Fox Valley Police & Schutzhund Club

A good number of people join schutzhund clubs, only to drop out of sight within their first year when they become discouraged over the amount of time required, or their perceived lack of progress.

Because schutzhund involves three phases, it does take a substantial amount of time. Additionally, it is not a solitary endeavor and we need members who are willing to help one another by attending training regularly and staying for the duration of the sessions. Our members are also expected to support club-sponsored events, by helping out or supplying entries.

The thing that separates schutzhund from some other training venues is that it is an on-going process of improvement. There is no 6-week quickie course that sends you off with a certificate. A good foundation sets you up for success---miss that building block and the holes in your training program will become very apparent as you progress. For people who are used to measuring progress in 6-10 week sessions, this can seem a tedious process, and this is where folks can become discouraged.

Take heart, though! We all have personal lives and other commitments, and as a club, we understand this. That is why it is important to help one another out in training, and to step up and take your turn. The more there are people who are willing to help, the less individuals are apt to become over-used. Introduce your family to the sport! You’re going to need their support, too!

Do we expect you to know all about schutzhund when you join? Absolutely not! But before you do join a club, you should identify your personal goals and whether a schutzhund club embraces your vision of accomplishment with Fido. In order to do that, you have to have a basic understanding of the sport. The following is a link to the United Schutzhund Clubs of America (our parent organization) and information about the sport:

Another very helpful link is the Handling Tips offered by USA Judge Ann Marie Chafin, found at: trial handling

As you have read, schutzhund, literally translated, means “protection dog.” We are a schutzhund club. That means that obtaining working schutzhund titles is our goal. Remember the three phases: tracking, obedience and protection. If your goal is to obtain tracking skills, as it is with several of our members involved in SAR, we can help with that but it is important for our members to understand protection work and support it as a club function. We do have some members who are presently training in ringsports and you will notice that there is some cross-training that goes on, as we believe those things lead to a well-rounded dog. However, we are not in a position at this time to hold events in other sports, nor are we organized to do so.

You are free to come out and watch training (without your dog) and encouraged to ask questions. In that way, you can determine whether the sport itself and also the training style are what you are searching for. There are many styles as there are individuals; take your time and find the right fit for you and your dog. This sport has its own language, as well, and by observing you can take the time to inquire without the immediacy of having to act on those words.

Okay, so you’ve decided that you have the time to commit and have an understanding of what the training involves. But do you have a suitable dog?

At present, Fox Valley Police and Schutzhund Club is a member club of the United Schutzhund Clubs of America. SchHUSA, as it is called, is a German Shepherd Dog organization. The purpose of titling dogs, under this auspice, is for breeding. This is where we part ways with that philosophy, and more closely align ourselves with DVG, the all-breed training organization. While we firmly believe--- and our Constitution supports--- that untitled dogs should not be reproduced, we also believe that some people enjoy training for the sake of having a better dog.

Therefore, we accept and support all breeds in our membership. The titled dogs in this club have been German Shepherd Dogs, Dutch Shepherd (I believe the first SchH3 Dutch shepherd in the U.S.) boxer (the 4^th titled Boxer female in the U.S.), malinois, rottweiler, and laekenois. The breeds that we presently have or have trained in the past include: GSD, dutch shepherd, malinois, laekenois, tervuren, giant schnauzer, belgian sheepdog, doberman, rottweiler, presa canario, game american bulldog, boxer, small munsterlander pointer, labrador retriever and (hold your breath) an Italian Spinone! Although not all these breeds did protection work, you can see that our training styles must be flexible and accommodating to the uniqueness of each individual.

