Schutzhund Vs Personal Protection Training For Your Dog

(Note: Before reading any further I want to make it clear that this article was not meant to offend anyone.  I have done research on the topic discussed and am providing you all with the results of the research.  This topic is controversial and the matters can be sensitive.  I welcome everyone’s opinions and comments in the section below at the end of the article.)

In a previous article I talked about the importance of having your dog trained to remain silent and to speak and how it can benefit you in a survival situation.  In this article I am going to go in-depth about the difference in Schutzhund training and how it is different from a personal protection trained dog.  (PPD)

Schutzhund is a German word for “Protection dog.”  Not to be confused with a personal protection dog.  It is a sport that was created in Germany as a breed suitability test for the German Shepard Dog in the 1900’s.  The test would determine if the dog displayed the appropriate characteristics of a good working dog.  Today it is used as a sport in America for many different breeds.

Before a dog can compete for Schutzhund competition training he must pass a traffic-sure companion dog test.  This test basic obedience around strange people, strange dogs, traffic, and loud noises.  A dog that exhibits excessive fear, distractibility, or aggression cannot pass the test and cannot go on to be trained in Schutzhund training.  Much like the test given to dogs that are to be trained for personal protection.

There are a lot of videos that show Schutzhund training where you see the dog attack a protective sleeve on someone, which can be impressive if you do not know what you are looking for.  This is where the two types of training differ.  A dog trained in Schutzhund training is not trained to target the weapon hand first that the attacker is using and can end up seriously hurt or even dead.  They are specifically trained to attack the sleeve.  A PPD should never be trained in this manner.  A PPD should be trained to attack the hand/wrist holding the weapon first since this is the fastest way to disarm the attacker.  A well-trained PPD would then continue to inflict a number of bites in the arms and legs until told to stop by the owner.

In my research on the subject it has been advised by MANY trainers that one should not have a dog trained in Schutzhund if the purpose is for the dog to be used for protection.  They all said that most of these dogs would not know how to react without the sleeve to attack because they have not been trained outside of the equipment yard or with any other scenarios besides the sleeve.

Below are a few videos that show exactly what the two types of training of can do for you and for your dog.

Will your Untrained Dog Protect You?

Schutzhund Dog Training;

Personal Protection Dog Training;

In the two videos you can clearly see that the dog trained in Schutzhund never goes for the arm with the weapon, only the arm with the sleeve.  Even after being hit repeatedly.  In the PPD video the dog always goes for the hand with the weapon.  Which would you want protecting you?  Both dogs are amazingly well trained, but they are trained for different purposes and it is important to know the difference if you are considering having your dog trained for protection.  Always make sure the person training your dog is certified to do so.

Being prepared also means being able to protect yourself and you may not always have a gun or weapon within reach.  If you have dogs then why not consider using them for personal protection as well as for the love bug of the family?  They will enjoy it and you will feel more secure knowing you have a form of protection that will allow you to get to your weapon if your under attack.

Keepin It Spicy,

Cari Schofield, aka Jalapeño Gal

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