# Question about Schutzhund....



## Brandon Coker (Jan 9, 2009)

Ok I have a question for you guys. 

I'm wanting to get involved in Schutzhund. My local Schutzhund club meets every Monday afternoon and I plan on being a part of it when I get my GSD. 

Now here is the deal...I work full time and have a 3 year old little girl. I can work with my dog on Monday afternoon wth the Schutzhund club and on the weekends and do something with him/her after work during the week but because I have a family and little one, time can be hard to come by.

So my question is this, will that be enough to keep a working dog happy? Also what do you do for your dog during the week when you have to work all day? And what do you do when you're stuck in the house? Here in Houston it can rain every day for weeks sometimes so what do you do when stuff like that happens?

I just want to be prepared and make sure I'm not getting into something that's going to be "too much" because I can't spend hours every day of the week working with my dog.

I don't want an unhappy dog and I don't want the dog to make me unhappy.

Thanks for any advice.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Do you melt? Dogs don't. Rain is not a valid excuse for not getting out and working or exercising a dog.









I grew up in the Pacific Northwest where it can rain for 40 days and 40 nights and NEVER stop. Yet I STILL trained my dog OUTSIDE everyday.

As long as you can do SOMTHING with the dog everyday, you should be fine as long as you get one that is of sound mind. You should NOT have to spend several hours a day exercising or training a dog for it to be "happy".


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## sprzybyl (May 15, 2008)

I second Tracy- like postal service- rain, snow, sleet, wind, hail... (ok maybe not the last one) we are out walking and training. Maybe every so often the elements will shorten the walk, but we still go out (the other day it was 13 before the 35 mph wind windchill- that was not fun!) 

We also play hide and seek in the house and do some training indoors, and a new bone or toy here and there. even just during commercials can add up! (and the dvr helps when you go a little long and you miss something, lol)


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## alaman (May 3, 2006)

I you can spend 20 minutes a day with your dog doing obedience and other light work, that should be enough for Schutzund. My dogs like spurts, 10 minutes here, 15 there, etc. and they are happy.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Hi Brandon,

Some things to consider: SchH itself requires some time and not everyone has the time to commit. That is not a bad thing, just a reality for many people. As for the dogs, mental work is very important and tires out the dogs more quickly than physical work. Most of the issues I see at our club with dogs whose handlers work and have families is a lack of progress in obedience and tracking, injuries, and coming to the field unable to concentrate. I tell my members that they have to track and do obedience away from the club if they ever plan on making any progress and titling their dogs. I am not talking every day, but you had better plan on 1 hour at least 2- 3 times per week (away from the club) for tracking, obedience and conditioning. Obedience and play can be done in short spurts, but tracking does take some time (though you can usually do other things while your track ages). Something else to remember, these dogs are athletes and just like human athletes they need conditioning if they are going to be fit enough to stand up to the rigors of training. Injuries are far more common in dogs that lack conditioning. Things like rain, snow storms, cold, heat, too tired after work, etc are something you will have to deal with if you want to give any GSD, not just a working line GSD, sufficient physical and mental stimulation.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

If you get a working line for Schutzhund, just make sure you tell the breeder what you are looking for, and how much time you will have to work your dog. A good breeder who knows his or her puppies will be able to match you up with a dog that will be mellow enough to fit into your schedule. As a newbie to the sport who is just getting his feet wet, you want to stay away for the most intense, driviest pup, and go with a more mellow-middle-of-the-road pup that will be a good house dog and still have the correct drives to make Schutzhund fun and rewarding. 

And LOL, Schutzhund people aren't afraid of rain! I too used to live in the Pacific Northwest, in Temperate RainForest Climate, on Vancouver Island - Tracy insn't exagerating about the 40 days and 40 nights. I only had a mixed breed therapy dog back then, but I still went out and walked and played fetch and went to the beach (in the rain!) with him everyday!

And the winters are cold and dark here where I now live, so I just bundle up and grab a good flashlight and we go out and play and train and use up excess energy. We are still training through the winter, and the only time we cancel is when the day-time temps are down to -30C or colder. 

-20C, we train. Dogs are fine.


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## Brandon Coker (Jan 9, 2009)

Great replies guys and thank you!

I don't mind the rain and what not...just never really thought about it I guess and just didnt know if it was common to train in the rain. 

Training 1 hour at least 2- 3 times per week (away from the club) for tracking, obedience and conditioning isn't an issue.

Thanks for the information!


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## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Brandon C
> 
> So my question is this, will that be enough to keep a working dog happy? Also what do you do for your dog during the week when you have to work all day? And what do you do when you're stuck in the house? Here in Houston it can rain every day for weeks sometimes so what do you do when stuff like that happens?


ill just say this, when you get your pup i would make sure that the dog isnt too high drive. the way you described your lifestyle i think a dog with too much drive may be a little overwhelming for you. 

i also work everyday and sometimes 12 hour days. so my time is also limited as i have an 11 month old daughter also. fortunatly im not a single parent so i have the luxery of that. 

we train twice a week, mondays and fridays. on days that we are not training i take him for long off-lead walks. saturdays and sundays we walk in the mornings when i wake up (around 8:00A). this is great for burning out some energy. also i like to mix up our walk with a little obediance to get some brain stimulation. not a whole lot of obediance but just a couple heal, sit, down commands.


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## nathalie1977 (Sep 4, 2006)

Basically, your schedule is pretty much how I train. I do about 20-30 minutes with Freyja, plus I try to squeeze another 20-30 minute play session (she LOVES to fetch), which I also use for obedience. She's also been working out on the treadmill for conditioning and endurance.

On weekends we track at least one day, try to do both... that's where my progress is slow. When I have any breaks (like christmas break) I do a LOT more tracking. Frankly, it's tough to find tracking fields in Southern California... I do a lot of grass tracking by going to industrial parks that have grass lawns and what not, or I have to get up SUPER early and hit local parks before people get there with their pooches.

Still, as Lisa mentioned, your progress will end up being slower than if you had more time available.


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## dOg (Jan 23, 2006)

You might attend some sessions before you get a pup.

It would be good for you to take in all that you can, speak to other
members, get a feel for it. It will help you decide if it's something you
want to do, how drivey of a dog you want to get, how you might train it with SchH in mind,
versus training a pet. Without the distraction of your own pup yet, you can be a sponge and soak it up, mull it over.

You might visit a couple of clubs...nobody should discourage prudent preparation.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Very good suggestions, dOg. Very hard for people to understand what is involved if all they have ever done is read about SchH. 

When you become involved in SchH you are not only going to need to put in the time with your dog, but also with the club. It is not fair to club members if you are unable to commit the time needed to be part of the club. Yes, some groups are set up where you can just come in, work your dog and leave, but most clubs are not. If they are going to put time and effort into working with you and your dog they will expect you to be there also to help in what ever capacity that you are able to help.


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## Smithie86 (Jan 9, 2001)

Ask if you can shadow someone for a bit - not only at the field, but off field training. You would be a great distration, but you could also see what it takes.

We have tons of foul weather gear, including Cara's cow boots from Tractor Supply!


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## matildacroley (Feb 22, 2009)

kuddos to you for considering everything before getting the dog. alot of people just get one not thinking about time, energy, and money. its why there are so many rescues out there.


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