# Schutzhund Books



## Dillinger (Apr 7, 2010)

I am sure this has been asked before, but I am trying to get a little more specific...

I keep hearing from different sources that one of these three books are the best starting point. We are getting our first GSD puppy around the first week of August, and we just want to be prepared!

1. Schutzhund Obedience - Training in Drive - by Gottfried Dildei & Shelia Booth (This was published in 1992, should I be worried this is outdated?

2. Training the Behavior - by Gary Patterson

3. Purely Positive Training - Companion to Competition - by Shelia Booth (A good overall starting point?)


Also this is our first dog, so we are reading The Art of Raising a Puppy - by Monks of New Skete.

I have heard that the Power of Positive Dog Training - by Pat Miller is also a good starting point for general dog obedience. Any opinions?

Thank you!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I'm not familiar with Schutzhund books, but for general dog books and puppy raising, "Don't Shoot The Dog!" by Karen Pryor is basically a how-to manual for operant conditioning and marker based training. I also liked Jean Donaldson's "Culture Clash" which is about dog behavior in general.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

All 3 of the SchH books you mentioned are good starting points. Though the Dildei/Booth SchH Ob book and the Booth Purely Positive book really are sort of redundant in many ways. While the first is a bit more SchH specific, the later is far more in depth and comprehensive. Wouldn't hurt to read both, but if having to pick I'd get the second, Booth's "Purely Positive" and probably skip the first.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Gary Patterson's book is good. We have most of the books written about SchH and GSDs...and what you will notice is that nothing is particularly ground breaking. many of the older methods, though they have their place and purpose, are also outdated. Ex- Monks of New Skete does an excellent job I think of laying out the potty schedule...but I wouldn't alpha roll my dog. 

Many of the newer techniques for obedience on body awareness are coming from agility and other trainers...not so much the SchH trainers.

Though there is no ONE book to really follow. The very best starting point is people with experience. As far as puppies go...in the beginning you can't go wrong for the first few months just working on potty training, crate training, playing, and socializing while you read everything to get an idea of the spectrum that exists in training. You want to instill confidence and not too many rules. Watch good dogs on You Tube. Keep your end goal in mind and don't be counterproductive. (So many people I've met have taught their dog not to jump on them or be forceful in getting their toys, and then don't undertand why their dog is being so polite when asked to play in drive) Manage "bad" behavior, don't try to correct it.

You want to get with a club and watch all the things that they do. I have also found the internet to be an excellent resource. 

Leerburg's website has some good information. leerburg.com

This one is pretty good. Schutzhund Training - Learn about this amazing dog sport!

Even USA has a litt blurb about puppy raising.
United Schutzhund Clubs of America - Schutzhund Training


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## Pitts (May 1, 2010)

a couple of other good books to start out with if you want to learn about schutzhund are, schutzhund theory and methods by Ivan Balabanov and Advanced schutzhund by Ivan Balabanov. I would also suggest a couple of really good videos you can get from Leerburg.com, "how to raise a working puppy", "your puppy 8 weeks to 8 months", and "building drive and focus, with Bernhard Finks".


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## jesusica (Jan 13, 2006)

Scent and the scenting dog

der schutzhund


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## Ruthie (Aug 25, 2009)

I have all three. I haven't finished any of them cover to cover but the Gary Patterson is my favorite. I like the way it is laid out. I read all the general stuff at the beginning, then I am ready each new topic as we start training it. 

Sheila Booths books are ok, but I really don't like the writing style. It is difficult for me to read.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

Another book which has been around a long time but still has valid info is "Schutzhund: Theory and Training Methods" by Susan Barwig and Stewart Hilliard. I knew Susan (she passed away in 2000) and had one of her dogs at one time - she REALLY knew German Shepherds, and was one of the people instrumental in promoting Schutzhund as a sport here in the US. She also competed at the international level. This is an easy to read and understand book, and while I agree no book should be seen as the last word on the subject, this one might well be worth your consideration.
_________________________________
Susan

Anja SchH3
Conor GSD
Blue BH WH T1 GSD - waiting at the bridge


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