Engagement
Keeping your dog engaged throughout your training sessions is essential to being able to teach a dog behaviors that will be learned with enthusiasm and precision. The more engaged your dog, the more pliable they are and willing to work for you. Creating a positive and exciting environment is the most important part to having a pup that wants to learn.
Basic Schutzhund Positions
- Sit
- Down
- Stand
- Heel
- Heel in Motion
- Front
These positions can be taught through initially luring.
- Find a high value treat that your dog gets excited about and make sure it is cut up into small pieces.
- Call your dog over and everytime he engages with you, mark it ("Yes") and give him a treat.
Chain the Positions Together
- Sit out of motion
- Down out of motion
- Stand out of motion
- Call to front from a down
- Heel position from a down
- Change of speed in the heel (fast, slow, normal)
- Long down
- Finish from front to heel position
- About turn while heeling
- Halt with a sit
- Heel around people
- Heel position with a person on the other side of the dog
