The German Shepherd Dog was developed from working herding dogs around 1900 as an all-around working dog. Within a few years it was clear that the dogs were losing their working ability. Schutzhund was developed at this time to test the working ability of the dogs. Only GSDs (German Shepherd Dogs) that had passed a schutzhund test were allowed to breed.
This is true in Germany to this day. It is only by testing the working ability of every generation that the strong working characteristics of the GSD have been maintained. Dogs of any breed, even mixes, can compete in Schutzhund today, but the most common breeds are GSDs, Belgian Malinois, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Dutch Shepherd Dogs, and the like.
In response to political forces in Germany, in 2004 the SV and VDH made substantial changes to Schutzhund. The VDH adopted the FCI rules that govern IPO titles, so that at least onpaperthe SV and VDH gave up control of the sport to the FCI. The VDH changed the name of the titles from "SchH" (Schutzhund) to "VPG" (Vielseitigkeitsprüfung für Gebrauchshunde) which roughly translates Versatility examination for working dogs). The SV has retained the "SchH" title names, but otherwise conforms to the VDH/FCI rules.
Traits
German Shepherd Dogs are working dogs. They should be suitable for a wide variety of tasks: police work, bomb detection, search and rescue, and many others. The purpose of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that have or do not have the character traits required for these demanding jobs. Some of those traits are: Strong desire to work, Courage, Intelligence, Trainability, Strong bond to the handler, Perserverance.
Schutzhund training tests these traits. It also tests physical traits such as strength, endurance, agility, and scenting ability. The goal of Schutzhund is to illuminate the character of a dog through training. Breeders can use this insight to determine how and whether to use the dog in producing the next generation of working dogs.
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This is true in Germany to this day. It is only by testing the working ability of every generation that the strong working characteristics of the GSD have been maintained. Dogs of any breed, even mixes, can compete in Schutzhund today, but the most common breeds are GSDs, Belgian Malinois, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Dutch Shepherd Dogs, and the like.
