# Considering Shutzhund



## nd23rin (Dec 20, 2008)

Hello all,

I have a 13 week old male GSD, comes from good lines...with Schutzhund III in 80% of lineage. However, he does not seem to be interested in fetching anything. If I put a ball on a string he will chase and bite it, but not for longer than 10 minutes or so.

Other than that, the one thing I notice having this be my first GSD is his persistence. In other words if he does something wrong, I need to correct him a million times...very bull headed, just keeps coming back for more punishment









He also seems to love water, as he will try like crazy to go into my bathroom to jump in the tub and mess around!!

I live in Central Fla (Lakeland), and am thinking of getting him involved in Schutzhund....does he sound like a good candidate....at what age do the males really show their drive?

Nick


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## Branca's Mom (Mar 26, 2003)

10 minutes is a VERY long time for a puppy to chase something.

Some naturally fetch, some have to be taught that it is a fun game. How are you doing it? try throwing it and once the pup runs out and grabs it, start backing up clapping your hands to get him to return to you.

I suggest you take the pup and have him evaluated. Different pups begin to show their most intense drive at different ages.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Ball drive is just one aspect. My pup doesn't have a real strong ball drive yet. He does like to chase and tug the ball-on-string, but more b/c he loves tug. If I throw it he doesn't necessarily care to fetch it. He will sometimes drop his Cus in my lap b/c he wants me to throw it. But other than that, his drive is more for his tug toys and rags. For those he goes INSANE! If he's in his crate and a friend picks up his rag to see what it is, he will start barking and thrashing in the crate.

If you are really interested in SchH I would quit with having to correct and punish him. Actually pretty much any puppy should be trained with positive methods and do a lot of drive building activities. My puppy's favorite is the "puppy fishing pole". It's a pole with a leather rag tied to a rope. I whip it around and he chases it and tugs on it. He never tires of this and I routinely feel like my arms are being ripped out of their sockets!


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## Emily (Nov 8, 2008)

I agree, ten minutes is a long time for a puppy. Make sure each time you're out playing with the ball/tug, always end the game with him wanting more, don't wait until he tires of it. 

A big thing (I think) with SchH pups is confidence. Don't do anything or put your puppy in situations where he "loses" or feels too insecure. This includes not letting him play with older dogs who may play too rough and "beat" him. Take him lots of places where you can be right there with him and he can build confidence by experience. Definitely do not take him to a dog park. 

See if you can find a club you like in your area and that will help you decide, too. I think there are a lot of DVG clubs in FL...you may want to check the DVG site as well as USA.

Good luck!
Emily


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Agree with what others have said. 10 minutes is a long time for a young pup to maintain interest and energy. Training and play sessions should be short and sweet, and you should quit before the pup gets bored or tired. Rather than just focusing on a ball, you should be doing rag play with your pup as well. A puppy fishing pole as Lies mentioned is a great tool for playing with a pup this age.

And you should try to stop with the corrections. No pup should be exposed to a lot of corrections, but especially a pup for SchH or other work/sport activities. Lots of corrections can harm the pup's developing drive and confidence and cause long term training problems. Plus, it just isn't fair to the pup. Rather than correct, redirect his energy into appropriate objects and outlets. And supervise and be proactive to set the pup up for success and prevent the pup from having an opportunity to get into trouble in the first place.

If you're serious about possibly doing SchH with this pup, you should start contacting SchH clubs in your area. Have your pup evaluated to see if he has what it takes, and get some instruction on how to properly play with him and manage him around the house in order to maximize his potential and prevent making mistakes that can have a detrimental effect on his ability to do SchH.


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