With all the titles you and your dog can get in Schutzhund, it can be complicated to be aware of and understand all of them. From the BH to IGP 3, passing by FH or AD, there are many tests you can pass. So let’s see what each title is and everything you need to know about them.
How To Get A Schutzhund Title?
Schutzhund is a dog sport with three phases: Tracking, Obedience, and Protection. Each part has different exercises and skills evaluated for a total of 100 points. The dog must have at least 70 points in each phase to pass. There are three Schutzhund levels with one title for each.
Apart from those standard titles, you can also get many other variations or specific ones related to this canine sport. Some won’t have all phases, while others are prerequisites to Schutzhund titles. Thus, let’s explore them all to understand which ones you should get!
List Of All Schutzhund Titles!
As you probably already know, there are several Schutzhund titles. Technically they aren’t all titles, and some of them might not be exclusive to this dog sport. However, it won’t hurt to know them all and see what your options are. So here’s a list of the Schutzhund titles!
- BH
- IGP-V
- SchH 1 / VPG 1 / IPO 1 / IGP 1
- SchH 2 / VPG 2 / IPO 2 / IGP 2
- SchH 3 / VPG 3 / IPO 3 / IGP 3
- ZVV 1
- ZVV 2
- ZVV 3
- SchHA 1 / APr 1 / GPr 1
- SchHA 2 / APr 2 / GPr 2
- SchHA 3 / APr 3 / GPr 3
- OB 1 / UPr 1
- OB 2 / UPr 2
- OB 3 / UPr 3
- TR 1 / FPr 1
- TR 2 / FPr 2
- TR 3 / FPr 3
- FH-V
- FH 1
- FH 2
- IGP FH
- STp 1
- STp 2
- STp 3
- AD
Explanation Of Each Schutzhund Title
As you can see, there are a lot of titles. They are often abbreviations of German terms, so it’s normal to have no idea of what they stand for and mean. But don’t worry. I’m here to explain each title mentioned above.
| Schutzhund Title | Explanation |
| BH | Basic obedience and temperament test. Prerequisite to Schutzhund titles. |
| IGP-V | Pre-IGP 1 Test. |
| SchH 1 / VPG 1 / IPO 1 / IGP 1 | First Schutzhund Title: Entry-level tracking, obedience, and protection test. |
| SchH 2 / VPG 2 / IPO 2 / IGP 2 | Second Schutzhund Title: Intermediate level tracking, obedience, and protection test. |
| SchH 3 / VPG 3 / IPO 3 / IGP 3 | Third Schutzhund Title: Advanced level tracking, obedience, and protection test. |
| ZVV 1 | Schutzhund title comparable to SchH 1 / VPG 1 / IPO 1 / IGP 1. (In Czech Republic) |
| ZVV 2 | Schutzhund title comparable to SchH 2 / VPG 2 / IPO 2 / IGP 2. (In Czech Republic) |
| ZVV 3 | Schutzhund title comparable to SchH 3 / VPG 3 / IPO 3 / IGP 3. (In Czech Republic) |
| SchHA 1 / APr 1 / GPr 1 | Entry-level Schutzhund title with obedience and protection tests only. Comparable to SchH 1 / VPG 1 / IPO 1 / IGP 1, but no tracking. |
| APr 2 / GPr 2 | Intermediate level Schutzhund title with obedience and protection tests only. Comparable to SchH 2 / VPG 2 / IPO 2 / IGP 2, but no tracking. |
| APr 3 / GPr 3 | Advanced level Schutzhund title with obedience and protection tests only. Comparable to SchH 3 / VPG 3 / IPO 3 / IGP 3, but no tracking. |
| OB 1 / UPr 1 | Entry-level title with the obedience phase only. Comparable to SchH 1 / VPG 1 / IPO 1 / IGP 1, but no tracking and protection. |
| OB 2 / UPr 2 | Intermediate level title with the obedience phase only. Comparable to SchH 2 / VPG 2 / IPO 2 / IGP 2, but no tracking and protection. |
| OB 3 / UPr 3 | Advanced level title with the obedience phase only. Comparable to SchH 2 / VPG 2 / IPO 2 / IGP 2, but no tracking and protection. |
| TR 1 / FPr 1 | Entry-level title with the tracking phase only. Comparable to SchH 1 / VPG 1 / IPO 1 / IGP 1, but no obedience and protection. |
| TR 2 / FPr 2 | Intermediate level title with the tracking phase only. Comparable to SchH 2 / VPG 2 / IPO 2 / IGP 2, but no obedience and protection. |
| TR 3 / FPr 3 | Advanced level title with the tracking phase only. Comparable to SchH 2 / VPG 2 / IPO 2 / IGP 2, but no obedience and protection. |
| IFH-V | Advanced Tracking Title: Entry-Level. |
| IFH 1 | Advanced Tracking Title: First Level. |
| IFH 2 | Advanced Tracking Title: Second Level. |
| IGP FH | Advanced Tracking Title: Third Level. |
| STp 1 | Article Indication Test: First Level. |
| STp 2 | Article Indication Test: Second Level. |
| STp 3 | Article Indication Test: Third Level. |
| AD | Endurance Title. |
What Are The Most Important Schutzhund Titles?
Even if there are many Schutzhund titles, you probably don’t need to get or even know all of them. The most important ones are the BH and the IGP 1 – 3. They are generally the only titles you will need to focus on.
BH
Although it’s not really a title, the BH is a prerequisite for other Schutzhund titles. It’s a test that evaluates the dog’s temperament and obedience. Also known as the Companion Dog Title, BH stands for Belgeithundprüfung, which means “traffic-sure companion test” in German.
For more information about this Schutzhund degree, you can read my article on the BH test!
Schutzhund Titles. (SchH / VPG / IPO / IGP)
Once your dog has passed the BH, he will be eligible for titles. The sport of Schutzhund is competitively known as IGP, formerly IPO, SchH, and VPG. So people will use different abbreviations (current and old ones) for the same title. But there were always three Schutzhund levels ranging from 1 to 3.
IGP, IPO, SchH, and VPG are different terms, but they all mean the same. The correct abbreviation would be IGP because it’s the most recent one. However, many people still use IPO and SchH or even VPG when referring to Schutzhund. So you should know these are all synonyms.
What Does IGP Stand For In Schutzhund?
IGP stands for Internationale Gebrauchshund Pruefung, which means International Working Dog Test in English. It’s a term people use when talking about the sport of Schutzhund. The concept is the same. The dog has to pass all three phases (tracking, obedience, and protection) to get an IGP title.
Here are other Schutzhund terms you should know!
Other Working Dog Titles
Schutzhund titles are maybe not the only awards your dog can get. There are many other working titles you could be interested in. So here are some of them.
| Working Dog Title | Meaning |
| PH | Police Dog Title |
| HGH | Herding Dog Title |
| BIH | Guide Dog Title For The Blind |
| ZH | Customs Dog |
| DH | Service Dog |
| WH | Watchdog Title |
| RH | Rescue Dog Suitability Test |
| CGC | Canine Good Citizen Certificate |
| CD | Companion Dog |
Last Thoughts About Schutzhund Titles!
Finally, there are many titles in the sport of Schutzhund for you and your dog to get. Starting with the BH going up to the IGP 3, you have a lot of training to do. Besides that, you can also consider another tracking, obedience, protection, or working dog title.
Let’s Get Those Schutzhund Titles!