# How do you start Schutzhund?



## DangerousBeauty (Jul 8, 2010)

I was trying to find out some local information but there nearest club seems to be 2 hours away. I was going to call the breeder and see if he knows but I figured I would ask on here also. I am not a 100% if I am going to do it, I want to get more information first. I decided not to go with the search and rescue for several reason so I thought maybe this would be a good alternative and a good way to test Baron and keep him active. Any suggestions? Ideas? I don't know a lot about it yet so I need advice to see if it is a good idea and the correct way to do it if it is a good choice. 


Thanks!!!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If the nearest club is 2 hours away, go there and see if one of the members is closer to you that may be willing mentor you in the foundation training if the drive to club is too much. 
Many clubs are a long drive and to find a good club, you may have to go even further. 
I wish you and Baron luck!!


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## DangerousBeauty (Jul 8, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> If the nearest club is 2 hours away, go there and see if one of the members is closer to you that may be willing mentor you in the foundation training if the drive to club is too much.
> Many clubs are a long drive and to find a good club, you may have to go even further.
> I wish you and Baron luck!!


That is great advice! Thank you! I never even thought of doing something like that.  I call the breeder on monday and I think that will be my next phone call!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Head to the closet club and watch their training, watch some trials (if there are any near you)and talk to club members and then have your dog evaluated.

We do quite a bit of work here in town although my club is 1.5 hours away. There are a few club members who are close to me and since I am a student and work and the others who have been doing this 20+ years don't like driving that far we have a (what we call) "fake training yard" in town we use a lot.  We travel the distance once per week but train twice per week.

I would definitely start by making contacts at the club of your choice though.


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## DangerousBeauty (Jul 8, 2010)

ok I don't know how or why it didn't pop up in my previous searches but I just found a club 30 mins from my house AND it looks like Baron's dad (not a look a like but the actual dog) goes there! I am completely shocked right now! lol. I am going to call on monday and find out more!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Exciting!

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

That's like the club in Windsor, it's 20 minutes (at the most) from my Dad's place!

I wish I still lived there so I could train so close to home.. lol.


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## blackviolet (Jun 17, 2010)

elisabeth_00117 said:


> Head to the closet club and watch their training, watch some trials (if there are any near you)and talk to club members and then have your dog evaluated.


What do they do to evaluate your dog?


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## DangerousBeauty (Jul 8, 2010)

elisabeth_00117 said:


> Exciting!
> 
> Good luck and let us know how it goes!
> 
> ...


Thanks! I will hopefully know something monday! 

I have to say it was really neat to look through pics of Baron's daddy on the site and their facebook!


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

blackviolet said:


> What do they do to evaluate your dog?


They tie it to a tree and poke it with a stick! 

Nah!!! Just kidding!!

They evaluate confidence in new situations and prey drive. They will watch to see how your dog reacts in a new situation and around new people. They will see if he wants to engage and play with strangers. They will bring out a tug on a line and flip it around and see how badly the dog tries to catch it. 

Different clubs and helpers will do different things, but basically they will be looking for a solid dog, with good nerve, good drives, and social confidence.


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## blackviolet (Jun 17, 2010)

Oh, then that's what they were doing with Godric yesterday. Cool. They had the tug on the line and had my husband hold his leash, and played with it just out of his reach, and he chased it some, then barked or whined at it, haha.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

blackviolet said:


> Oh, then that's what they were doing with Godric yesterday. Cool. They had the tug on the line and had my husband hold his leash, and played with it just out of his reach, and he chased it some, then barked or whined at it, haha.


That is exactly the response they are looking for :thumbup: Glad it went well!


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## DangerousBeauty (Jul 8, 2010)

you should hear the noises that come out of Baron when he sees but can't get to a tire!  he goes crazy over them.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

With Stark, we did some flirt pole play and walked around with other members. Some of the members played tug with him.

We also did a schH1 track but that was only because I have been working with a club member since he was 10 weeks old with our tracking.


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## blackviolet (Jun 17, 2010)

How do you start tracking?


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

We started with scent pads (basically a 4x4 square area that you trample on and put food in) and then branched out from there to short tracks leading from the scent pad.


