GETTING THE BEST PUPPY PROSPECT

When selecting a puppy for use in Schutzhund we must evaluate it both on its own merits and on those of its bloodlines. Perhaps the best indicator of what kind of dog it will grow into is what kind of adults its parents and grandparents are. In the United States it is not easy to obtain this type of information, but it is strongly recommended that the prospective puppy buyer evaluate the puppy’s parents for stability, responsiveness and courage. In Germany this information is easier to obtain since every German Shepherd Dog must have a Schutzhund degree or herding title in order to be used for breeding, and both Schutzhund trial scores and breed survey results are readily available.

In addition to inspecting pedigrees for working quality bloodlines one should also look carefully at the individual puppy before agreeing to buy it. The pup must be bold, alert and willing if it is to grow into a responsive and courageous adult.

Preliminary research conducted by Dr. Michael Fox, a veterinarian and expert on animal behavior, indicates that basic temperament characteristics of young pups remain with them throughout life. Although not fully developed in the dog until around eighteen months of age, the animal’s general character can be clearly assessed by six to eight weeks of age. With this in mind it is evident that the prospective Schutzhund puppy can be selected with more confidence by using some simple temperament tests.

One American who did a great deal of work on puppy temperament tests was Clarence Pfaffenberger. Combining years of work training dogs with an appreciation for scientific research, he was able to translate technical data obtained from research into very useful information on the working dog. Today he is considered a pioneer because of his work with Guide Dogs for the Blind. At the beginning of his search for the ideal working dog for the blind only 9 percent of the dogs who started training could be trained as responsible guides. By implementing the results of his studies, 90 percent of the dogs starting the program were later graduated. Pfaffenberger’s program stressed two main factors: using only dogs with proven working abilities for breeding, and early socialization of all prospective guide dog puppies. As a result of his research, he eventually came to the conclusion that future brood bitches and stud dogs could be selected with confidence by the age of twelve weeks.

Pfaffenberger’s data on his attempts to produce the ideal guide dog puppy are relevant to the topic of selecting and raising the Schutzhund prospect. It is especially interesting to note that Pfaffenberger recorded a high correlation between natural retrieving behavior and success in guiding the blind. As a result of our experience with working dogs, we believe that natural retrieving behavior is absolutely essential in the Schutzhund for two reasons: because it provides a ready source of motivation and energy and because retrieving normally goes hand in hand with willingness and responsiveness. In short, natural retrievers are most often willing to please.

In order to develop his successful breeding and training program, Pfaffenberger conducted years of research, much of it in association with Drs. John Paul Scott and John L. Fuller of the Jackson Memorial Laboratory in Maine. Scott and Fuller performed a number of landmark studies on behavioral genetics and the development of behavior in five different breeds of dog. They concluded that growing puppies undergo critical developmental periods.

Because of poorly developed sense organs, the puppy shows little learning before the twenty‑first day of life, although the ability is doubtless there. However, the period between the twenty‑first and twenty‑eighth days is critical. During this time the “puppy can become emotionally upset and it will have a lasting effect upon its social ability.” Others have called this the fear‑imprint period. The period between the fourth and sixteenth weeks is the time when social attachments are formed. This has been called the socialization period. According to Scott and Fuller, by the end of the sixteenth week the dog’s character is essentially formed.

We must note that most authorities on Schutzhund training do not believe that the die is cast at four months. Rather, Schutzhund theory emphasizes the importance of all the dog’s experiences up to and past a year of age for the development of its ultimate character. Furthermore, most working dog trainers will testify to the capacity dogs show for radical changes in overall behavior (for the better and the worse) anytime during their first twelve and even eighteen months of life.

The findings of Pfaffenberger, Scott and Fuller have many implications for the rearing of a puppy intended for work. A summary of them includes:

1. Character traits are inherited and can be effectively evaluated in a puppy at an early age.

2. A puppy should stay with its litter until the seventh week. If it is removed too soon, it will develop abnormal relationships with other dogs. If it remains too long, it will not form appropriate attachments to people. For the best human‑dog relationships, the period between the seventh and twelfth week is the best time to remove a puppy from its litter and bring it home. However, this time can be somewhat delayed if appropriate individual socialization is given regularly to the dog while in the kennel.

3. A puppy needs much individual attention to establish its self‑importance as an individual.

Pfaffenberger’s puppy evaluations are fascinating. He first listed the behaviors undesirable in puppies being trained as guide dogs. His list included dogs who were lacking spirit, too sensitive to noise or correction, fearful, stubborn, unaware of the environment and lacking in stability. He utilized a number of tests to evaluate these behaviors in the dogs. He exposed the puppies to new stimuli, such as a flashlight or an object waved in front of them. He felt curiosity was a sign of intelligence. He blew a whistle and observed the pup’s reaction to it. A puppy that was frightened by the approach of a two‑wheeled cart or moving vehicle was not further considered for guide work. Pfaffenberger thought that one of the best overall tests for character is simply observing the puppy’s natural attitude toward people. He believed that a pup should pay attention and show friendliness at the approach of a stranger. Other training tests involved teaching the dog to heel, sit and fetch, and he evaluated willingness and trainability during these exercises.

