# Schutzhund and aggression



## aqueous18 (May 13, 2013)

I'm getting a new GSD puppy next month and have been considering training him in Schutzhund. I did Junior agility with my GSD growing up. I've been reading up but I'm curious to ask other owners how Schutzhund training has affected your dogs in terms of aggression towards strangers or other people they arent familiar with. 

I was reading a Q&A on leerburg.com where an owners GSD bit a man. This dog was trained in Schutzhund and according to the owner usually very accepting. Cindy was saying how the owner should never have let anyone pet her dog under any circumstance. Is this what I am getting into? The answer really took me aback as this website is for professionals who train. Any insight?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If the dog isn't balanced in the brain, it should not be in IPO. 
GSD's carry aggression, it is in their DNA...but the ones that can't channel/transition or decipher a threat should not be doing bitework. 
IPO is _very _obedience based, in all phases.
You need a biddable, confident, higher prey driven pup to begin with. Then the training/foundation is key in keeping it going in the right direction.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

A genetically sound dog should have no trouble doing IPO and being a member of the family. 

My questions to you are this. 
1) Have you already found a schutzhund club and trainer you like? Have you visited and met their dogs? What did you think of them? That should answer your question. 

2) Are you starting with a puppy that should be suitable for schutzhund? By that I mean pedigree. The rest you wont know until your working your puppy.


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## aqueous18 (May 13, 2013)

I see now that part of the job is finding a suitable pup. It's not just something any dog can do like obedience. The mother of the pups is Schutzhund trained so perhaps the pups will take after her. Honestly it was just something I was considering, I'd be fine doing obedience or agility with my guy if Schutzhund wasn't the sport for him. There is a club in my area but were moving at the end of he summer so Im hesitant to get involved. There is a club where we are moving to though. Any tips to picking a pup better suited?


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

i think it would take an even more special kind of gsd to do agility well and prolly harder to find than a gsd for schuts.

i don't do schuts.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Better suited for what? If I'm looking for a puppy to do a specific sport, I look into breeders who actually DO that sport and have many dogs doing that sport. A lot of people like to try to tell me what I should or shouldn't do with my dog or what a GSD can or can't do but many times these people are trying to talk about sports they've never done seriously (or at all).


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## David Taggart (Nov 25, 2012)

Schutzhund training is a sport, for the young 11 months it is almost a game. What is used - not agression, but your dog's passion. Your dog doesn't attack the person, he attackes the suit. I trained my GSD together with my friend, and, no problem, three of us were sitting in one place, he was drinking coffe, petting Damire after that awesome session. But...Your dog should pass obedience first, because that what you are asking about is further in the course, as he must attack on command, release on command, everything on command only. You don't have your puppy, yet you made up your mind and all your plans about him. What if his talents would be of a sniffer? Or, life saviour? There are another 20 certificates for working dogs besides Schutshund.
Some dog who attacked some man had some reason for doing it. All these learned positions do not encourage your dog to attack, absolutely opposite, he will wait for you to command. There also is a course of "provocation", trained dog wouldn't do a move.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Schutzhund is what you make of it. You can do it sporty and just make it a game for the dog. Some people will push an edgy dog too far. Most people simply use it as a means to control and channel the dog's drives, meaning the traits the dog was *born with*, not creating aggression out of nothing.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Cindy is wrong. 

My old SchH titled female who was also a person protection dog with very high social aggression. She was not playing a game when she worked yet was totally sound in a social situation.

Socializing with my club and one of our helpers. 










Hanging in the pool with my nephew whom she had only met a few times.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Never had any issues with our dogs either. 

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## Ocean (May 3, 2004)

I have met several dogs in IPO that I would not pet. Why should I? 
I don't have the right to pet any dog that I see. 
There are also plenty of SchH dogs that are like what Lisa showed in the pics above.
There is a wide range and variety of dogs that do SchH, and a wide range and variety of people that do it, with different preferences in the type of dog.


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## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

My dog is training in schutzhund, and hes the most friendly, loving cuddle bug ever. I take him everywhere with me, he doesnt ever show any aggression. Schutzhund isnt going to 'make' a dog mean and aggressive. Dogs who do not have a sound temperament and nerves could possibly be mean and aggressive, regardless if in the sport or not. Your dog gets evaluated beforehand though..to see if its suitable for the demands of the sport. And like others said, obedience is a HUGE part of schutzhund, making these dogs extremely well behaved in public and anywhere else.


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## aqueous18 (May 13, 2013)

Thank you for all the good constructive insight. I personally didn't feel that Schutzhund would make a dog aggressive, I guess I more or less did not understand the answer Cindy gave on their site. The person who got bit did ask permission and even approached the dog properly and did not pet on the head. The answer was just very generalized and I felt like she was talking about all dogs trained in the sport. I didn't know if anyone else felt uncomfortable letting strangers pet their dogs when asked.

And clearly I haven't "made up my mind" or "made all these plans." I'm just interested in the sport obviously because I'm asking questions. No need to be rude.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I don't see any rudeness in the responses. I hope you don't feel anyone was being rude, but trying to explain differences in individual dogs.
One thing I do see at training, seldom does anyone ask to pet a dog...unless they are visiting the club.


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## justde (Oct 4, 2000)

Go to the club now to get a better idea of the sport. Most clubs will welcome visitors, you don't need to wait til you have a dog to go with. A large part of learning is observation of others training. Keep in mind though that all SchH clubs are not the same. They each have their own "personality" so when you move the next club may be different. Also if there are a few options for clubs look into them all, even if some involve further driving. Going now may also give you a little more insight into what you might want to look for in a puppy.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

I'd rather hang around a SchH trial/event then a general public pet fair or dog park. 

re: In Blue, It's good you're looking into it and asking questions now. I personally don't let people pet my dogs (now that they are adults) not because of concerns about aggression but when I'm out and about I just don't feel the desire to get slowed down or have to stop what I'm doing to appease another person's desire to connect with my dogs...if that makes sense? 

I'm sorry you felt some of the responses were rude, I didn't sense that when reading your thread, however I should warn you that SchH people do tend to be, let's just say, _to the point_. I was taken aback by it at first but now I don't let it get to me. So if you do go visit some clubs be prepared and don't take it too personally, O.K.?

I hope you stick around here, this is a really good place to learn more about the SchH. Good luck with your puppy!





aqueous18 said:


> Thank you for all the good constructive insight. I personally didn't feel that Schutzhund would make a dog aggressive, I guess I more or less did not understand the answer Cindy gave on their site. The person who got bit did ask permission and even approached the dog properly and did not pet on the head. The answer was just very generalized and I felt like she was talking about all dogs trained in the sport. I didn't know if anyone else felt uncomfortable letting strangers pet their dogs when asked.
> 
> And clearly I haven't "made up my mind" or "made all these plans." I'm just interested in the sport obviously because I'm asking questions. No need to be rude.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

aqueous18 said:


> Thank you for all the good constructive insight. I personally didn't feel that Schutzhund would make a dog aggressive, I guess I more or less did not understand the answer Cindy gave on their site.


Don't worry, I don't understand many of the answers of that site either, specially when it comes to aggression. 

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