The word “Schutzhund” means “Protection Dog.” However, despite the name, there is much more to Schutzhund than just protection work.
Schutzhund is a 3 part sport, that involves obedience, tracking and protection work. Each of these parts, or “phases”, is given equal emphasis during a trial, and if the competitor fails one phase, they do not pass that level. Schutzhund was originally designed to test the German Shepherd dog for breeding purposes in Germany. Today, SchH is that and much, much more. It still gives the trainer the ability to test their dogs to determine if the temperament is correct and to also view their working ability. But it has also become a highly competitive sport, open to all breeds. Some competitions are limited to specific breeds, but any dog, of pure or mixed breeding, who has the ability and training, can compete for and earn the Sch titles.
There are three SchH levels one can achieve with his/her dog: SchH I, II, and III. Each handler and his dog start out in each phase with 100 points. From this 100 points the judge deducts points based on errors made by the dog and/or handler. A perfect score is 300. In order to achieve any of the SchH degrees, the team together must achieve at least 70 points or better in tracking and obedience and at least 80 points or better in protection. Prior to competing in Sch, the dog must earn the BH, a basic temperament and obedience test that involves on and off leash heeling, moving sits/downs, and a temperament/traffic sureness test. In addition to the SchI, II and III USA and DVG, the two main Sch organizations in the United States, offer the AD (endurance) FH/FH2 (tracking) and the individual obedience and tracking phases of the SchI,II and III
SchH/VPG 1
Phase A – Tracking
The track is a minimum of 300 paces (600 to 900 feet) with 2 articles, 3 legs, 2 corners, at least 20 minutes old and laid by the handler. The dog has 15 minutes to solve the track. The track is worth 80pts and each article is worth 10pts.
Phase B – Obedience
| Free Heeling | 20 Points |
| Sit Out of Motion | 10 Points |
| Down with Recall | 10 Points |
| Retrieve on Flat | 10 Points |
| Retrieve Over the Hurdle (Meter) | 15 Points |
| Retrieve Over the Scaling Wall | 15 Points |
| Send Out with Down | 10 Points |
| Long Down Under Distraction | 10 Points |
Phase C – Protection
| Search for the Helper | 5 Points |
| Hold and Bark | 10 Points |
| Escape | 20 Points |
| Reattack | 35 Points |
| Attack on the Dog Out of Motion (Long Grip) | 30 Points |
SchH/VPG 2
The track is a minimum of 800 paces (800 to 1200 feet) with 2 articles, 3 legs, 2 corners, at least 30 minutes old and laid by a stranger. The dog has 15 minutes to solve the track. The track is worth 80pts and each article is worth 10pts.
Phase B – Obedience
| Free Heeling | 10 Points |
| Sit Out of Motion | 10 Points |
| Down with Recall | 10 Points |
| Stand Out of Motion (Walking) | 10 Points |
| Retrieve on the Flat | 10 Points |
| Retrieve Over the Hurdle (Metre) | 15 Points |
| Retrieve Over the Scaling Wall | 15 Points |
| Send Out with Down | 10 Points |
| Long Down Under Distraction | 10 Points |
Phase C – Protection
| Search for the Helper | 5 Points |
| Hold and Bark | 10 Points |
| Prevention of an Attempted Escape of the Helper | 10 Points |
| Defense Against an Attack During the Guarding Phase | 20 Points |
| Back Transport | 5 Points |
| Attack on the Dog Out of the Back Transport | 30 Points |
| Attack on the Dog Out of Motion ( Long Grip) | 20 Points |
SchH/VPG 3
Phase A – Tracking
The track is laid by a stranger to the dog, minimum of 600 paces, 5 legs, 4 corners, 3 articles, at least 60 minutes old. The dog has 20 minutes to work out the track. The track is 80 points and the articles are 7, 7, and 6 points
Phase B – Obedience
| Free Heeling | 10 Points |
| Sit Out of Motion | 10 Points |
| Down with Recall | 10 Points |
| Stand Out of Motion (Running) | 10 Points |
| Retrieve on the Flat | 10 Points |
| Retrieve Over the Hurdle (Meter) | 15 Points |
| Retrieve Over the Scaling Wall | 15 Points |
| Send Out with Down | 10 Points |
| Down Under Distraction | 10 Points |
Phase C – Protection
| Search for the Helper | 5 Points |
| Hold and Bark | 10 Points |
| Escape | 10 Points |
| Defense Against Attack | 20 Points |
| Back Transport | 5 Points |
| Attack on the Dog Out of the Back Transport | 15 Points |
| (Long Grip) | 10 Points |
| Reattack | 20 Points |
Tracking Dog 1 (FH 1)
The FH 1 must be at least 1200 paces (2400 to 3600 feet), with 2 (two) crosstracks (the crosstracks may not be on the first or last leg of the track).
The articles will be 3 ½ in. by 3 ½ in. and must be numbered to correspond with the track number.
Tracking Dog 2 (FH 2)
The FH 2 track will be no less than 1800 paces (3600 to 5400 feet , with 2 (two) crosstracks (the crosstracks may not be on the first or last leg of the track).
Ratings and Point Scores
| N – Not Acceptable | 0 – 109 points |
| U – Unsatisfactory | 110 – 219 points |
| S – Satisfactory | 220 – 239 points |
| G – Good | 240 – 269 points |
| SG- Very Good | 270 – 285 points |
| V – Excellent | 286 – 300 points |
Ratings for Courage and Hardness
| P – Pronounced | ( Ausgepraegt ) |
| S – Satisfactory | ( Vorhanden ) |
| I – Insufficient | ( Nicht Genugend ) |