As a prospective member you will attend 4 consecutive training sessions, during which your dog will be evaluated for working ability and temperament. A stable temperament is foremost. Your dog will be evaluated as to its reaction to this new place, people and other dogs. This can be quite overwhelming, so please don’t write your dog off after one session---we don’t! The training director will observe and evaluate your relationship with the dog and its drive. Does it enjoy playing tug-of-war? Does it love to chase a ball? What motivates it most? The Training Director (TD) will advise you of his/her opinion concerning the abilities of the dog. Please understand that these evaluations aren’t meant to hurt anyone’s feelings; they are an honest appraisal of the potential of the dog in this sport. Sometimes that means that a young dog simply needs time to grow up. Sometimes a dog doesn’t have the heart to participate. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a perfectly lovely companion, just that this particular sport is not the right choice. We do not believe in forcing participation on an unwilling candidate…this should be FUN! At this juncture you may have to make a choice; to stay and work with your dog to the best of his abilities in those areas he enjoys, leave and find another arena that you both enjoy working in, or get another dog for the sport. This is a very personal decision.

The training director may also require that you achieve a “BH” which involves obedience and temperament testing, before you proceed to protection work. Sometimes this is a matter of first learning how to be a team with your dog. Membership does not guarantee that your dog will be trained in protection work if there are concerns about the dog or the team.

If you are interested in the sport and do not presently have a dog, the best advice we can offer is to take your time! Watch the dogs in the club and if there are qualities you like about them, inquire where they came from. Research other breeders and ask questions. Don’t rush into a puppy without a great deal of thought. Depending on your abilities, you may wish to begin with a started, or titled dog. In either case, take the time to familiarize yourself with the sport before leaping into a purchase.

You have the time, the knowledge and it now appears Fido has the drive for schutzhund.

· You have already paid $50 to attend 4 consecutive, introductory sessions. The TD has advised you that Fido has potential.

· You can decide to join, or not at this stage. If the membership is in agreement that you will be a good addition to the club, you will be voted into Probationary Status.

After the evaluation period, the prospective member will indicate their desire to join the Club and the Members in Good Standing will vote on the acceptance at the next monthly meeting. At that time, the balance of the dues must be submitted to the Treasurer.

Over the years you will, no doubt, gather quite an impressive array of toys and equipment if you remain in the sport, but it needn’t break the bank to begin with.

· To begin with, you will want a harness for protection work. Puppies will quickly work their way through the smaller sizes. For adult sized dogs, look for a leather harness specific to agitation, with good support that fits well and is padded in areas that may rub. Please, no buckle collars with plastic fasteners! They break easily and put other dogs and people in danger.

· 5 or 6-foot leash for general obedience. You will notice many people using leather leashes, as they are easy to handle and don’t “burn” the hands as nylon ones do. We’ll leave the color and style up to you! If you were to choose a second leash, a 4-foot leash is nice as it doesn’t allow for too much slack while heeling, and can be easily stowed away in a pocket.

· A 15-foot line for tracking and protection. Later you will need to acquire a regulation length tracking line, but for now, it will be impractical to use for training. Make sure the snap is well made. People have individual preferences as far as leather, or nylon, and there are nice ones using rubber as a material (called "grippers")

· Treats and toys. Whatever motivates your dog AND is easily handled (carried in pocket or hand--- no giant fuzzy toys). The treats should be small pieces, about the size of half a dime, that don’t have to be chewed up to swallow, such as hotdogs or the commercial foods “Natural Balance” or “Rollover.” This is so that the dog doesn’t have to stop what they are doing (forward movement, for example) and chew up their treat. We use treats in all of our foundation work in obedience.

· Many people purchase a jute roll for play with their dogs, and even a length of milk hose from Fleet Farm makes a good, durable toy. Dogs enjoy Kongs, but they are difficult to carry, conceal and deliver, and their bouncing path is uncontrollable. Always be prepared with a method of reward with you, at training. We also use pieces of leather/chamois for tug play, but those are not a required early purchase. Those are a good investment for home play with your dog, with proper instruction on the delivery and handling.

· A crate. You will need some means of securing the dog when you are away from your vehicle at training that is safe to the dog and other participants. Leaving a loose dog in a vehicle with the windows rolled down is unacceptable and dangerous.

