About Schutzhund

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Schutzhund is a German word simply meaning “protection dog”; it is now known internationally as “IGP” or “International Gebrauchshund Prufung-International Working Test. Schutzhund was first developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breeding suitability test for the German Shepherd Dog; dogs needed to pass this test to be considered worthy of breeding. The three phases of Schutzhund-tracking, obedience and protection-were carefully crafted to test for traits highly valued in working dogs such as intelligence, courage, work ethic, strong stable temperament, scenting ability and desire to work with man.

There are three levels of Schutzhund, now IGP, with each level increasing in difficulty. These titles must be earned in order. To earn a title, the dog/handler team must pass all three phases at a single trail with at least 70 out of 100 points in each phase. To achieve even an IGP1 requires years of dedicated training; even more so for the championship level, IGP3.