Pfaffenberger conducted his tests over a five‑week period in order to get a good sample of each pup’s behavior. Young puppies are extremely dynamic, and they will seldom test out the same way on two different occasions. It is therefore advisable for the prospective Schutzhund puppy buyer to observe and examine the litter on many different occasions, spread out over as long a period of time as possible. In this way, a buyer may be able to take note of developmental trends.

Of course, some of the qualities Pfaffenberger sought in his guide dogs are not those we desire in a Schutzhund prospect. For example, aggression is discouraged in the guide dog. However, in both types of training the animal must possess a high level of responsiveness and intelligence, and we can gain much by reading Pfaffenberger’s work.

For the breeder of a litter, early record keeping can provide valuable clues to the potential of each puppy. For example, vigor and competitiveness in nursing can indicate a more dominant, aggressive character.

Konrad Most in his writings stressed the value of instinct in selecting at birth the puppy best suited for the rigors of Schutzhund work. He preferred the puppy that actively seeks out its mother and sucks vigorously. This type of puppy continues, Most said, to be active and competitive as it grows.

^{It is not the breed of the dog that is important; it is character. Many dogs of breeds not traditionally used for police‑style work have been successful in Schutzhund. Above, Dr. Gerry Pasek schools “Shadow” in the early stages of protection training. “Shadow” went on to become one of only a handful of Schutzhund III Labrador Retrievers in the world.}

^{The ideal puppy prospect greets a friendly stranger with confidence.}

^{Social response. The puppy is left alone in a pen. A stranger enters the pen and squats down near the puppy. The ideal Schutzhund prospect is friendly and sociable.}

^{This puppy shows interest and moves to investigate a can filled with stones dropped directly in front of it. (Officer Jack Lennig’s “Seth.”)}

To assess the character of a six‑ to eight‑week‑old pup a wider variety of tests can be administered. Confidence, alertness, intelligence, sociability, competitiveness, aggressiveness and stability are all highly desirable qualities in a Schutzhund dog. Dr. Michael Fox suggests a variety of situations to evaluate some of these qualities in a puppy:

1. Response to a Unique Stimulus . The puppy should be placed alone in its pen. A new toy (visual stimulus) can be placed in with it. The puppy’s confidence and interest in the new object are recorded. A similar record of the dog’s response to a loud sound (auditory stimulus) can be recorded as well. Ideally, the puppy expresses interest in the novel stimulus and shows a desire to investigate it.

2. Response to Isolation. The puppy is left alone in its pen and its responses are noted. The most desirable pup will show a great deal of exploratory behavior.

3. Response to People. Again the puppy is evaluated while left alone in its pen. A stranger enters the pen and then squats near the puppy but remains silent. The degree of anxiety or caution that the pup shows in approaching the person is noted. Is the puppy indifferent to the person or does it seek attention? After remaining still for a short time, the handler should stand up and walk around the pen. Does the puppy respond by following or is it instead very timid or retiring? The ideal puppy is friendly and gregarious.

4. Competitive Spirit. An aggressive play situation can be set up easily. The handler wiggles a strong piece of cloth or a rag in front of the puppy and initiates a tug‑of‑war game with it. A strong biting and pulling response is extremely desirable in a Schutzhund prospect. It is interesting to note the reaction of the pup when the handler shouts or beats the ground during the tug‑of‑war. Does the puppy fight more strongly for the possession of the rag, or does it begin to nervously chew and shift its grip on it? Does it let go altogether and retreat from the handler? The ideal puppy is so caught up in the fun of biting and struggling for the rag that it is virtually oblivious of anything that the person does. At the end of the game it is important to surrender the rag to the puppy so that it feels as though it has won.

5. Intelligence and Problem Solving . The puppy can be placed behind a barrier of chicken wire, sixteen feet long and four feet high. The handler then calls the pup from the opposite side. The degree of desire to get to the handler as well as the dog’s persistence in finding a way around the obstacle is noted.

While the selection of a puppy can be made with some reliability based on puppy tests administered during the six‑ to eight‑week‑old age level, according to Dr. Fox it is important to understand the problems involved in the selection of the adolescent dog. Many dogs experience a period of vacillation and instability during the adolescent phase (roughly from four through eighteen months of age). For this reason character tests can be administered again with a higher degree of confidence after the puppy’s adolescent stage.

Another important person in the field of working dog character evaluation is Dr. Bodingbauer, an Austrian Doberman enthusiast. He was a professor of veterinary medicine in Vienna and wrote extensively discussing character and temperament in the working dog. He utilized the research of many notables, including Scott and Drs. Rudolf and Rudolfine Menzel, animal psychologists at the University of Haifa. Bodingbauer employed a number of tests in order to look closely at the temperament of the potential working dog. His tests served as the core of the Doberman Pinscher Temperament Evaluation Program under the leadership of Vic Montelion and the American Temperament Testing Society. The German Shepherd Dog Club also adopted some of Dr. Bodingbauer’s tests.

