Want to visit or join us? Read about Joining here
What you need for Schutzhund
Schutzhund is a fun sport for dog and handler, but it requires a serious commitment of time and effort. There is also a limit to how many dogs we can effectively work. Therefore, while membership is not closed or limited at this time, we must be very selective in admitting new members. What we look for in a handler is a serious interest in the sport, the initiative to learn not just from club training sessions but also from books, videos, seminars, and other resources, and a willingness to actively participate as a team member in training and other club activities.
Of course you must also have a dog that is suited for Schutzhund. Most Schutzhund dogs are German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs) or Belgian Malinois. But even within those breeds there are great variations in type and ability. Most people do not realize there is a huge difference between show line and working line dogs within many breeds. American (AKC-type) German Shepherds are essentially a separate breed and are in no way suited to the sport. Even GSDs from German show lines rarely show the physical and mental ability to compete at top levels. They are frustrating to train because their working drives and functional comformation have been watered down in the quest for perceived show ring beauty. German Shepherds, Malinois, and other breeds are most likely to do well in Schutzhund if they come from lines that have been bred for work and/or working dog sports rather than for the show ring. A dog from a working litter won't automatically make a good Schutzhund dog, but the chances of it are much greater than with a dog from a show litter.
Visiting our Club
If you want to see if Schutzhund – and our club – may be for you, join us (you may bring up to two dogs) for one of our regular club training days. We will help you judge your dog’s aptitude for the sport, and you will get a feel for the commitment required to succeed. Before applying for membership, you must attend at least 3 consecutive training sessions.
During at least 2 of these sessions, you must participate in all three phases (tracking, obedience and protection). At the remaining session(s), you must participate in at least 2 of the phases. There is a $20 field fee per session per dog for guests and prospective members ($10 if your dog is not worked in protection).
Applying for Membership
Once you meet the visiting requirements, you can submit an application. Club members will vote on your application and you must be approved by 3/4 of the members present at the vote. Dues are $125 for 2008-2009 and go from September 8 to September 7.
Please note we have a policy that members who have never trained and titled a dog to a BH or equivalent (CD+CGC) may only work one dog with the club until they have earned the BH. We believe there is so much for a new handler to learn that training more than one dog at the same time is not productive. The Training Director may grant a waiver for someone who demonstrates exceptional training ability.
Feel free to email (irondogschutzhund@yahoo.com) for more information.
Get a membership application form (requires Acrobat Reader).
