Would anyone happen to know of any places locally (somewhere within an hour or so of the East Bay) that does schutzhund training? Me and my gf are looking to put our pitbull in it and we (and and others from a pitbull forum my gf is a part of) feel she would do very well with schutzhund training. Thanks in advance!!

 

what is schutzhund?

 

Its a form of dog training that police dogs go through and even security dogs. It teaches the dog how to use its aggression and when. If you've ever seen those videos of the guy with the huge pad on his arm and the dog is attacking it, thats part of schutzhund training. Also helps you to control your dog under stressful situations.

 

gesundheit!

 

There are a few local clubs. I just brought my 5 month old German Shepherd pup to the Menlo Park Shutzhund Club during their trials a couple weeks ago to check them out. Overall it was a great club and the people there were informative and friendly. I am thinking of joining up with them soon. They are located in Newark, and meet on Wednesday evenings and Sundays. There were only German Shepherds there, but I am sure your pup will fit in just fine!

 

Yeah, to add to what he said, it is pretty much an obedience training/sport for working dogs. They work on protection, tracking and so on. Its a really great sport for certain dogs, but does require a very firm commitment, 2 years or so.

 

Thanks JArnaud! Will check out the Menlo Park Schutzhund Club. Now is that like a group of people meeting up and doing schutzhund training or an actual setup training facility type of thing?

 

its the real deal, they have trainers that do the bite work, as well as trainers that teach you and your dog the obedience aspect of it all. They also do trials there, where the dogs get certified for shutzhund 1,2 & 3.