.
Of course, teaching the dogs in real life is not as easy as it sounds. Real-life conditions are always more complicated and messy. However, never give up! More masters are successful in training the dogs rather than failing. So, you have huge chances to be successful in how to train your schutzhund. The following are some basic things you need to know when doing Schutzhund Training Guide:
Getting Familiar with Reinforcement vs Punishment
These two terms are of course interrelated, despite contradictory meaning. Reinforcement refers to the act of strengthening a behavior. Meanwhile, punishment refers to the act of stopping a behavior. In the context of canine training, reinforcement means strengthening desired behavior, while punishment means stopping or avoiding unwanted behavior.
Reinforcement in canine training is usually associated with giving treats like foods or favorite toys when the dog is done with a command or a session. Meanwhile, punishment is never about physical things. Instead, punishment technically refers to the way the master shows that a behavior is not favorable. For instance, the master denies the puppies or does not provide him with foods until he successfully does a favored thing.
Getting to Know Your Dog
Developing bonding between the master and the puppy is important to determine the success of Schutzhund training. When you know your dog well, you know what he loves and what he does not love, it is easier for you to plan the training session. Both of you can enjoy the training and handle the sessions well. You can prepare treats that the dog enjoys very munch.
By providing treats that the dog loves, the training is easier, since you can attract the dog’s attention in a more effortless way. On the other hand, if the dog does not enjoy the treats, attracting his attention will be more difficult. As a result, teaching the desired behavior is also more challenging.
Preparing the Basic Training Equipment
The Schutzhund training guide also requires you to prepare the basic equipment. At the first phase of the training, you may not need all the tools, but with time and when the training progresses well, the tools will make the training sessions easier. The following are some basic tools you need to prepare:
- Dog collars. Collars are important when you begin training the dog to walk on a leash. Dog collars are made of different materials, like leather, herm, nylon, or electric fence. Whatever the material you choose, your dog needs high-quality collars to ensure his comfort.
- Harnesses are important if you want to take the dog out for walk. Good-quality harnesses ensure that your dog can walk comfortably.
- Vests provide the dog with movement control. Make sure to choose one with sturdy and versatile design.
- Bite pillows, a tug, and bite sleeves. Bite pillows are important in the bite training session. Biting precisely is crucial for the dog to avoid unwanted things in the future. Meanwhile, a tug is important in building drive skill. Again, make sure to choose high quality tools made of leather, fore house, linen, or jute. Then, bite sleeves are needed for ongoing Schutzhund training sessions.
- Hurdles are must-have tools for training a puppy or a newly adopted dog. You can find standardized Schutzhund hurdles with aluminum frame. They are known to be more durable and adjustable.
Besides those tools, you will also need to prepare other tools, which are important for different phases of the training. They include protection blinds, sticks, tracking gear, scaling walls and dumbbells.
Finding The Right Dog Club
Schutzhund training provides you and the dog with opportunity to recognize ability of the dog to perform what is being trained as well as ability of the owner to train the dog. This is the highest level of dog training. Of course, you need high-level commitment and patience. At one point, how to train your schutzhund may also include finding a dog club that fits your lifestyle.
Joining a local Schutzhund club benefits you in many ways, particularly if you are still new to Schutzhund. Every club has its characteristics; therefore, you need to find one that fits your lifestyle. Normally, you need to join the club for 2 or 3 years. Accordingly, make sure you really know the club before signing a commitment.
In addition, every club has different standards for its members. Make sure that your characters and personality are really fitted to the club standards. When you join the right one, your dog will benefit in many ways, including:
- The ability to respect other people as well as other dogs;
- Willingness to learn through all levels of Schutzhund training sessions;
- Developing emotional stability;
- Building trustworthiness and responsibility;
- Developing self-confidence and independence
Those are only some of the benefits that the master and the dog enjoy after implementing Schutzhund training guide. In reality, both of you will benefit more from the proper training sessions.
