By Paul Hutchings
Star Staff Writer
DEER LAKE The Newfoundland Schutzhund Club showed off some of its dogs Saturday on a course set up at Bowater field. They are practising for Viking Quest 2011, a dog show set to hit Deer Lake for the first time in August.
Schutzhund, the German word for protection dog, is a dog sport developed in Germany in the early 1900s to test mainly German shepherd dogs, and today some other breeds, to see if they exhibit the traits necessary for police-type work, search and rescue or specific odour detection. Over the years it has turned into a full sport, with participants from around the world.
For the testing, ramps and shelters are set up and the dogs perform a variety of tasks, such as finding a person behind a shelter and guarding them or jumping the ramp with an object in their mouths on command. Trainers use arm protection and the dogs are tested on how courageous they can be by running at the training, jumping up and biting down on the padding.
Members say they have deflected criticism from people who think Schutzhund is a sport that is cruel to animals, but they say nothing could be further from the truth. While performing the dogs seemingly cannot wait to begin their testing, and act like a regular house dog anticipating a walk or a ride in the car.
“And these are house pets as well, we treat our animals very well,” said club member Angie Parsons, who trains her Rottweiler for the sport. “This is the same as any other type of training, just more aggressive because that’s the type of work these dogs are expected to do.”
Modern Schutzhund training has three phases. Tracking tests the dog’s scenting ability and its mental soundness and physical endurance. In the tracking phase a track layer walks across a field dropping small items along the way. The dog is directed to follow the track while being followed by the handler on a long leash. When the dog finds each article he lays down with the item between his front paws.
The obedience phase is done in a large field, with the dogs working in pairs.
One dog is placed in a down position while his handler leaves him and the other dog works in the field, where there are heeling exercises and noise reaction tests, as well as retrievals.
In the protection phase a trainer acting as a decoy wears a padded sleeve on one arm and hides behind one of several blinds. The dog is directed to search the blinds for the trainer and when he finds him, prevent him from moving until recalled by the dog’s handler.
The dog then gets to carry the padding around in his mouth for a few minutes as a reward. During the training the dog does not always have to perform each phase.
Trainers say everything the dogs are asked to do is reward-driven. When they are first being trained, food is used but as the dog matures they are simply given objects to carry around.
Club member Jack Parsons said there is more to the sport than meets the eye.
“It’s about getting the very best out of the dog,” he said. “It’s about teaching the dog problem solving. They are working dogs and they have a lot of fun doing this, and so do we because members get to socialize with each other as well as train.”
He added the training helps develop the dog’s natural instincts to a higher level.
Viking Quest 2011 takes place Aug. 19-21. Visit www.nsclub.org for more information.
