Can Schutzhund be family pet???? - Page 1

Hello,

I have been an admirer of GSDs for a long time but due to living circumstances I have never been able to own one but this summer  my partner and I are moving to a home with a large enough outdoor space to keep a GSD. In my research on the breed I have become very interested in Schutzhund and dog sport and think it is something I would really enjoy with my dog, however I hav been told that schutzhund trained GSDs can become aggresive!! I have two small girls and would hate it if they could not play with the family pet or bring their friends over!! So my question is can a dog that has been trained in Schutzhund be a gentle family pet too??? Any advise is much appreciated!!!

G-D

A dog that is clear headed and of solid temperment would be more than capable of being a good schutzhund prospect and a great family companion.

absolutely - find a breeder who will work with you in getting the puppy whose parents have a correct temperament, good with children AND is titled in Schutzhund - it is not  hard to find :)  My dogs live in the house, sleep on the couch, live with 2 chihuahuas and 3 cats, horses, sheep, other dogs and are good with kids too :)  They are also strong working dogs and many-times titled Schh3.  It can be done, and in fact IMO getting a pup from Schh titled parents and from a breeder who cares about breeding for correct temperament, normal drives (not crazy lunatic drives) and stable nerve, will certainly increase your chances of getting the best family dog and working dog you could ever hope for :)

molly

Eichenluft Working German Shepherds

http://workinggermanshepherd.com

Sure!  why not....

And who told you that a schutzhund trained dog becomes aggressive?  Obviously a misinformed person. 

Though, "some" might feel that the great schutzhund dogs are better off kenneled and not in the house.  For me, Schutzhund is a hobby, so they are house dogs too.  

Bottom line, the dogs need exercise and training to know how to behave in the house.

As everyone else said, absolutely!!!

Here's my Schutzhund dog with my 4 year old daughter...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nFA5XwQaHk

Regards,

Melanie

I had working GSDs all my life and they are all as much family members as working dogs. My first female was Schh3, IPO3, FH, 5x LGA (Regional Championships in Germany), once German Championships, twice German youth Championships and 24 times SchH3 altogether and she was a 50/50 house /kennel dog. My female now is SchH3, IPO3, was at the Regionals twice and at the Nationals twice and I do it the same way. She is in the kennel during the day and spends many hours in the evenings and the weekends in the house. There is NO conflict. For some dogs it is even better to know you better and therefore be able to read you much better.

I just interviewed two TOP competitors in Germany who have a similar set up. If you are interested reading the article, here is the link:  www.vangoghkennels.com/articles.htm (it is the first one with Horst und Michaela Knoche).

For me it is important to make sure that there is a life after Schutzhund retirement for the dogs and not just sitting out in the kennel by themselfs and watching the young ones going to training. Dogs that have never been exposed to the life in a house it is often very hard to adjust to it. Plus NE winters are long, cold and hard and I do not feel like spending hours and hours outside just so that my dogs have some quality time with me !! lol

The bottom line is that you need to get a dog with a stable temperament and not too dominat. That could cause some problems.

Claudia Romard

All I can say is "yup" !!

Here is a picture of my Mom's grandkids! (I don't have human kids), It was hard to get everyone to look at the camera at once!  My niece on the left has been pulling on Sasha since they were 2 years old!  Sasha and Taya (my niece)  have birthdays only 2 days apart!!  Sasha is SchH3, SG, KKL2, OFA Good, she is my rock star!  Jager is coming along, with me in grad school fulltime his training is taking a  backseat but he is also going to be a rock star!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.myvideos

Check out the video on my myspace page of Sasha and Jordan heeling around my backyard!  YES Schutzhund dogs can be great family dogs!! 

Just wanted to share some pics I took of "one of my babies" - not the kid, but the dog Hellequin v Eichenluft Schh3 (multiple times, National level) - and her kid Samantha - this is a family dog, in the house, kids born and raised with her, just super and a perfect example of what a Schutzhund dog can be - both strong working dogs, and great family dogs too.

at the right level to give kisses while heeling -

Quin and Samantha "earlier"