Cathartic Schutzhund Whacking...

Okay.......you asked........It is not the sport that I dont like as much as what people have done to the sport.

It is a watered down version of what was originally intended. I have tried to like it. I have been to Sch clubs and tried to get past some things but I cant. This is what I dont like about it.

1. I have witnessed blatent biased judging. Dogs passing because the handlers have paid for the judges trip and expenses.

2. Weak dogs advancing to high levels of competition. Example. One of the dogs here in the US that was recently invited to compete in Europe and the dog lacks courage. I have seen the dog and I will leave it at that. Yet this dog went to a competition and represented the "best" that the US had to offer.

3. I have had the opportunity to work many Sch 1 dogs and the MAJORITY of them were weak. Not all, but the majority.

I am not saying that ALL Sch dogs are weak. Obviously there are nice dogs in every sport, but Sch people have watered down the sport and IMO the title means nothing. If I get a marginal GSD and have a few thousand dollars I am sure I can ship the dog to a trainer and get a Sch 1 within a few months. By marginal I mean okay nerves, and a little prey drive. Courage is not a necessary ingredient.

I think it is a darn (that is for you Woody) shame what people have done to the sport. It is about the dollar and not about improving the breed. If anything, I think recent developments have hurt the breed and that is what irritates me the most.

Gregg

The SchH I witnessed in Germany and what I have been exposed to here in the US are not the same thing. In Germany, it was very much about the DOG: not his pedigree, not his looks, not even his breed. It was forming a bond with our dog, and using him to his capabilities. We went out twice a week, rain, snow, or shine, and we learned from people who had been doing teh sport nearly all of their lives (several were regulars at the BSP and had placed high with many dogs over the years). We were asked to be "serious," that is to be dedicated, to show up, to listen, and to learn. We had a wonderful time.

Here in the US it's been nothing but prejudice. "That's a show dog." I hear it over and over. AND? Or the club doesn't have time to help newbies. It seems all politics and "my dog is better than your dog." Now I absolutely realize that every SchH club in America isn't like this -- not by a long shot. But it feels to me like Americans have turned the sport into something it was never intended to be. It is supposed to test the dogs, not pit them against one another. It is also a test of handler, absolutely. The OB routines are somewhat diffficult (BTW, anyone got ideas: Achilles has decided to cut out the middle man on his recalls and now goes directly into a sitz-fuss instead of sitting in front of me and waiting for the fuss comomand uuuurrgh).

I wonder if this is not the inevitable fate of any dog sport which becomes popular? Once it becomes mainstream, and the title becomes desirable, people will do dishonest things to earn the title (and the perceived respect that comes with it). I suppose that's human nature...but it really is a shame.

My main problem with Schutzhund (or VBG) is that it is a large organization, comprised primarily of politicians who are fat, and full of themselves, not to mention past their prime. These characteristics, in and of themselves, are not sufficient to disqualify people...but when you tag on back-stabbing, fake, money-grabbing, self-serving, full-of-shit, know it alls...well, then you have a formula for:

<<Personal growth of the most vicious person (in sheep's clothing, of course)...even at the expense of dogs.>>

My main gripe is that SCHUTZHUND IS NOT ABOUT DOGS...IT'S ABOUT PEOPLE.

It DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE CALLED A SPORT...nor any other DOG SPORT for that matter...because the handlers don't exercise anything but their MOUTHS.

As far as what a dog is taught...that full, calm bite SHIT...I think it is worthless. As far as a breed test or a test of a dog's working ability, it is not applicable AT ALL.

As far as a trainer's worth...it is only worth something at the high levels. The obedience portion is tricky. I'll admit that readily. But so is AKC obedience.

If you are an important GSD showline breeder...anything half-assed "KKl1" you produce will have reasonably easy access to SchIII.

My conclusion is this...Schutzhund is not for working dogs. It's for SHOW DOGS.

I could really be talking BS...but from measly El Salvador, I have worked some 50 SchIII's that have been imported in to Central America. There has not been ONE worth his salt.

We use a title here for our local GSDs called Perro Adiestrado Basico (PAB) and Perro Adiestrado Avanzado (PAA), both approved by the WUSV, that are a BH coupled with short and long bite work... a "defense of handler" and a "courage test", an out and a hold and bark ... :roll: and I have titled upwards of 200 dogs in the last 15 or so years in these. I have seen trials in Germany, Italy, Argentina, Chile, the US, every Central American country, and Mexico. And all the nice people I have met agree that in general terms, Sch is for SHOW dogs.

If you want working ability...KNPV is the way to go...in general terms. I can't say anything about Ring dogs, except that I have never seen one on the street. Is that for a reason other than my lack of exposure?

