SearchAgility or Schutzhund first?
Hello
I am looking at buying a doberman puppy within the next year.
I have always wanted to try agility and am still very keen. However since researching the doberman breed I have come across Schutzhund and think this looks interesting aswel! I understand in order to do both you need to have a good level of obedience before you can start but once you have this which do you start on first? I as an owner haven't done either. Is one easier than the other for the dog/me?
Sorry for all the questions but hopefully someone can help!
Thanks
Sam
Thank you. I am only looking for non competitive classes. We have a dobie show to go to in November so hopefully this will help. I also have an agility club near us so maybe should call them and see if they would let me watch a class or 2.
Personally, I only believe Schutzhund should be done by people that have lots of time to work at it and either have experience or a mentor to guide them. It is very time demanding and I don't think it should be taken lightly. I would suggest picking one sport and devoting your time to that sport.
I don't think Schutzhund is a sport you can really do halfway. You need a dog that comes from working lines with parents that have been titled in schutzhund. The pup must have a lot of drive, and must be mentally able to tell the difference between the sport and regular life. You also need a dedicated trainer and lots of time to put into it! If it's something you're really keen on doing I would do more research and maybe contact your local schutzhund club to get some breeder references and find out what would all be involved in training and competing. If you are looking more for just a fun activity to do with your dog that doesn't require getting too serious or involved, agility is your better bet. You might also consider looking into flyball if your pup has high toy drive.
BTW, welcome to the forum! Kudos for doing your research before buying a pup. You will be glad you did! It's great that you are planning to be involved in a sport; whichever one you end up choosing will be a great experience for you and your dog, and will help strengthen your bond! This is a great place to prepare for your new four legged member of the family - we're glad to have you here :)
I concur with the others - don't do Schutzhund unless you have the time, and have an experienced trainer/mentor. I used to be a SCH helper and I know you can do a lot of damage to the dog - and create a lot of liability for yourself - if you don't do it right. It is not an activity, but a way of life.
Like you, I'm looking for things to get my pup into. He's a pet, first and foremost - and knowing that, I'm looking for activities like agility (good idea) or perhaps some light tracking to keep his mind and body occupied.
All that said, if you decide SCH is the way to go, it is a great system and you'll get a lot of satisfaction out of it. Just go all-in and do it right. If I had a SCH trainer within an hour of me, I'd probably do it again myself - with a 1 1/2 hour work commute (one-way), I have to be picky about how much time I spend on the road.
Good luck!
I am a total nut about introducing different training aspects to my doberman. I took Ziva to a basic agility class a year ago, when she wasn't quite a year old yet. It was called "Introduction to Obstacles" and it was a lot of board walking, teeter totter balance, A frame climbing, and the older dogs were doing bar jumps, while Ziva did bar 'step across'es. LOL They lowered the bars to about 8 inches off the ground for her because she was under a year old, and her growth plates in her legs were not totally finished developing yet. It was fun for her, and fun for me. I found out that she could and WOULD to the obstacles, and she really loved running up the A frame and across the dog walk more than anything else we did, but her heart just wasn't in it like the Aussies and Border Collies. Still. it gave her new things to learn, and the agility basics really did help her gain confidence and balance.
Then a few months later, I took her through 4 weeks of tracking classes. She really loved that, and I might try that one again now that she is older and more mature. It might actually be something that she can get serious about. No training is wasted on a doberman...at least that's my opinion.
Good luck in whatever you choose to pursue.
I do both Schutzhund and agility with my dogs. Schutzhund is a lot of fun but is very demanding on your schedule. In the summer somtimes we train 3 days a week. My Schutzhund boy is from total AM showlines and has a perfect blend of drives for the sport. I raised the litter from the beginning to purposfully bring out these drives.
If you are planning on doing Schutzhund with your puppy then you have to start very early and build upon these drives. Our trainer starts with very young puppies and they are taught to play with tugs. It is something that is slowly built on. Even tracking can be started very young. It is not a sport you train and do by yourself so finding a good club in your area would be key. Finding a good breeder is essential to do this sport. You need one that has worked with the litter to develope the attitude and build on the drives they have from very early on. Not all Dobermans are mentally capable of doing the sport
As far as agility it is a sport that should be done later after the body is fully matured so you don't risk injuries to their joints and growth plates. They have many starting agility classes such as the introduction to obstacles that Zivas dad was talking about that work with young dogs and puppies to develope the skills needed to start off correctly. Lots of things that can be taught to younger puppies where agility is concerned.