Those are truly the only things you will need in the beginning. The next things you will probably purchase are:

· A fur-saver choke collar. The fur-saver is different from traditional diamond link chokers, as the links are large and sturdy and therefore easier on the dog’s neck (trachea) and his fur, and anywhere you fasten your leash is a “live” ring. In a hurry, you don’t have to search for the single ring to affix the leash. These are not sold in pet stores and must be purchased from a vendor who sells schutzhund or police equipment.

· A correction collar. This collar goes by many different names; stockel, prong collar, correction collar. Purchase a small link collar that is sturdily made. The logic is that the weight remains similar to the fur-saver. The small link collars do not withstand as much stress to the links and are used for specific attention exercises. A large dog can bend the prongs of a small link collar if allowed to pull and you may then require a medium link collar instead. Do not use any correction collar without proper instruction and supervision until you are familiar with its use. A dog should never be left unsupervised wearing either a chain collar or a correction collar.

· A 10-meter tracking line. This will be required for trial, but is not often used in training, especially in the beginning stages.

· A back-tie for the dog. I like the coiled, cable style rather than chains that are set low and can tangle the dog’s legs. Do not leave a dog unattended with either of these. This is solely for the purpose of securing them while you lay a track as they watch or do some tug play on your own, so that the dog doesn’t chew up your fancy leather leash.

We train using primarily motivational methods. We firmly believe in the adage of “teach, train, and then test.” The dog must first learn what it is we want. It isn’t fair to punish the dog for something it doesn’t know how to do yet. Remember back to one of those old, basic obedience courses. How did you teach the dog to sit? Probably by pulling up on the neck with the leash and pushing down on the butt while repeating gibberish (to the dog, at least, who at that point had no idea what the word meant except that it hurt!) Fortunately, many classes have progressed beyond that stage, but liken that form of teaching to taking a first grader, spreading his hands out on the desk and then whacking them with a ruler while you tell him “do algebra!” Well, to be sure, he would LOVE to be able to comply, but he doesn’t even know what the word means! Does this make sense?

We have used clicker training in the past with our puppies. This is because we have found it to be helpful for beginners to learn proper timing and reward. It also allows the dog to “think through” its behavior and learn that there are good choices and bad choices. There are many good resources for additional information on this method that we can steer you to.

However, handling clickers along with food and/toy can be difficult. What is one thing you always have with you, to reinforce behavior? That's right! ~ your voice! Therefore, we use verbal markers of "yes", "no" and "good" to reinforce the behaviors we desire. Ivan Balabanov has an excellent tape on the theory, called "Obedience without Conflict, Part 1." You can purchase Ivan's training book and DVDs through Canine Training Systems. We have hosted multiple seminars with Michael Ellis, who subscribes to and masters this method.

In this vein, there is another (oh yes, we have LOTS of them, not always original!) saying, “Warm-up, Get the Behavior, Change the Picture, Give it a Name, Make it Harder, and Take it “On the Road”. This capsulizes the training process: you get the behavior first, then name it, then make it more difficult and practice it in different places. Always be fair to the dog.

You may say, well, then, if you believe in motivational work, why do you use prong collars? This is because the full spectrum of operant conditioning includes negative reinforcement. The correction must fit the infraction, be on time and in the right amount in order to be fair. We do not teach with punishment, but it is a tool in our toolbox for that time when the dog has learned a behavior, demonstrated it and is now being willfully disobedient.

If you are a handler who prefers to walk with an ears-down, slinking dog at his/her side and this makes you feel strong and powerful, this club is not for you. If you think obedience is an hour-long session of walking in a circle and yanking your dog around, this club is not for you. If you want to learn a different way of training, and work with a happy dog, then this club could be for you. This is where finding the “right fit” for a club is important.

