# Advice on retiring a Schutzhund dog



## jayd215 (Dec 23, 2010)

I adopted a GSD two months ago. I recently learned from the previous owner that the dog had been involved in what sounds like Schutzhund training. He had witnessed the dog doing bite work with a bite sleeve, and he told me (after I had already adopted her) that she knew all her commands in English and German. He wasn't aware of what Schutzhund is, but I had read a little and pressed him for more information on her training. I'm pretty sure that she has some Schutzhund experience.

I do want to keep the dog working, but I don't want to continue with Schutzhund. I'd like to train her for search and rescue or do some agility work instead. I haven't yet had her tested to find out the extent of her Schutzhund training, but I've gotten in touch with a local trainer and have the info for their testing.

In my home and her previous owners, she has been an exceptionally mellow dog. She greets visitors at the door calmly with her ears down and her tail wagging in a friendly way, showing submission. When we pass strangers on the street, she calmly watches them pass, sometimes with a small sniff but usually she will look at them calmly and then ignore them. I don't see any evidence that she was poorly trained or that things she learned in Schutzhund training are seeping over into the rest of her life.

My question is this: how does one successfully retire a Schutzhund dog? Do I have to take her to be tested, or can I just forget about that if she seems to be behaving well? Is there any kind of maintenance work I need to do to make sure her bite work stays on the Schutzhund field, or is the regular obedience work I do with her enough? (I spend about 30 minutes daily reinforcing old commands and teaching her new ones, with her toys as motivator.) Is it safe to just take her out of the game? (Obviously it's the protection phase that I'm worried about, not the obedience or tracking phases.)

Thanks in advance for your advice!


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

It's no big deal to retire a SchH dog especially as you say she's a well behaved mellow dog. As she is well behaved, that DOES mean her SchH training is seeping over into the rest of her life. If you want to try some other sport with her, by all means, go for it. 

SchH does not make for a vicious out of control dog that will bite for no reason. You will find that she will get very excited if she sees someone wearing a bite sleeve and cracking a whip approaching you though 

A SchH trained dog is a highly trained dog. Enjoy it.


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## hunterisgreat (Jan 30, 2011)

A well trained SchH trained dog is safer to be around than a dog that can't do SchH, I think


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## clearcreekranch (Mar 18, 2010)

hunterisgreat said:


> A well trained SchH trained dog is safer to be around than a dog that can't do SchH, I think


 That's what I'm talking about!:happyboogie:


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## VaBeachFamily (Apr 12, 2005)

Yes, Hunter, I agree. When approached about the sport and my dog's behavior, my only response is " I can out my dog... can you?"


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## GSDrules (Oct 12, 2013)

*schutzhund is a game*

I agree, but I will not own another schutzhund, only because when it came down to a serious situation, my titled schuthund, was looking for a bite sleeve, and did nothing to help. I love there obedience, but when it comes down to real life, they still look for a sleeve. burglars don't wear sleeves. My personal protection dog, is not trained schutzhund, but when a guy was kicking my doors in at 1am, it only took him 1/2 second to attack the doors and windows and he couldn't get away fast enough. I'll stick with the protection dogs.


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## crackem (Mar 29, 2006)

^^^^yeah :help:

anyway, my schutzhund dogs are my dogs. They do dog stuff, we run in the woods, go for bike rides, go to parades, visit my gma in the nursing home, play fetch with the neighbor kids (with me present of course) go swimming, camping, and spend entire days on end watching football some times. 

They are schutzhund dogs when we go training. They are fine being dogs too. Very stable, capable of anything, even tempered, loyal, obedient dogs. I forget that bite sports are odd and sometimes scary to people that don't have a background in them. I remember the impression I had of them before I started, but barely.

they aren't some crazed beast who's mind will explode if they don't get to bite something  they're fine being just "dogs" too. Just give them good dog and people things to do. They love interaction with their owners, I don't care if it's at a schutzhund field or walking in the park, interact with your dog and they'll love you for it. The rest is easy.


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## Blitzkrieg1 (Jul 31, 2012)

GSDrules said:


> I agree, but I will not own another schutzhund, only because when it came down to a serious situation, my titled schuthund, was looking for a bite sleeve, and did nothing to help. I love there obedience, but when it comes down to real life, they still look for a sleeve. burglars don't wear sleeves. My personal protection dog, is not trained schutzhund, but when a guy was kicking my doors in at 1am, it only took him 1/2 second to attack the doors and windows and he couldn't get away fast enough. I'll stick with the protection dogs.


Sounds like a training / dog issue..not a schutzhund problem.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I agree with Blitzkrieg1....
Did you put the title on your dog GSDrules, or was the dog sent off for that title? Sleeve focused dogs are that way due to the training they've had, not because of the sport they are training in. We train in SchH(IPO) and my dog only bites the sleeve because he knows it is the target, if there is no sleeve, he'll bite to stop the subject when he's commanded to bite.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

I keep agreeing with Blitzkrieg1... It is in the training... it is in the dog.

My female has little aggression on her, never had. She has always been the kind of dog that would bite a sleeve as a giant toy and show agression only if there is a reason to fight for, but is not something natural to her as it is for my male, who shows strong aggression for the pleasure of the fight itself.

My car was broken with my female inside and thieves took two cameras...
A stupid guy dared to tease my male inside my car and the dog broke the door window by smashing against it...

Same sport, same trainer, same helper, different dogs.

...and my female is now a happy love-everybody spayed SAR dog.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

I find odd that the previous owner "witnessed" Schutzhund training. Did she had more owners before him?

Also, there is a big difference between a "Schutzhund dog" and a dog that had done a bit of SchH / SchH like training here and there. Does she have titles? Most show breeders (German lines I mean, the only ones I know) present their dogs the sleeve at one moment of the dog's life with the hopes of koer someday, very few go all the way towards it and even less do it themselves instead to sending the dog for some rushed protection training that has as much to do with Schutzhund as soy beans to beef meat.


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## LPLIV (Oct 8, 2013)

*Cool Thread*

GSD Rules... Interesting, I really don't believe that your theory is correct, the foundation for many good K-9 is Schutzhund. Many of the Euro imports that my trainer sells to PD's comes with titles and are ready to work as Green Groke K-9s. 
My first shepherd was a female, untrained in any sort of protection but bred for work by the K-9 breeder I purchased her from. We had a break in and a PCP injected banger tried to get in the back rooms where my wife and son were and he saw the wrong end of the dog. (No bites fortunately but he realized he had tried to open the wrong door.) I was keeping Mr. PCP calm and semi relaxed until the PD arrived because w/o a serious fight he would not have left. He eventually was taken away by the PD and no one was hurt.
That being said, I am on my third shepherd who is being trained for both serious protection and Schutzhund. When the handler show him the sleeve he knows it is a game and when the bare arm comes out he knows that it is work and there is a fight coming. His teeth are really out his bark changes to an even more ferocious bark and he no longer is wagging his tail as though it was just a prey drive bite. I know that when I give the command to go he will do it with out thinking about whether there is a sleeve or not. He will recognize the scenerio and we will work as a team... we have tested this in both the dark and daylight situations on the field... He is not ready for the full body suit yeat but I hope to have it be part of his training as well.
On the other hand, I would feel comfortable leaving him in a room with a bunch of two year olds because he is not only a sweet dog but wants to be buddy to any one around him...
I would gladly adopt a fully trained SCH dog even if I didn't use it for that. I really like what others have said in this thread that the dog knows when to go and when not to by his training... Which, depending on his level could be more than three years if he is a three...

Learn more about the dog's training and adapt aspects of it to bond with your well trained dog. This will satisfy much of the inner work drive your dog has and give you a much happier dog for life.. Best of luck...

Phil


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