At first sight, Schutzhund and personal protection dog training can seem very similar. Even if they have a lot of points in common, the methods used and their purpose differ from one another. So you should know the difference before choosing the right type of training for you and your dog.
What Is The Difference Between Schutzhund And Protection Dog Training?
The difference between Schutzhund and protection dog training is the type of protection it involves. In the sport of Schutzhund, there’s a phase for protection work. However, you do it in a very controlled and specific way. Personal protection requires the dog to protect its owner, family, or property in any situation.
The Sport Of Schutzhund
Schutzhund was originally developed as a breed test suitability for German Shepherds many years ago. Now it’s a dog sport with three phases: tracking, obedience, and protection. Competitively known as IGP (formerly IPO), the goal is for handlers to train near to perfect working dogs.
Then, they can participate in trials to win Schutzhund titles. Some trainers are still doing it for breeding purposes, but most people enjoy this activity with their dogs. This type of training can be fun and beneficial for both the handler and the dog.
For today, let’s keep our focus on the protection part of the sport. Schutzhund involves bite work and exercises in which your dog will have to protect you from the helper. The helper is the person with a bite suit and sleeve that has the role of the attacker.
So the dog will have to find the helper, guard him, protect you and itself, and escort him safely. All that while he stays under your control. The protection phase includes a blind search, guarding, preventing an escape, defense exercises, and transport.
It will test the dog to determine if he has the proper temperament and skills for this type of work. Depending on which Schutzhund level (IPO/IGP 1, 2, or 3) you participate in, the exercises and their difficulty level might increase. Here’s a video to give you an idea of what to expect from this canine sport.
Protection Dog Training
Personal protection training consists of preparing dogs to protect a person, group of people or place from any potential attacker. They will alert their owners if they feel a threat to either of them. Protection dogs are conditioned to guard someone or somewhere and bite when it’s necessary.
They go through a training program that teaches them to understand what can threaten them or their handlers. Then, dogs will have to learn basic personal protection skills such as barking on command, alerting their owners, and biting attackers properly.
This type of training also involves a lot of simulations in various environments and with different attackers or threats. It has to prepare dogs for protection in real-life situations. For example, you can train them to bite when someone is physically aggressive towards or attacks the owner.
Barking at an intruder is another skill many protection dogs develop to alert their owner of this potential threat. More advanced training could involve apprehending and subduing an attacker, searching for someone that has broken into your house, and much more.
Here’s a short video of a personal protection dog in action!
Schutzhund VS Protection Dog Training | The Differences
As you can see, the sport of Schutzhund and personal protection aren’t the same at all. Even if the dog has to protect his handler in both, he does it in a very different way. So here are some aspects where those two types of training don’t align together.
Goal
First of all, the result desired for a Schutzhund dog will differ from a personal protection one. In general, handlers will compete in a sport to win titles. Whether it’s for breeding purposes or plain fun, the goal isn’t to condition your dog to protect you in real life.
On the other hand, personal protection training has one target in mind: Preparing a dog to protect its owner, family, or property. So the goal here is much more practical and necessary than what you will find in the sport of Schutzhund.
People often want a protection dog to feel safer and protect them from attackers. Improving his obedience, tracking, and protection skills to participate in trials doesn’t necessarily make him an effective and reliable protector.
Since the outcome intended isn’t the same, the process to get there is also different.
Type Of Protection
Protection work is a vague term and can involve a lot of things. In IGP/IPO, this phase consists of specific exercises where the dog has to protect the handler from the helper. Thus, it’s not applicable in everyday life because the attack is predictable and controlled.
For example, the dog’s ability to search for the helper behind blinds isn’t helpful when you’re out of the training field. And constantly repeating the same exercises doesn’t make a versatile protection dog. So most skills developed in this part of Schutzhund won’t be replicable for personal use.
On the contrary, personal protection training involves different situations, environments, and attackers. It also teaches dogs to understand threats and not just follow commands, which isn’t always the case in Schutzhund. That’s what makes a personal protection dog more reliable and skilled.
This type of training prepares him to defend himself, his owner, or his family in various ways. If you focus on IPO/IGP titles, your dog will be a master in the sport of protection. But not so much in all the other aspects of this type of work.