Courage is a quality that is highly desirable in the Schutzhund dog. Dr. Bodingbauer spent considerable effort in his book discussing what courage is and is not, and how it can be evaluated. First he differentiates between courage and fearlessness. He stresses that the fearless dog is not afraid. Therefore this animal will react indifferently or impassively in the face of danger because it does not recognize the danger. This can be because the dog has a poorly developed self‑preservation instinct or because of insufficient reaction preparedness (in Schutzhund we call this dullness). Bodingbauer taught that the courageous dog is fully aware that it is in danger, and that the essential quality of courage lies in the dog’s willingness to confront a threat to its handler with disregard for its own safety. The courageous dog faces a threat even though retreat from the situation is possible.

In contrast to this somewhat romantic view of canine courage, we observe that Helmut Raiser, an important modem working dog theorist and trainer, defines courage simply as “a high threshold for avoidance behavior.”

Dr. Bodingbauer describes the most common canine responses to stress by picturing the reactions of three different dogs to gunfire (see illustration opposite). The dog at the bottom has an extremely high level of awareness for its environment and a very low threshold for auditory stimuli. It will react either by behaving aggressively or by fleeing. In contrast, when the same stimulus is applied to the dog with an extremely high threshold, no reaction takes place. The animal has a very low level of awareness and potential danger is often ignored.

Each of these extremes–very low nervous thresholds as well as very high nervous thresholds–are undesirable in nearly any sort of working or companion dog.

By contrast, the middle dog is alert and aware of all events taking place around it. It takes note of the gunfire, but is neither frightened nor made hostile by it. This sort of stability is one of the most important characteristics of a Schutzhund or protection dog, and therefore the nervous threshold level is an important consideration in selecting a dog for work.

Inherited, inborn characteristics, Bodingbauer believed, can be evaluated with the help of several tests administered to the young dog. During the testing, however, there are several important considerations. First, the age of the dog must be taken into account. A response that is developmentally normal in a dog of one age can be either extraordinarily advantageous or even extraordinarily disadvantageous in a dog of another age (for instance, very defensive or aggressive behavior may be acceptable or even desirable in a dog of eighteen months, but it is a very bad sign in a puppy of four months). In addition, the test should be performed on territory that is unknown to the dog. Some animals will respond confidently or favorably when on their own territory but will not have adequate character to react equally well elsewhere. At the conclusion of the evaluation the dog receives a ranking of its potential for work of “very promising,” “promising,” “less promising” or “unpromising.” The following are some of the tests that Bodingbauer employed.

^{In response to a strong auditory stimulus, a particular dog may react in an oblivious or unaware manner (top), in an alert, curious manner (middle) or in a hypersensitive manner (bottom). The ideal Schutzhund prospect reacts to gunshots alertly and curiously but without fear or aggression.}

The first test that he used involves five‑week‑old pups. A motorized toy is set off in front of them. The more courageous ones go resolutely forward to investigate, while the less bold ones wait. A noisy chain can be tossed loudly in front of the pups and their reactions noted to this stimulus as well. By inviting puppies of this age to bite a leather strap or piece of cloth, he received clues to their fighting spirit. He noted that particularly talented dogs are so enthusiastic in their zeal that they often can be lifted off the ground while still holding fast to their bite.

Scenting potential for tracking work can be ascertained early as well. The tracking test is conducted by having the dog’s owner engage in light play with the pup. Then he runs abruptly to a hiding place (a hedgerow or large tree, perhaps). When he is hidden from the dog’s view, he prepares a scent pad. He lays down a strong scent by treading down a surface about a yard square. After a minute or two on the scent pad the tracklayer sights on a second hiding place and walks in a straight line to it. The wind should be at his back. He then returns on exactly the same path back to the scent pad, and then once again retraces his steps to the hiding place. Thus the track has been walked on three times. When the dog’s handler has reached his hiding place, the dog is led to the beginning of the scent pad and encouraged to find its master. The evaluator observes whether the dog uses its nose or its eyes during the search. Did it pick out the scent at the pad and attempt to follow the scent? Did it complete the track quickly and with concentration or slowly and with disinterest? When it finds its master the dog should be praised enthusiastically and rewarded with a piece of food.

Other characteristics regarding the dog’s trainability and temperament can also be assessed. Willingness can be observed by watching the rapport between dog and owner. However, it is important to recognize possible incompatibility between the temperaments of the handler and dog. A mismatch can prevent a good dog from realizing its potential.

The dog’s confidence and nerves can be evaluated under a number of situations. Its reaction to sounds can be evaluated by rattling pot lids while the source of the sound is not visible. The following reactions are possible: