History of Schutzhund

The first Schutzhund trial was held in Germany in 1901 to emphasize the correct working temperament and ability in the German Shepherd breed. Originally, these dogs were herding dogs but the industrialization of Germany encouraged breeders to promote the use of their dogs as police and military dogs. The Verein Fur Deutsche Schaferhunde (SV), the parent club, became concerned that this would lead to careless breeding and undesirable traits such as mental instability, so it developed the Schutzhund test. Since then, many other countries and working dog organizations have also adopted Schutzhund as a sport and a test of working performance in dogs. International rules have been established, and they are administered by the Verein Fur Deutsche Hundesport (VDH). In 1968 the first Schutzhund trail in Canada was held in Calgary. Currently, more than 30 countries send teams of competitors to the World Championship for Schutzhund dogs from the World Union of German Shepherd Clubs. Team Canada has in recent years placed among the top three positions in the World Championships.