Do You Need To Find a Mentor?
Some dog owners may wonder the importance of finding a mentor for Schutzhund training. Many people suggest that collaborating with a mentor will be much more helpful, as you have someone to share goals and values with. This way, you can do all the training sessions in a more enjoyable way. In fact, not all mentors are similar.
They have different styles and methods.
To find a mentor, make sure that you really know the objective of the training. For instance, if you plan to train the dog for competition, then you need to find a mentor that focuses on trial and competition. The way to train your schutzhund for competition is designed specially based on the objective. Similarly, if you want to train the dog for a good companion, then you need a mentor that specializes in obedience and loyalty training.
Joining the right dog club makes it easier for you to find a mentor that fits your styles and objectives. However, you still need to make sure that he really fits your style. Do not hesitate to ask questions and ask for a trial with your dog. You will see that the right mentor helps you much, particularly at the beginning of the training, when you may be still confused about anything.
Patience Is the Key
It must be noted that Schutzhund training is tougher than the basic dog training is. Therefore, it requires more patience than ever. Despite the challenge, never let yourself or your dog to be discouraged. Understanding the natural characters of puppies provides you with mind relief. For instance, if you know that puppies have shorter attention span, then you will design shorter training sessions. More importantly, give yourself and the puppy some breaks, and make sure that the sessions are short and fun.
Patience is the key to success when working on Schutzhund training. In addition, make sure to use clear, loud, and consistent commands. These may avoid confusion on the part of the dog. Consistent and solid training foundation helps your dog complete the training and makes it easier for you to reinforce the good behaviors.
Schutzhund training always tells you that this is a long but rewarding journey. When you can keep the patience, both of you will enjoy the benefits. Therefore, make all the training sessions enjoyable. There may be a day when you get upset while the dog gets confused. Never give up! When you have been through all the hardships, you will find that the hard work is finally worth it.
How to Train Your Schutzhund the Necessary Skills
Besides knowing the basic things about Schutzhund training guide, the following are things to train to your dog:
Crate Training
Whatever the breed of dog you have, crate training should be an integral part of your dog training sessions. Crate serves like a ‘home’ for the dog at your home. It is a place of safe, a place of peace, and a place, where the dog eats and plays with his toys. How to train your Schutzhund is almost similar for all breeds of dogs. The difference may lie on how long it takes the puppy to get familiar and comfortable inside the crate, even when you are away from home.
Using a Dog Clicker
You might never recognize the importance of a dog-training clicker before. It is a simple but useful tool for positive reinforcement. Using a dog clicker is simple and fun. Imagine the condition that the dog follows your commands properly. Then, you use the dog clicker and then give him the treat as soon as he focuses attention on you. A dog clicker may help in telling your dog that he has done right. Accordingly, the more often he hears the clicks, the more he gets the treats. Therefore, he knows that he is doing right. Eventually, the dog will reinforce the same behavior to get the treats.
Keep Socializing
Dog is a loyal animal. He wants to be with you anytime. However, make sure that you are not the only individual in his life. Otherwise, you will have many problems in the future. Therefore, make sure to have him socialize. Allocate your time to take him out to the nearby park, dog club, or everywhere possible. Introduce him to a lot of places, a lot of people, and a lot of objects. These provide him with confidence and minimize the risk of separation anxiety.
However, the socialization process must be done properly. In the early stage for instance, do the socialization process slowly to avoid stress. Again, patience is the key, as the dogs are not created equal. Some breeds of dog can learn faster while others need more time. Get to know the natural characters of your dog.
Finally, even though your dog enjoys playing with toys, do not leave him with the toys all day. Again, allocate your time to play with the dog. This is important to build the bond between you and the animal. Toys are important to make sure the dog enjoys the time when you are away from home. However, toys do not do much when it comes to obedience and skill. You are holding the keys that determine whether your dog can be a lovely companion or not.
Learn more complete guide how to train your dog here