Yes, we want you to bring an inquiring mind to the mix! We don’t expect all our members to be PhD’s (although some have been!) but we want you to learn from the experience. We want you to attend seminars, and learn from discussions of others and ask questions and to grow in your understanding of the sport and dogs. Some clubs do not allow their members to attend outside seminars, or to suggest any other training methods. Unless you are familiar with a trainer, it is often a good idea to simply observe first. Much damage can be done by allowing someone to use your dog as a demonstration, who has no investment in its future. While it is important that you develop a training strategy and not confuse the dog by changing methods each time you hear a new theory, do listen to new ideas and ask questions. Our club has hosted helper seminars, canine chiropractic and movement presentations, and tracking and obedience with Joanne Fleming-Plumb. Our members have attended conferences by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, clicker seminars, seminars by Pamela Reid, Patricia McConnell, Terry Ryan and Roger Abrantes, and even one on herbal remedies. And this in addition to the more customary schutzhund based seminars. In the year 2001, FVPSC held seminars with Fred Lanting, on conformation, gait and structure and with Ivan Balabanov who demonstrated his winning methods in obedience and protection work. Since then we have hosted additional seminars with Ivan Balabanov, Mike Ellis, Greg Doud, Dave Kroyer and Mark Chafin. As you can see, we have a wide variety of interests!

We tend toward a more hands-on method of training and instruction, which means that our sessions last longer. We encourage you to keep a training log and to actively plot your progress. Some people need or prefer more guidance, at least in the initial stages, and the level of assistance is up to you. Bear in mind that this is a club effort, and not individual lessons. If you find you need or want more intensive assistance, under the direction of a private trainer, there are resources within the club who can provide that.

We no longer offer puppy classes as a separate event. There are very specific things that you can do to bring up a puppy with a solid foundation in the sport and we encourage you to work with a trainer who has those goals in mind, and is familiar with what you hope to accomplish.

We don’t have any World Team competitors (yet) in our club, but have had National Championship competitors and multiple Regional Champions. We haven’t resorted to kicking out members who aren’t competing on our timetable or doing well enough. Our by-laws do require that a member be working toward a training title, however, and that can only be measured by your participation and progress if you haven’t yet attained a title. We prefer to lead by example, and that example is fair training that is fun for dog and handler. We have K9 handlers, folks involved in SAR, competing in agility, herding, gundog trials (okay, we don’t play tug with those!!) and obedience, and several registered therapy dogs. We also encourage our members to participate in the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test, in addition to their BH and other accomplishments, in order to demonstrate to others outside our working community that these are social, stable dogs. In spite of the fun we have, or perhaps because of it, we do have a number of respectable accomplishments within our group.

9. Training Rules

As a prospective member, you will receive a copy of the club’s Rules of Conduct, but here are a couple very basic training rules. All dogs must be currently vaccinated. Ask permission before interacting with another dog, either by yourself or with your own dog; those are just good manners! Pick up your dog waste. Be a polite learner; do not stand and privately chatter when there is work to be done by helping others.

You’ll receive a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws with our membership package but if you would like to receive a copy to review in advance, you can contact President Debra Krsnich at FoxTal@aol.com for an e-mail copy. In the future, we hope to be able to post that information on our website for your convenience.

Our By-Laws are quite strict and you should be aware of them before you consider joining. Some points to consider are:

· Club members cannot have been convicted of any felony, or convicted of a misdemeanor charge of cruelty or abuse of animals, or misdemeanor drug offenses.

· No dog being worked in the Club may be used for breeding unless it has been determined free of hip dysplasia (OFA, “A”stamp, or comparable certification)

· All dogs working in the Club must have submitted to hip X-rays (OFA, “A” stamp or comparable certification) prior to reaching the age of 30 months.

Much of our communication is done via e-mail, using our club discussion list on Yahoo.com. All members are able to sign on. If you do not have e-mail, then you will need to call the TD and confirm training times and locations.

You may also wish to join the North Central Region discussion list, to keep abreast of regional events and interests. Ask the Club president to forward your information to the list moderator (Deb Krsnich) as club membership must be confirmed in order for you to join this list.