SPORT DOG TRAINING PERTH

The crowds favourite! Schutzhund is a sport that started as a breed survey for the German Shepherd. Until recently the sport wasn’t available in Perth. Ben Geurts is a qualified teacher helper and has been involved with the sport since 2004. He has been running these classes in Perth since 2015. He is assisted by several of our trainers and helpers.

This sport is not easy. In fact, its downright difficult. For dogs and handlers. Its complex, intricate, sophisticated, but also a hell of a lot of fun. You can train seriously to compete, or just for fun. The choice Is yours; we have teams that do both.

Price: $605 for the term (includes 10 x class)

Watch the video below and continue reading to learn more.

The sport has three phases:

Tracking

Teaches the dog to follow a track very tightly, footstep to footstep. Not a task for the fainthearted. Hard work for handlers and dogs alike. If the thought of spending early mornings tracking with your dog for hours, weeks, and months makes you smile then this is for you.

Obedience

Teaches the dog to perform numerous obedience exercises. However, unlike most competitive obedience events, correctness is not enough. The dog must love the work. If your dog performs every single exercise correctly but isn’t happy, he will not pass. The dog must be fast, precise, extremely responsive, and happy. This phase can be very addictive for people that like attention to detail. For people that enjoy complexity. The dog must heel, perfectly, intensely, happily. The dog must down fast, straight, directly and be happy doing it. The dog must return with the dumbbell, fast, straight, direct, but he must not touch you, or mouth the dumbbell, he must present it willingly for you. This phase will tell you all about your relationship with your dog. Its confronting but liberating, challenging but rewarding, exciting yet frustrating, expertly engineered by Germans over many years. You’ll love it…

Protection

Schutzhund is a German noun that means Protection dog. This is the sexy phase. Everyone’s favourite. Every dog’s favourite. Protection. However, it’s important to note that this is a sport. It isn’t real life, and we are not teaching your dogs to bite people. We teach the dog to grip the sleeve in a strict set of circumstances. This will not make your dog dangerous. In fact, this will not change your dog at all other than to make it more confident and therefore less likely to feel threatened or nervous. It will also teach your dog to be under control when in its highest state of drive. It makes dogs safe.

This is more like Rugby, for dogs. But don’t sell that short, Rugby is a bloody tough sport! Anyone who has played rugby will tell you. The schutzhund protection phase is an even greater example of German Engineering at its best than the first two phases.

To be successful, the dog must transfer between moods quickly, smoothly, without conflict. She must demonstrate fighting spirit, strength, clarity, trainability, balance. This is seen in grip, transitions to obedience, and the dogs hold and bark exercise. An elegant yet powerful phase that exhibits the trainer’s skill and the dog’s genetic strength.

However, don’t panic. This can also be simply a lot of fun for you and your dog. And we have all kinds of breeds having a go. After all, why not let them dream! We’ve got the traditional breeds, but we’ve also had some curly ones; a Dachshund, Aussie Shepherd, German Shorthaired Pointer, Labrador, and an American Bulldog to name just a few. Most of these guys will not be able to trial but they get to do what dogs love doing best. Engaging in a rough game with a challenging adversary, the Helper! You’ll never see your dog happier!

This is a great sport for those dogs that love sniffing. That’s right, all dogs love sniffing. This is suitable for all breeds. This is also a good option for people with reactivity or dog aggression issues as it is conducted one at a time. In this sport your dog will be taught to locate and indicate the presence of a specific odour through a passive response. Dogs love it and so do handlers.

Come and learn how the experts do it! You’ll need to work together, and you’ll need to trust your dog. You’ll discover just how good these guys are at searching with their noise.

Price: $495 for the term (includes 10 x class)