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## DangerousBeauty (Jul 8, 2010)

well I called them today and I am super excited! The woman was more than helpful and extremely excited to hear that I have an Ewo pup! I will be attending their meet on sunday and hopefully go from there. I am a little nervous starting so late with him. hopefully he will do well! The woman I talked to had no doubt he would just from knowing his father!

I wonder if Baron will know that is his daddy!?


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## Andy-jr. (Mar 1, 2010)

Sometimes it's better to wait and let your dog mature, don't worry about not starting your dog when he is a puppy. That's great news that you found a local club and your going to watch this week.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Stark started around 1 year old and he is doing okay - **I** could use some work though!


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Good luck. Don't be too nervous when you go to the club. That kind of things will travel down the leash faster than you can say "oops".


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## DangerousBeauty (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks everyone! I am excited for sunday now! which means the rest of the week will go slow I am sure! 

I'm not too nervous for sunday, BUT I am sure I will be for my one on one lesson. lol. But I will try to control it.


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## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

Andy-jr. said:


> Sometimes it's better to wait and let your dog mature, don't worry about not starting your dog when he is a puppy. That's great news that you found a local club and your going to watch this week.


i can agree, its not a bad thing to start young pups when they come out of the womb but then they start teething...which bitework + teething dont always go good together depeding on the dog.


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## DangerousBeauty (Jul 8, 2010)

Well today was disappointing. The club has two locations and they alternate every other sunday. I went to the one I was directed to by the woman on the phone and they were not there.  I work the next two sundays so I won't be able to make progress until then!


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I didn't want to start another thread so excuse me for hyjacking....

What do you do? The nearest club to me is 2 hours away also. 

What questions do I ask when I call? I am a pre-newbie and don't even know the right questions to ask. 

Does Jake need to be registered BEFORE I go? Any advice or suggestions, I am throwing around calling to see about it...


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Call the contact person and they'll let you know what you need to do. I would expect going the first time to just observe, if you do bring your dog, expect that he'll be crated most of the time so you'll have to plan on running your vehicle AC or have a cratefan(Wal-Mart has battery operated ones for less than $20, they use 8 D's though)bring a water bucket for the crate and your own water, training treats.
SchH clubs aren't like obedience classes, you don't register your dog, but may have to sign a waiver as a guest. There are a few threads floating around on what to expect/questions to ask. I have gone to clubs and just absorbed/observed for the most part, I've brought my dog along every time.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Ok, yes I would want to bring Jake as I am unsure if he has what it takes and I assume they will want to do a few tests??

I plan on waiting until the fall when the weather here is no longer in the triple digits....


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

You could still go and visit, not bring him if the weather is of concern. I went many times without a dog,(Onyx didn't have "it" and I was in the research stage for a pup) just so I could learn more. 
I guess I just contradicted my last post,  I brought Karlo to new places, not Onyx. I would still go if I were you, either you will really enjoy it or find it isn't what you want to spend time doing...it is very time consuming!


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

It is helpful sometimes to just go and see what it's all about without having to worry if the dog's too hot or needs to potty. It allows you to better focus on what is going on. 

Also the reality from what I've seen of new puppies brought out that haven't been raised for SchH is that a good number of them don't really show anything for a couple weeks. They don't know what's expected of them, they're unfamiliar with the environment which can cause them to be distracted. Going and seeing the sorts of things that might be expected of your pup can give you some good ideas on things to encourage at home. 

I would say it's really helpful if you do bring your dog to before you go, try and get him to tug and play in lots of different places with different people, including places that he is unfamiliar with and people that are not immediate family. This will save you some time because when the helper offers a rag if your puppy is willing to bite it and start to tug you have more to work with.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks for all the help....he is starting to be more playful and LOVES his flirt pole. He is just about done teething, am I correct that tug play should be kept to a minimum while his adult teeth are still coming in? Let's say Jake doesn't have "it", can you still participate even if a title isn't in the future? How competitive is the sport in that regard? Jake seems to have very good nerves and good prey drive....I have noticed in the last month he is becoming much more playful.


