# Sch. Dogs in the 'real world'



## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

I just commented on a thread and it brought a question to my mind. 

Have you ever been in a situation where you found it necessary to 'use' your sch. dog in a 'real world' situation? Not a training situation. I mean someone trying to break the law and maybe cause personal harm.

I ask because this has always been a question in my mind...


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## CaseysGSD (Oct 15, 2010)

Well, I have a consealed weapons permit and carry a gun every where I go, I hope to never have to use it but it's at my disposal all the same. I think the same could be said for a protection dog, except no one could ever take your dog and turn it on you!


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

Yes, a couple times. Though none were a case of me utilizing SchH training in real life to activate the dog to a potential threat. In all cases the dogs activated on his/her own in response to the threat, as any good GSD trained or not should do. Though admitedly training for that sort of alert barking does make it come more naturally and confidently to the dog. The SchH training mainly gave me control in a situation where without that level of training I might not have had it. And in one case the dog knowing that a hold and bark will do when the guy freezes and stands still, and there's no need to bite right off the bat, probably saved a messy dog bite situation (even though it turned out later that guy deserved that and worse).

That's the extent to which I've used any of their protection training in real life simply because I've never really needed to. Now obedience is used frequently, and on a few occasions the formal SchH obedience has been used for the purpose of intimidating suspicious people. People see a dog responding that way to the nifty sounding German commands and they assume the dog can do more, making it an even better deterrent.

And one time Kaiser somehow extrapolated SchH article searches to finding my old college class ring that had been lost in the yard months before, and telling me exactly where it was and making sure I came over to get it. No idea how he made that leap, but was greatful he did.


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## CaseysGSD (Oct 15, 2010)

Chris Wild said:


> And one time Kaiser somehow extrapolated SchH article searches to finding my old college class ring that had been lost in the yard months before, and telling me exactly where it was and making sure I came over to get it. No idea how he made that leap, but was greatful he did.


Wow... Now that something we could all use!! Very impressive!! Wish I could train Blitz to find the remote I ALWAYS loose!! Maybe I should tie a hotdog to it LOL


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I was threatened by a coyote, had a stupid scary kid jump out at us in a very threatening manner, and as I am nocturnal, there are scary men out walking around at night when there is nobody around. Most of these were before my dog ever started SchH - he started late - and he acted with totally appropriate aggression without any help from me. Since he started, it hasn't come up.


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## CaseysGSD (Oct 15, 2010)

Elaine said:


> I was threatened by a coyote, had a stupid scary kid jump out at us in a very threatening manner, and as I am nocturnal, there are scary men out walking around at night when there is nobody around. Most of these were before my dog ever started SchH - he started late - and he acted with totally appropriate aggression without any help from me. Since he started, it hasn't come up.


Isn't that just how the world works, I live in Florida and one year we had 3 direct hit hurricanes that left us with out power for a week each time. We decided to invest in a generator so we would not be out of power for weeks with every hurricane (there was one more 2 days before it was installed) since the day it was put in we have not been hit by a single hurricane- we have not so much as had a thunderstorm strong enough to knock out the power.... That was 6 years ago!


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## CainGSD (Nov 15, 2003)

Chris Wild said:


> Yes, a couple times. Though none were a case of me utilizing SchH training in real life to activate the dog to a potential threat. In all cases the dogs activated on his/her own in response to the threat, as any good GSD trained or not should do. Though admitedly training for that sort of alert barking does make it come more naturally and confidently to the dog. The SchH training mainly gave me control in a situation where without that level of training I might not have had it. And in one case the dog knowing that a hold and bark will do when the guy freezes and stands still, and there's no need to bite right off the bat, probably saved a messy dog bite situation (even though it turned out later that guy deserved that and worse).
> 
> That's the extent to which I've used any of their protection training in real life simply because I've never really needed to. Now obedience is used frequently, and on a few occasions the formal SchH obedience has been used for the purpose of intimidating suspicious people. People see a dog responding that way to the nifty sounding German commands and they assume the dog can do more, making it an even better deterrent.
> 
> And one time Kaiser somehow extrapolated SchH article searches to finding my old college class ring that had been lost in the yard months before, and telling me exactly where it was and making sure I came over to get it. No idea how he made that leap, but was greatful he did.


