In China, it is not easy to raise a purebred German Shepherd. It is not enough to keep it as a general pet. In order to fully display the charm and instinct of the German Shepherd, the key is to treat the dog well. Train actively and effectively. Don’t think that this kind of dog is smart and tame, and it is enough not to bite or scratch on the surface. In fact, the systematic and formalized training of German Shepherds has a history of 100 years. People have accumulated a lot of training experience. If the dog owner understands this knowledge, it will further increase the breeding of such large dogs. fun of. The highest level of dog-raising is to achieve a high degree of harmony between humans and dogs, and regular and systematic defense training for dogs is the only way to achieve this level.
What is “defensive training”
Many people have misunderstandings about dogs receiving defense training, believing that defense-trained dogs are more ferocious and dangerous than untrained dogs , or think that giving dogs defensive training is making dogs more aggressive and dangerous, which is completely wrong.
Actually “defense” means avoiding and preventing an attack, as opposed to being attacked. A defensively trained German Shepherd knows exactly when to bite and when not to; it can tell the difference between an innocent pedestrian or child and a stick-wielding gangster. This kind of dog can absolutely obey the master’s command and obey the master’s command under any circumstances.
In addition, the German Shepherd’s defense training is the most important part of its breeding system. Breeding a dog without defense training is unthinkable in Germany, and the minimum requirement for a breeding dog is to pass a defense first or a shepherd exam, plus meet some other basic requirements in the breeding rules. At present, there is a common tendency in China to focus on rearing rather than training, and blindly breeding to make money, which is likely to lead to the degradation of the German Shepherd breed. In short, only dogs that have been trained and tested to meet the breeding requirements can be bred to ensure the healthy development of German Shepherds.
The origin of defense training
Defense training was formed in Germany around 1900, when Mr. Steffenitz, the founder of the German Kennel Association, had the idea of optimizing the breed, but soon He tried to develop a defense training program suitable for policing requirements. In 1903, the German Kennel Association officially conducted working dog training for the first time. These experiments soon became the evaluation criteria for breeders of police dogs and other types of working dogs, and soon after, a formal German Shepherd training system was formed on this basis, which is now known as “defense training”. .
Since then, other new canine sports clubs and related organizations have been derived from the concept of “defensive training” in Germany and many parts of the world, the purpose of which is to carry out special work on dogs. The training of subjects in order to identify and select those dogs with the best character (temperament) for breeding.
Content of defense training
Defense training usually consists of three parts: walking according to the designated route, password obedience and basic defense techniques. Generally speaking, to judge the quality of a working dog, you can see the dog’s character and psychological stability, endurance, physical coordination, smell sensitivity, work desire and courage, and training ability through defense training. In addition, after defense training and testing, a conclusion can be drawn on the overall quality of the dog, which can be used as the condition for the dog to become a breeding dog.
As a sport, defense training will undoubtedly give the dog owner an opportunity to train the dog. During the training, the owner’s training ability and the dog’s ability to perform training will be fully reflected. Through such contacts, dogs can not only deepen friendship, but also further cultivate and strengthen the dog’s interest in work. In fact, many people abroad, including people of different ages and backgrounds, like or even love this sport very much, and even take it as a hobby. Often the whole family participates in it, and when conditions permit, they also perform performances and competitions.
Three Parts of Defense Training
1. Search by Designated Route: This is the first step in defense training. If you don’t know much about the dog in advance, be sure to check the dog??s ear number carefully before training to see if the dog has been registered and whether there is a formal breeding record. In addition, it is best to observe the dog’s mental state from a distance to judge whether the dog’s psychology is stable. The trainer can usually loosen the leash and approach the dog naturally, and if the dog is not shy or aggressive, then training can be done. If the dog is overly recognizable, avoids or has a strong tendency to attack, it means that the dog has a problem with the mental state or the character (temperament) is not ideal, and does not have the basis for training.
Determining a dog’s walking route is as simple as walking a distance on an ordinary piece of land or grass. But the person has to set up a certain number of turns and some special small objects on the road, the latter usually can use some kind of credit card-like cards, of course, these cards must be placed on the road by the person himself. Once set up, the trainer can guide the dog on the road. The trainer can use a 10-meter leash to lead the dog, and try to release the leash as much as possible. Let the dog identify the path by sniffing the smell of the former’s footprints, and at the same time let the dog recognize the small objects set in advance. The method of identification is usually to let the dog lie down first, put the small object between the dog’s two paws, and let the dog remember and then officially walk. The focus of this kind of training to let the dog walk on the designated line is to test the dog’s ability to receive training, the ability to smell, as well as the dog’s psychological quality and physical endurance.
2. Command obedience: The training focus of this project is to let the dog carry out a series of following training, mainly to let it approach and follow a group of people. In the process of following, the human can intentionally burst the gunshot, and the dog should ensure that there is no excessive startle reaction and no harsh barking. At the same time, password obedience training also includes a series of training to accept passwords in situ, mainly including sitting down, lying down, standing up, etc. In addition, after the trainer changes the location, the dog does not move, and the dog should still execute the command as usual after the trainer changes the location. command, the dog cannot refuse to execute the command because the trainer’s position has changed.
It should also be noted that when training, the trainer should ask the dog to lie on his stomach and keep a certain distance from the trainer, even if the trainer is playing with other dogs on the other side of the training ground. , the dog should also remain in a prone position there. Of course, all of this obedience training is a test of the dog’s character (temperament), body structure effectiveness, and desire to work.
3. Basic defense techniques: The training of basic defense techniques focuses on testing the dog’s courage, physical strength and agility, as well as the dog owner’s control over the dog. These trainings include: searching for concealment, finding hidden persons, guarding the “target person” until the dog owner arrives; when the target person attempts to escape, the dog must have the desire to pursue and bite the “target person” Hold the sheathed arm until the “target” is escorted to the referee by the dog and the dog owner. If the “target person” attempts to attack the dog owner again, the dog must bite the “target person” without hesitation to stop him from attacking the dog owner.
The last is a test of courage. When the dog owner asks the “target person” to run out of the hiding place at the other end of the training ground (usually 50 steps away), the dog must quickly catch up” target”. Before the dog was about to catch up with the “target person”, the referee signaled the “target person”, and the “target person” immediately turned around, rushed directly to the dog, yelled at the dog, and took out a stick to threaten the dog, At this time, the dog should show fearless courage and attack the “target person” until it bites and subdues the “target person”.
In addition, the defense training also emphasizes that once the “target person” stops escaping, after the dog owner issues a stop command, the dog must immediately let go and stop attacking the “target person”. Therefore, through defensive training, it can be confirmed whether the dog is timid and fearful, and whether it can unconditionally accept the control of the trainer under any conditions, which is very important to the quality of the dog.