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

You can teach him tracking, obedience, and protection even if he's not title worthy or you don't want to title him He'll love the learning and play, it strengthens your bond, and challenges him mentally. My 9 month old will never be titled- I just don't have the time or money to invest but I still do obedience with her and we track for fun with scent pads just to stimulate her and give her mental work. You can track with food, people, favorite toys, articles of clothing, and really anything you want- keep it fun. If a year from now you find out it's too much work, time, or money for you to continue; or your dogs not title worthy it's fine. He'll still learn skills that will useful to you both for the rest of his life and he'll love you for doing it with him


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## blackviolet (Jun 17, 2010)

They let us bring Godric out and we have him out on a leash the whole time. The field is fenced off separately. Godric hasn't had all of his shots, so it's a little hard to take him places to socialize. The club is a great way to get him socialized with people, and when other owners want, they bring their dogs up to meet him for a minute or two, and he loves it. It's great. 

Plus, he gets to watch what's going on in the field. He gets excited watching protection work and barks and whines a lot. We've been trying to keep him quiet, because we didn't want to be annoying or distracting for anyone, but this Saturday they told us, "Hey, if he gets excited watching protection work, let him be excited, that's good." So we let him bark all he wanted. He was even barking at the helper, haha. I thought he was just barking at the other dogs (he mostly was), but apparently he was also barking at the helper. Then when it was his turn to go out and bark at the rag for a few minutes (we go last, right before everyone goes home), he was all into it this time. Either he's figuring out the game better, or letting him bark while watching the protection work (rather than distracting him or walking away when he was too roudy) helped. Fun stuff.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

The nearest club to me is almost 2 hours, how often do you go? Weekly, monthly?


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

jakeandrenee said:


> T Let's say Jake doesn't have "it", can you still participate even if a title isn't in the future? How competitive is the sport in that regard?


Yes you can participate and train. You can earn separate Obedience and Tracking titles too, and try for an endurance test when jake gets older. But it depends on the club. Some clubs are competitive, and will only take members who are as serious in titling and competing. Other clubs are more relaxed and are more open to casual trainers, and working with dogs that may not title, but whose owners are showing interest and commitment to the club and the training.

Most clubs will train at least twice a week. One weeknight, and either Saturday or Sunday all day. But again, it depends on the club. Some do more, some less. You would be expected to work on obedience, tracking and drive building at home in between club days.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Well it's the only one around they charge 25.00 to evaluate your dog or puppy....I assume this is a standard small fee to help the club?


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## blackviolet (Jun 17, 2010)

We pay $10 every time we go, but we're still "visitors" and not actual members yet. We go every Saturday. I guess they usually do tracking during the week, but not much in the summertime?


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Every club is different. I know in some clubs, that is standard to get the helper to work with your dog, in others, no charge. If you are curious and interested, go! Either way, you'll learn a lot.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Most clubs will do all three phases in a training day. The club I was in wasn't so much into tracking together, but I think it is important to have experienced people help the newbies with it, you really do need a mentor if you want to get it right without getting your dog into habits that are hard to fix down the road. I agree with Lucia, go and check it out!


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## DangerousBeauty (Jul 8, 2010)

Had a lot going on so I haven't logged in for a bit....

I called and got some information. The woman I talked to was really nice and I was looking forward to going....they use more than on field and apparently switched fields at the last minute...I showed up at the field and time they gave me and no one was there. The wife of the guy told me they went somewhere else for the day. I haven't had a chance to call back and go since I have been tending to my 15 year old female. Almost lost her two weeks ago. I don't know what happened but she is back to her old self trying to play and all. She is priority at the moment since I am trying to watch if she is in pain or anything, I couldn't bare to watch her in pain, but so far she is not. Unfortunately I don't know what this will mean for Baron if I wait too long to start...


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## Renofan2 (Aug 27, 2010)

How old is Baron? I started Molly when she was 15 months old. She got her Schutzhund I in May and we are going to try for her II in December. Molly is the first dog I have trained in Schutzhund. I also train with 2 other friends and one was about the same age as Molly when she started and the other was closer to 3 when she started.

Where in Pa are you located? Just wondering which club you are going to visit.

Cheryl


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