Drive
Another possible difference between Schutzhund and personal protection is the dog’s drive. In a sport where everything is planned, and the enthusiasm is evaluated, practically any kind of drive is helpful. As long as the dog wants to work with the handler and enjoys it, he can do well.
On the flip side, personal protection requires a high defensive drive. Without any desire to protect loved ones or places, a dog won’t be suitable for this type of work. Schutzhund training doesn’t necessarily develop and nurture that sort of drive.
For dogs, biting on a sleeve might look like a big tug-of-war game more than an act of protection if taught in a certain way. In IPO/IGP, handlers usually focus on the biting technique and exercises. Not on the protection aspect of it.
In this dog sport, prey, food, or play drive might be sufficient. But for personal protection training, a strong desire to protect or defend its owner, family, and property is necessary. This drive will allow them to analyze their environment, feel threats, and attack when needed.
Here’s a table to sum up the main points above.
| Differences | Schutzhund | Personal Protection |
| What Is It? | A sport with three phases: Tracking, Obedience & Protection. | A training method to prepare a dog to protect his owner, family, and propriety. |
| Goal | Win titles breeding, competition, or plain fun. | Improve the dog’s protection skills to feel and be safer. |
| Type of Protection | Specific to IPO/IGP. | Versatile and practical in everyday life. |
| Skills Developed | Blind search, guarding, preventing an escape, attacking, and transporting the helper. | Feeling threats, alerting, barking on command, refusing food, protecting from an attacker, etc. |
| Drive | Prey, play, or food. | Defensive and protective. |
Main Differences Between Schutzhund Training & Personal Protection
I pointed out a few aspects in which Schutzhund and personal protection are different. So here are my main takeaways from comparing those two types of training.
- Unlike personal protection, Schutzhund is a sport.
- IPO/IGP also requires tracking and obedience skills.
- Personal protection is more applicable in real-life.
- Schutzhund training is done in a controlled and predictable way.
- Sport dogs are generally more hyperactive than protection dogs.
- A Schutzhund dog might not understand what a threat is.
- Personal protection requires a defensive and protective drive.
Questions Related To Schutzhund & Personal Protection:
Now that you have a better idea of the difference between those two concepts, there are probably other questions that come into your mind. Let’s take a look at some related queries. It might help you choose the right type of protection training for you and your dog.
Can You Train A Dog For Both Schutzhund And Personal Protection?
Some dogs have the right temperament and traits to do well in Schutzhund and personal protection. Those two types of training have many points in common, even if they are different. So you can train a dog for both Schutzhund and personal protection as long as the dog has the proper drive and nerves.
Learning and improving all the skills required to win IPO/IGP titles and protect you in real-life will take more time and effort. If you plan to do both at a high level, one application might suffer from the other. A dog can’t be the best in Schutzhund and for personal protection because of their differences.
Will A Schutzhund Dog Protect You?
A Schutzhund dog won’t necessarily protect you outside of the training field. In this sport, dogs practice and perform protection exercises that aren’t applicable in real-life. Handlers train Schutzhund dogs to do well in trials. So they won’t develop skills required for personal protection.
What Is The Best Dog Breed For Protection Work?
Some dog breeds are more likely to be well-suited for Schutzhund and personal protection. This type of work requires a specific temperament and traits not all dogs have. So here’s a list of the top 6 breeds for protection!
- German Shepherds.
- Belgian Malinois.
- Rottweilers.
- Doberman Pinschers.
- Giant Schnauzers.
- Bull Mastiffs.
Can Any Dog Be A Personal Protection And Schutzhund Dog?
Any dog with the proper temperament and physical traits can do protection work regardless of the breed. Dogs that are too small, not confident enough, and don’t have a protective drive won’t be suitable for Schutzhund and personal protection. So you need to have the right dog for this type of work.
Last Thoughts About Schutzhund & Protection Dog Training!
Finally, Schutzhund training and personal protection aren’t that similar. Protection is just a part of this dog sport, and most of it isn’t applicable outside of the trials and training field. On the other hand, personal protection will prepare a dog to keep you safe from attackers in everyday life.
Schutzhund training is more like a lifestyle and fun activity to do. Personal protection dogs are more practical and reliable. So which one you should choose will mainly depend on your goals and needs. And if you’re still not sure of your decision, you can always try doing both.
Let’s Train Your Dog For Protection!