 
Like Chris I have used Sch obedience to create a picture in the mind of a drunk person who thought he was 10 ft tall and bullet proof. The drunk person was yelling, pacing around and ranting across the street from my driveway while I was unloading the truck from training. He started yelling at me and I took Cain out of the truck and put him in a platz on the lawn next to truck and he quietly and intently watched the yelling guy. Guy decided to be quiet and stay on his own side of the street.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i bet you could train Blitz to find the remote.



CaseysGSD said:


> Wow... Now that something we could all use!! Very impressive!! Wish I could train Blitz to find the remote I ALWAYS loose!! Maybe I should tie a hotdog to it LOL


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## Uniballer (Mar 12, 2002)

I was sleeping in my vehicle at a rest stop on I-75 (probably Kentucky, maybe Tenessee), when my 5-yo SchH3 dog told me in no uncertain terms that somebody was outside, and was up to no good. Some guy said he wanted me to get out of my minivan at 3AM in November to help him fix the timing belt on his car. I told him there was a phone in the building and drove for a while longer before stopping for more sleep.


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## Sarah'sSita (Oct 27, 2001)

I have never used schutzhund commands or directives to protect myself. Weird as it may sound, its my job to protect my dogs. That said, several years ago with my first GSD - not at all trained in protection sports, I learned that my dog Sita knew a threat and acted on it. I was living in an apartment at the time and walking Sita around the building to the back entrance at the end of an outing. It was dark outside and a man was standing there. I recognized him as the boyfriend of the gal who lived in the apartment above me. Sita had seen him before, but this time she growled and barked her head off as we got closer. I was taken aback at her reaction, but I just re-directed her and we went inside. About 10 minutes later I heard a loud noise and a scream from upstairs and a few minutes later six cop cars surrounded the apartment and I looked out the window and the police were taking this man away in handcuffs. He had beaten her while she was calling 911. Did Sita sense that this man was a threat? Same man at other times NEVER elicited this response, however I do believe that her GSD "sixth sense" somehow picked-up the fact that this man was up to no good at that moment.

I hope I am never faced with the situation that my dogs feel the need to protect me, but if the situation arises, I have faith that their instincts will prevail.


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## Ruthie (Aug 25, 2009)

Sarah'sSita said:


> I have never used schutzhund commands or directives to protect myself. Weird as it may sound, its my job to protect my dogs. That said, several years ago with my first GSD - not at all trained in protection sports, I learned that my dog Sita knew a threat and acted on it. I was living in an apartment at the time and walking Sita around the building to the back entrance at the end of an outing. It was dark outside and a man was standing there. I recognized him as the boyfriend of the gal who lived in the apartment above me. Sita had seen him before, but this time she growled and barked her head off as we got closer. I was taken aback at her reaction, but I just re-directed her and we went inside. About 10 minutes later I heard a loud noise and a scream from upstairs and a few minutes later six cop cars surrounded the apartment and I looked out the window and the police were taking this man away in handcuffs. He had beaten her while she was calling 911. Did Sita sense that this man was a threat? Same man at other times NEVER elicited this response, however I do believe that her *GSD "sixth sense" somehow picked-up the fact that this man was up to no good at that moment.*
> 
> I hope I am never faced with the situation that my dogs feel the need to protect me, but if the situation arises, I have faith that their instincts will prevail.


I would imagine that if he was on the way to beat the crap out of his girlfriend, he was probably excreting some pretty intense body chemicals. My guess would be that she smelled that and knew something wasn't right. So, maybe not sixth sense, just really good fifth sense.


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