Agility can be extremely addicting and so much fun to do with your dog. Good luck with your new puppy, any activity you decide to do will be very rewarding.
We are doing elementary tracking (find the toy that I just stuck behind that bush over there), beginner agility (short A-frame, teeter totter... easier stuff), and obediance. Skye is about 8 mos old, and we're still stuck on what to do with her. Your pup will most likely do whatever sport you put him/her into, so it really depends on how you raise them and what you want... though if you want to do SCH, you should be absolutly sure that it is what you want to do and that you get a pup from proven working lines.
I have since researched local clubs and found a really good agility club about 15 mins away. I can't believe its so close! They have puppy training classes and then you build up to adult classes in either obedience or agility. The club compete but said you don't have to. I think this will be more for me as I want something fun and light hearted. I don't have 3 days a week to dedicate to Schutzund as I am a singer and can't commit to so many sessions.
I honestly didn't realise Schutzund was so serious. Glad I am doing my research!
Thanks for amking me feel welcome!
Oops making!
that sounds perfect that is an excellent way to start! Good luck with it and make sure you let us know how it goes.
Getting into an Obedience class is the best thing to start with---anything you decide to do from that point out utilizes basic obedience commands, so you're going at this from the right direction. 'Agility For Fun' sounds like a perfect thing to get into. Emphasis on the FUN part, because it really is. If you go through something like that and you see right away that your dog loves doing it, you can always go up a notch and get into some local competitions, but when I took Ziva to her agility classes, it was strictly for fun, and in the process, she gained confidence and balance that she didn't have previously.
Sounds like a plan! I have been doing alot of research and have found a breeder who I like. I would like a puppy this time next year when I will have reduced my hours at work a little more. How long should I let the breeder know in advance I would like one of her puppies?
I would contact her now. If you haven't done so already she'll ask you to fill out a questionaire/puppy application. She'll be able to give you an idea of when next year she'll have a litter available. Be prepared you might have to adjust your time frame a little; most reputable breeders only have one or sometimes two litters per year, some only have one every few years. She should be able to put you on a waiting list, and will likely contact you for a deposit once the litter has been conceived. Good luck and feel free to stick around and ask questions! It's never too soon to start preparing for your new pup.
I rang her yesterday and had spoken to her a few months ago. She has a litter available soon but we aren't ready yet. I am going to meet her at a doberman show in November. I'm not quite sure what to expect with the show but it will be a great time to experience the breed and make sure they will be for us. She said she isn't sure when she is having a litter next year and to contact her after Christmas but she is aware I will want a girly next year. Does this sound normal?
I'm curious who the breeder is since you are meeting her at a show. If you are asking if it is normal not knowing when a litter might be bred next year it would depend on a lot of things. It may mean she doesn't know if she will be breeding, it may mean she needs to know more about you and your family before she will add you to a list, it may mean that she has a bitch with an irregular heat cycle so she is not sure when she will come into heat as you can see this is just a partial list and their are many variables that go into a breeding. I think it is a great idea for you to go to the show and meet up with her to see the Dobermans, talk to her more and see if it is a good fit. Most reputable breeders do have waiting lists. We had people on a list for a year with our last litter. Cant wait to hear more about it and see what you think of the show and her dogs in person. Good luck with your search
Thank you. I didn't really think about those things I think she said she wasn't sure which bitch she was using. I am really looking forward to the show just a shame its not until November but Im sure it will be worth the wait!
Pet Profiles
I would think about what you really want to do, then go from there. If you are looking to be competitive in SCH, you will need a certain type of dog, and you will need to raise that dog a certain type of way. If you don't care about being competitive, and just want to mess around, that's different. But to be competitive, you're going to want a dog that you can work with to build drive, and you'll want to look for dogs from strong, proven working lines. There are plenty of dogs out there that simply won't have what it takes to handle sch. training and/or be competitive.
As for agility, it's something you can start doing and training for young, but you want to avoid some of the high impact activities until at least 18 months or so. Jumping, etc.
If you haven't, I would start going to some of the local clubs/shows to see exactly what is involved in the training, what kind of dogs do well, and what kind of handlers do well.