SAR - Page 1

Why is it that people say you cant have a Schutzhund dog be a SAR dog? Ive heard that its because a Schutzhund dog is aggressive, but if the dog is worth anything then shouldnt the dog not be aggressive till instructed to do so by the handler? Is this the real reason for Schutzhund dogs not doing SAR or is this all just a bunch of crap? I would think that Schutzhund would be a good start for SAR, at least the tracking and obedience parts. Where and how does someone usually go about getting a SAR certification? I dont plan to train my dogs anytime soon in SAR, but I think I would like to try later on down the road. Thanks!

I disagree that a Schutzhund dog can't be a good SAR Dog..A bunch of Crap...IMO If you get a GSD with good nerves and temperment, excellent ball and food drive with good conformation you can do anything with it that you want too. Does not matter if from showlines or working lines. A good dog is a good dog. Alot of the SAR and Schutzhund are similar in that the dog has to use nose, climb,jump and retrieve. Plus be under control.. In Sar you would not do bite work.

Perhaps someone can describe and apply the correct logic as an answer to your question, but I have always thought that any dog who was suitable for an excellent Schutzhund performance is a dog who can be trained and adapted for a variety of tasks. Are there not SchH3 dogs who also have an FH1 or 2, or an HGH title? With the HGH title they definitely do not see the sheep or goats as prey items. Just because a dog is high in prey drive does not automatically disqualify it from being an excellent family dog, correct? At least those are my thoughts on the matter. I can see where one might draw the line if the dog has very strong civil drive, and of course these dogs must have their type of drive redirected in order to be successful in Schutzhund competition. Perhaps that is what someone means when they make the statement that Schutzhund dogs are not suitable for SAR. If anyone has further and supporting comments one way or the other, please post them so that we all may learn something. Bob-O

I am talking about training up a pup not taking a already trained Schutzhund dog and converting to SAR. A SAR dog should not have bite work as they must be social. Sometimes the people they find will panic as they can be scared of dogs or even mistake the GSD for a wolf etc.. Just wanted to make this clear...

the problem is one of public perception.the sar people believe a schutzhund trained dog could be dangerous apon finding a lost person.in a world afraid of liability it is easier to avoid a schutzhund dog.sad but true!

Example: Lost 12 year old boy..Scared to death.. Big German Shepherd runs up to him and the boy panics and swings stick. A Schutzhund dog even if equipment trained might mistake this for a readon to bite. A SAR dog must be heavily socialized and when he finds a victim in training sometimes gets a reward from the victim especially early on in training..

steph...I would consider crosstraining a Sch. dog to SAR..depends on the dog..

I had been told that there is a place a few hours from me who will train or help train your dog to become SAR, but if you tell them that the dog is also a Schutzhund dog, they wont let you train.

Desert Ranger, So do you think there is a way to train a pup in Schutzhund at the same time as training in SAR without making the dog weaker in Schutzhund?

Mose..because of the bite work?