What does 'working' your dog mean? One reason many people don't train or work their dogs is because they don't know what options are available to them, and there is a lack of good training clubs for competition standard training. Most training clubs offer the endless dull obedience routines with stressed dogs and owners! Unfortunately some competition clubs don't take Dobermanns preferring GSD's or Collies (Schutzhund and agility respectively). However, if you can get past stereotypes and prove you are keen and competent, there are plenty of options available for training from basic to competition standard obedience, agility, tracking, flyball, Schutzhund or Working Trials.

Prior to 2001, KC registered dogs were only officially allowed to train and compete in Working Trials. In 2001, with a better understanding given by the Kennel Club from the BSA, KC registered dogs were allowed to compete in Schutzhund, whereas . The UK Governing body of Schutzhund is the BSA - British Schutzhund Association..

Anyone considering working their dog should visit both a Working Trials club and a Schutzhund training club to find out which sport they and their dog would be best suited to. Do not expect to be taken seriously and allocated time if you're not serious and if you don't turn up regularly.

Other options for 'working' your dog could be either competition obedience and/or agility. To find a club close to you, look on the internet, contact the Kennel Club on 0870-6066750, or look on the BSA (British Schutzhund Association website.

The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme is an ideal introduction for the novice dog owner who wants to do 'more'. The scheme is run on a Bronze, Silver & Gold basis. Visit the KC site www.the-kennel-club.org.uk for more details. Aritaur Falko is the youngest Dobermann ever to gain his Bronze at 16 weeks, Silver at 6.5 months and Gold at 9 months. Congratulations to his owner Marianne Venn-Loveday who had never previously trained a dog. We thank Dot Cullum for guiding Marianne to this level.

View pictures and text at bottom from Gunn Anita Fossli with her Dobermanns in the Norwegian Defence Force.

The sport of Schutzhund originated in Germany at the beginning of the century to determine true working ability of dogs intended for breeding.It is an international sport and is held in the UK under the guidance of the BSA - British Schutzhund Association.

Section B is obedience. Heeling on and off lead. The sit, down and stand are also done, requiring different standards at each grade. Instead of a forty foot ring, the handler and dog work on a football sized trial field. Some exercises require the dog to work under the noise of a firing gun. In addition to the normal dumbbell retrieval, the dog must retrieve over a one meter jump and a six foot wall. Down stays and a long send away conclude this part of the test.

ARITAUR CAVALLO VIRA AW (Agility Warrant)
Drusus vom Adlercrest at Heimdall (Imp) X Aritaur Sweetest Taboo
'Riot' ~ Owned by Nicky Warren

.The final test is the most misunderstood by the general public, which is Section C - protection. The dog must never bite the trial helper, unless either the dog or the handler is attacked. Then it must attack fully and without hesitation. But here the real difference becomes apparent. The dog must immediately stop biting on the command of the handler and guard the trial helper without further aggression. In Schutzhund, the dogs prey is the sleeve and the helper must be disarmed in a controlled manner.

The above tests all occur in one or two day trials held nationwide by regulated clubs. Each dog is judged by a point system which determines the winner of the trial. Each dog starts each round with 100 points, and points are deducted for mistakes.

When a dog successfully completes the first trial it is awarded a title of Schutzhund 1. The dog can then progress through Schutzhund II to Schutzhund III. Each level makes ever greater demands on the dog and training in all three areas. There is now no difference between IPO, VPG and Schutzhund.

Gunn Anita is in the Norwegian Military and trains her Dobermann in military and civilian search & rescue. After working with GSD's for many years, Gunn Anita maintains that the doberman is different; they have a special personality- they always go as far as you want them to, and then they go further.

"I suppose the fact that these dogs aren`t natural herders make them more fun (and more challenging) to train- you have to cooperate with a doberman, be a team- worker. They have a different intensity in their work, and are a lot more independent. Most GSD owners have problems with their dogs lack of independence- this has never been an issue for us.
This makes outstanding service dogs; in our work we need dogs who can "prove" us wrong- I might try to pull my dog off a track if I don`t believe it is possible that the person we look for is actually in that area. The dog must be able to say: Yes, he IS! and keep doing his job. Or I can try and call him back from a free- search when he`s got a whiff of human smell in his nose. If he then obeys, a persons life might be lost. In military work we seldom use free searches although we have "silent" dogs because of the risk of the dog getting killed".
Anita's Father also spent many years training and working with GSD's and always said 'you must have a bigger brain to train the Dobermann'.

We work our dogs and encourage everyone to do something, however little with their dogs as this is a mentally active breed. Dobes were not bred to be brain dead couch potatoes, but just because they have the ability to work doesn't mean they can't live happily in the house with children.

There are a lot of myths about Schutzhund in that the dogs are dangerous/shouldn't be kept with families, however, people making such comments have undoubtedly never been near a training field and are probably the same people who say that showdogs shouldn't be trained to sit! (Bracco has 1 CC and SchH3). Maybe the same people who say feeding raw meat will make dogs bloodthirsty!!! There really is no hope for some people! We will not encourage people to train in Schutzhund unless they will be totally dedicated but would perhaps encourage people to take up agility, tracking/competition obedience etc.