We have had every...EVERY...important WUSV judge pass judgement on our GSD here ...and they all write "pronounced" in the individual's survey...and the only thing that was pronounced is the RETICENCE displayed by the dogs to do COMBAT.

Andres Martin said:

My conclusion is this...Schutzhund is not for working dogs. It's for SHOW DOGS.

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Is there no value in producing stable dogs? You have to admit that in order to compete, even in SchH, the dog has to have some willingness to obey and at least marginal stability? Not everyone wants or needs a dog that can work the street...some just want to go out and have fun with their dogs. Does SchH not fill this requirement?

I know I'm in the minority, but my dogs are family pets. Sport is fun for us, a way to spend time with our dogs with a goal in mind. I neither want nor need a personal protection dog, and in my current life situation anything high drive/high aggression would be difficult to handle. I do have a show dog...I take some heat for that. I know that my dog is no top competitor, not PPD material, and for him right now biting is a game (I think...). Again, my attitude is not shared by everyone, but I don't care if my dog is better than other dogs, or if he'll never earn a Mondio title, or train for KNPV. He's my companion...and on Saturdays we go do some bitework :wink: There's value in that...

Andres Martin said:

Stacia...there's nothing wrong with doing activities with your dog. Any training that promotes bond, understanding, control and FUN is totally commendable. Of course there's immense value...and of course it promotes stability...but it's not a test of working ability where work is defined as MANWORK.

I did not mean to imply that I think it's worthless...I apologise if that's how it came across.

It's like agility, canicross, weight pull...FUN.

Click to expand...

No apology necessary, Andres -- I was just throwing out some questions for you.

I agree: SchH is not really a test of working ability so much as it a test of character (stability if you will). It's a breed test for GSD's...who are supposed to be 'all around" dogs, unlike Mals and Dutchie's, who are bred for drive. I think SchH does its job in that regard: tests for stability, willingness to obey...things that make a GSD what it is (and a good pet no less). I think it's a stretch to say it's for "show" dogs. It's just not for those who want serious working dogs (although that is a generalization; there are SchH dogs who cross over to other sports and do fantastically; my own dog is beginning ASR currently and seems to be doing fine).

Now of course I know most of this is aimed at those who tout their SchH dogs as PPD or K-9 capable when, in fact, SchH training alone has not prepared the dog for real work. I think a person has to be realistic about any training, and definitely has to be realistic about his/her dog; most dogs are not PPD material, and that's a-ok :wink:

Stacia -

I completely understand what you are saying and understand the bond and enjoyment that you get from your dog. As a matter of fact, we have a Dutchie (Shelby GT) in our house that was not the strongest dog in the litter but she is our house pet and has been a great companion. Something about her has touched my wife and she has become a part of the family. We take her to training and she does bitework. We may try to title her but that is for our own enjoyment and we will not breed her. As a matter of fact she is due to be altered next week.

This is where I begin to have a problem with some sport dog people. If someone is breeding something less then the ideal dog that represents the breed then they are doing a diservice to the breed. That is what has happened to the GSD. We used to be able to find GSDs to do police work relatively easy. It is not so easy anymore due to watered down breeding. That is my problem with many of the Sch people. They are sacrificing the breed either becasue they simply want to breed their watered down GSD or they are in it for the dollar.

So, if you want to compete with your dog that is great. My issue is the people that barely get a title and then breed the dog over and over again thereby further destroying a breed which I loved.

Gregg

Stacia, you took the words out of my mouth. I have been in the world of martial arts for about 5 years and I've been an instructor for 3. There is so many similarities in the martial arts world and the protection dog sport world, it is uncanny. Politics is one example. Another is that anything taekwondo or karate based (read: Schutzhund) is impractical if not downright useless and anything that somehow sticks mixed martial arts in its name (read: the ring sports) is automatically the best. That's fine for folks who want to be the best of the best, but neither in martial arts nor protection dog sports do I need to go to the national championship level with me or my dog. I just want to go out and train me and/or me and my dog a few times a week. And so do many many other people.

I have no illusions that I would have no trouble handling a bad guy just because I have a black belt or with my dog just because he's a Mal with 3 months of training. :roll: I think as long as people keep it in perspective of what their goals are, that's fine. I don't know about you guys, but it seems for many people, it's folks that are in the intermediate stage of their training (like 1.5-3 years or so) where people get this feeling of almost invincibility either with yourself or your dog, but once you get over that (and hopefully people do!), even if your dog has more titles than Barnes & Noble, you start to rethink some things. If your goal is to go to the world championships, that's cool. If you want to go out and train your dog a few times a week, that's cool too. Instead of bashing Schutzhund or whatever else...let's all go out and pet our (get ready for it...) furkids! 8)