Podium Schutzhund Club

Working Dogs
Where Champions Are Born

The Podium Schutzhund Club – Northern Virginia VPG Club
provides you with the knowledge of how to train your fourlegged friend.

Schutzhund is an active sport for you and your dog, which is fun filled, addicting, but very time consuming.

The Podium Schutzhund Club takes pride to teach you the know how of this sport.

We strive to bring you and your dog to the top of your field.

The enjoyment and companionship between you and your dog is our highest goal.

Please join us on our Journey in the wonderful world of Working Dog Sports.

German Shepherd Dog training

Schutzhund

Schutzhund, which means “protection dog” in German, is a dog sport that originated in Germany in the early 1900s.

German Shepherd breeders noticed that the dogs were losing their working abilities at a young age. In response, Schutzhund was created as a test to evaluate the working capabilities of German Shepherds. Only those dogs that passed a Schutzhund or herding test were permitted to breed and have their offspring registered as German Shepherds.

The test assesses whether a dog exhibits the essential traits and characteristics of a capable working German Shepherd.

Today, Schutzhund has evolved into a sport in which various breeds can compete, not just German Shepherds. Many breed clubs also use it as a suitability assessment.

Schutzhund evaluates dogs of all breeds for the traits required in police-type roles. Dogs that successfully complete Schutzhund tests are often suitable for a range of tasks, including police work, specific odor detection, search and rescue, and more.

The main goal of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that possess the necessary character traits for these demanding positions. Some of these traits include:

Strong desire to work
Courage
Intelligence
Trainability
Strong bond with the handler
Perseverance
Protective instinct
Keen sense of smell