Schutzhund is a sport whose purpose is to evaluate a dog's character by giving it work to do, and then comparing its performance with that of other working dogs. In the Deutche language, the word 'Schutzhund' means protection dog! Schutzhund sport was created in 1899 by Max von Stephanitz. Since the time of Max von Stephanitz and the creation of the German Shepherd Dog Club of Germany (called the 'SV"), the protection work has evolved into a sport. SV stands for 'Schaferhund Verin'. Under the SV, and other organizations, the sport evolved as a means of testing and preserving the character and the workability of working dogs. In America, there are two major organizations that regulate the sport - The United Schutzhund Clubs of America and the Working German Shepherd Dog Clubs.
The Schutzhund trial is a day long test of a dogs character and trainability. The character traits being evaluated are drive, stability, and willingness. The dog must be multitalented that can compete successfully in three different phases of competition: tracking, obedience and protection. The titles awarded are Schutzhund I, Schutzhund II, and Schutzhund III.
