DVG Endeavor Schutzhund Trial June 17 2006
Los Alamos, New Mexico

Judge: DVG Sandi Purdy
Decoy: Michael Ellis

Photos by John Vega
Visit www.jkv.photoreflect.com for full images and many more photos!
Story by Terry Miller

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DVG Schutzhund Trial

This was a small trial hosted by our all breed Endeavor training club and was held in conjunction with a training seminar and Mondioring trial with the intention of bringing people and dogs from both sports together for two trials. It was also an opportunity for new trainers in our club to see a trial before attempting their BH levels later this year.

The sport of Schutzhund is a competitive three-phase sport in which dogs and handlers use skills for obedience, tracking, and protection. It is intended to demonstrate the dog's intelligence and utility. Schutzhund measures the dog's mental stability, endurance, structural efficiencies, ability to scent, willingness to work, courage, and trainability.

BH:
heeling, positions in motion, recall, long down, traffic temperament test

The BH or companion dog title is a pre-requirement for all Schutzhund titles. All breeds and sizes are eligible with the minimum age requirements of 15 months. Entries for this trial included our own member Paul with Braunie, and our friends from Durango Colorado, and Mondioring dogs from Texas and California. All the BH dogs in this trial passed, congratulation to all those who entered!

The obedience for the BH must demonstrate handler control of the dog, but is not necessary to have the precision and finished appearance expected at the higher levels. The most trying part of the BH is the tedium. The heeling pattern is the same as the higher levels, but is done on-leash, and then all over again off-leash. The heeling includes straight heeling with corners and about turns, change of speed, heeling through group of people, sit and down in motion, and a recall. The long down lasts as long as the second person takes to finish their routine, at least 6 minutes. Ann Putegnat's young male, Edoc, decided the long down was much too boring, especially with no distractions to watch. He managed to entertain himself rolling and playing, but managed to stay in place for a passing long down.

If a dog passes the obedience portion of the exercises, he then goes on to be tested in the traffic portion. This is meant as a test of stability in a young dog. There is not obedience, the handler simply walks the dog through a set of real life scenarios as designed by the judge. For DVG trials this usually includes walking with all dogs in a line while a car, a jogger, and a bike go by. The dog are asked to sit or lay down in a group of people that move around and enclose the dog. Each dog is tied out with the dog out of site while another dog is walked near by, but out of reach. Though the dogs thought this stuff was kind of weird, they all handled it fine and passed to earn their BH. Shown here is our club dog Braunie with Paul and Brad with his American Bulldog from Texas. Ann and Edoc endure the milling crowd.

Tracking:
Levels 1, 2, and 3

The tracking phase includes a temperament test by the overseeing judge to assure the dog's mental soundness. When approached closely on a loose leash, the dog should not act shyly or aggressively. The footstep track is laid earlier by a person walking normally on a natural surface such as dirt or grass and dropping a number of small articles scented by track layer. There is hardly any soft dirt or green vegetation to be found here, but the soccer fields are lush and worked nicely for trial. At the end of a 33 foot leash, the handler follows the dog, which is expected to scent the track and indicate the location of the objects, usually by lying down with it between its front paws.
As a level 1, Larry laid his own track with two articles. Larry and Chloe passed their very first tracking trial with compliments on his handling. Diane Wray laid the level 2 and 3 tracks, the level 3 having 3 articles and aging for an hour. Kim and Sadie as the level 2, and Terry and Ibn as the level 3, passed with nice performances.

Obedience:
heeling, positions in motion, recalls, retrieves, send away, long down

The obedience phase includes a series of heeling exercises, some of which are closely in and around a group of people. During the heeling, there is a gun shot test to assure that the dog does not openly react to such sharp noises. There is also a series of field exercises in which the dog is commanded to sit, lie down, and stand while the handler continues to move. From these various positions, the dog is recalled to the handler. With dumbbells of various weights, the dog is required to retrieve on a flat surface, over a one-meter hurdle, and over a six-foot slanted wall. The dog is also asked to run in a straight direction from its handler on command and lie down on a second command. Finally , each dog is expected to stay in a lying down position away from its handler, despite distractions, at the other end of the obedience field, while another dog completes the above exercises. All of the obedience exercises are tests of the dog's temperament, structural efficiencies, and, very importantly, its willingness to serve its owner.

The DVG offers single phase tracking and obedience titles in addition to the full schutzhund titles. Dave and his Border collie earned their BH last fall and put together a nice OB1 routine for this Trial. Tadc is shown here flying up the A-frame to retrieve the dumbbell on the other side.
The heeling for schutzhund not only requires precision at the heeling position, but also expects obvious and constant attention to the handler as shown with the up head position. The judges also like to see good attitude and drive during the work. Shown here with their heeling are Kim and Sadie for SchH 2, and Terry and Ibn for SchH 3.

Protection:
Blind search, guard (hold and bark), escape, re-attack, transport, long bite

The protection phase tests the dog's courage, physical strength, and agility. The handler's control of the dog is absolutely essential. The exercises include a search of hiding places, finding a hidden person (acting as a decoy), and guarding that decoy while the handler approaches. The dog is expected to pursue the decoy when an escape is attempted and to hold the grip firmly. The decoy is searched and transported to the judge with the handler and dog walking behind and later at the decoy's right side. When the decoy attempts to attack the handler, the dog is expected to stop the attack with a firm grip and no hesitation. The final test of courage occurs when the decoy is asked to come out of a hiding place by the dog's handler from the opposite end of the trial field. The dog is sent after the decoy who is threatening the dog with a stick and charging at the handler. All grips during the protection phase are expected to be firmly placed on the padded sleeve and stopped on command and/or when the decoy discontinues the fight. The protection tests are intended to assure that the dog possesses the proper temperament for work and breeding.

Parts of the SchH3 routine are shown here with Terry and her Malinois Ibn. The protection phase starts at the far end of the field with a six blind directed search. The handler walks the middle of the field as the dog runs the field around each blind searching for the hidden decoy who is in the last blind on the field. Ibn is shown here rounding the last blind in anticipation of finding the decoy.
Upon finding the decoy the dog must vigorously bark and hold the man in the blind. This must be done with power and meaning, close, but without biting or bothering the decoy.

During the bark and hold, the handler returns behind the dog and calls him to heel. The decoy steps out of the blind and tries to escape. Ibn is shown here slamming into Michael as he flees. Each attack is followed by an out and guard. There is also a rear transport where the dog and handler follow the decoy before he turns to attack. The dog must engage and endure hits from a padded stick meant to threaten but not hurt the dog.
The last part of the protection phase is the long bite, or courage test in which the decoy charges the full length of the field toward the dog in a threatening manner. As shown in the photo, Ibn shows plenty of energy and speed in his efforts to engage the helper. This is followed by a guard and transport back to the judge to report completion of the exercises.

Kim and Sadie are shown here during the re-attack and the guard.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in Endeavor's second schutzhund trial!

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who worked so hard! Thank you Thank you to all of the Endeavor Members for all the support and hard work all through the year and putting on events such as this.
Thank you Michael Ellis so much for all your support and efforts to help us to be a successful training club. And thank you for acting as decoy for our trial. We also appreciate the Judge Sandi Purdy coming here to our young club and supporting all our new trainers.

A Special Thank You to Pet Pangaea for their support in this trial and the dog community.

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