History of Schutzhund

Schutzhund History: The first German shepherd dog was bred in the 1890s by Captain Max von Stephanitz in hopes of breeding the perfect herding dog. The captain dedicated his life to the breed and eventually began the organization that introduced and popularized Schutzhund.

Originally, German shepherds were herding dogs, but the industrialization of Germany encouraged breeders to promote the use of their dogs as police and military dogs. Captain von Stephanitz was concerned that this change in vocation would lead to careless breeding of the dogs and undesirable traits such as mental instability. This motivated him to found the Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde (German Shepherd Association in English), also known as the SV.

The SV developed the Schutzhund test to emphasize the correct working temperament and ability in the German shepherd, and the first Schutzhund German shepherd trial was held in Germany in 1901. This trial emphasized the German shepherd breed’s correct working temperament and ability. These trials continued as it was believed that they helped produce dogs of the highest working ability, in addition to eliminating those that couldn’t handle the workload from the gene pool.

Since then, many other countries and working dog organizations have also adopted Schutzhund as a sport and a test of working performance in dogs. International rules have been established, and they are administered by the Verein fur Deutsche Hundesport, or VDH (German Dog Sports Association).

The German shepherd dog came to America following World War I, but the German shepherd schutzhund did not come overseas with the breed. In the 1970s, a German immigrant set up the first Schutzhund club in the U.S., and the sport’s popularity quickly spread. The first Schutzhund trial in the U.S. was held in California in the 1970s.

Today, the German Shepherd Dog Club of America (GSDCA) and the United Schutzhund Club of America (USCA) sponsor trials throughout the country. These trials help in selecting a team to represent the GSDCA/USCA at the WUSV World Championship. More than 25 countries send teams of competitors to the World Championship for Schutzhund dogs, which is hosted by the World Union of German Shepherd Associations.