Well, let’s see how I can put this mildly…
Mike Tyson is an athlete and boxing is a sport, can Mike Tyson beat your ass out in public? How about UFC fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones, Sean O’Malley or any of those athletes, MMA is a sport, can they beat your ass down a dark alley? And then there is athlete Rafael Aghayev, who is inarguably the greatest karate fighter of this generation having won the World Championships five times, can be beat your ass? I think you get the point. Now, are there people out in the street who are not sports athletes that punch as hard or harder than Mike Tyson, yeah probably, even if they don’t have the discipline, experience or technique that a trained athlete has. Just the same, are there people out there that put on a pair of gloves get in the ring and can’t box, absolutely.
Some companies will down talk sports dogs because they don’t have the money or talent to train a dog day in and day out for months and years to get them titled. The fact is that the best dog you can buy is one titled in sports or at least with the foundation training of a sport discipline, which is the goldstandard in dog training AND crossed-trained in real life scenarios or what we call Civil Work. This will yield the best and most precise obedience and bite work on the planet as the dog is judged on its stamina, character and performance like off-leash obedience (no electronic shock collars allowed), bite work, release of bite and so forth. Just like a boxer, karateka or MMA fighter they learn discipline, strategy, technique, confidence and how to end a fight quick. Do all sports dog succeed at civil training, no, some don’t have the defense and fight drive required but many do.
The featured picture in this article is of my personal Dutch Shepherd named Huracan who was titled in French Ring and ended up as a successful police K9 in SC. Speak to his handler and let him tell you if Huracan did his job. Yes, they underwent hours of cross training for real life scenarios but his foundation training prepared him for success.
Having said this, all dogs are individuals, just like people, so not every boxer is a Mike Tyson and not every sport-titled dog is a strong protection dog and not all will make the cut but this applies to all dogs, sports titled or not. I will also reiterate that they must all go through real life scenarios or what we call “civil agitation” meaning the dog must be taught to focus on the man/threat not the equipment like a bite sleeve but this too applies to ALL dogs titled in sports or not, they too must all undergo hours of civil training.
The dog sports listed below are just that, a sport. They represent the gold standard in dog training and demonstrates the dog’s abilities and traits on a field doing routines he has been trained to do. However, as I alluded to before, all sports dogs may not necessarily protect in real life unless they are cross-trained for real life scenarios. At High-Class K9, we may or may not begin with a dog that has been trained or titled in these dog sports. A titled dog can assure we have a capable dog with specific traits that are required for protection, and regardless, ONCE AGAIN, when the dog enters our program he/she is crossed trained for real life scenarios.
Lastly, you should know that many police departments nationally and internationally will not consider a dog unless they have been tested and proven in a sport discipline such as KNVP, explained below yet they still should and must go through civil training and they are categorized and priced accordingly.
So, in summary, is a titled dog good for protection? maybe maybe not. Is a titled dog better than a non titled dog? maybe maybe not. The questions was, can a dog trained and titled in sports protect, and the answer is, you bet, so long as they succeed in cross-training or civil work for real life scenarios!!!
These Are The Most Popular Dog Sports
Mondio Ring ~ Belgian Ring ~ French Ring ~ KNPV ~ Schutzhund/IPO
MONDIO RING
The Mondioring sport translates into “WORLD RING.” It is a combination of the French Ring Sport, the Belgian Ring Sport, the KNPV, and Schutzhund. It originated as a result of a desire for a dog sport that all the people of Europe could compete in. The sport is difficult for Schutzhund dogs, and KNPV dogs. The reason is that the Mondio Ring is much more intense and the French helpers are the finest in the world. It is a protection sport that tests the ability of the dogs to protect both themselves and their handlers, even through extreme distractions. The sport trials are similar to the work performed by police dogs. Successful competition requires extensive training and discipline. This sport is probably the most complex and one that requires a strong but very stable animal, a thinking dog.
BELGIAN RING
The Belgian Ring/Ring sport is a Protection- or “Police”-dogsport, organized by the “NVBK” (Nationaal Verbond van Belgische Kynologen), “KKUSH” (Koninklijke Kynologische Unie Sint-Hubertus) as well as the “KCB” (Kennel Club Belge). It’s the oldest and one of the hardest defense-dogsports in the world and is completely dominated by the Malinois (Mechelse dog). Ringsport is also very closely related with the Belgian Police and Army Forces because most of the service dogs are bought and trained in the Belgian Ringsport-circuit. Around 1700, people in Belgium start to use non-trained dogs to help and companion the city guards. At that time, they also used a middle sized, fast and very intelligent dog with all kind of colors and coats, for herding sheep. This is the start because the Belgian Shepherd is the foundation of Ring sport. In 1880, some people began to give demonstrations with their Belgian Shepherds. Not for the sport, but to earn some money. It was very simple: attract people to your “Ring” (closed area) and get money out of them. One of those man, “Edmond Moecheron”, called “The father of the Ringsport”, was the first man who had success with his demonstrations of “Police dogs” together with his 3 Belgian Shepherds (Dax, Nic & Miss) and his helper (decoy). Soon he became an attraction on all possible events, newspapers wrote spectacular story’s and other people began to copy his shows. He, and many other, gave a lot of demonstrations everywhere in Belgium, Holland, France, etc… Impressed by the capabilities of the Belgian Shepherds and their trainers, Ernest Van Wezemael, Chief Commissioner of the police in Ghent at that time, formed the first police dog-school, also in Ghent in 1899. He even wrote a book about the use of police dogs and soon, several countries such as France, England, United States, Brasil, etc… send people to see and learn those training methods, even to buy trained dogs. The first Ringsport trial took place in Mechelen, Belgium in 1903 and is probably the oldest Ringsport trial ever. It wasn’t well defined, but each team did what they could the best. The first “real defined” Ringsport trial was signed in 1908.
FRENCH RING
French Ring Sport is a dog sport involving jumping, obedience (breaking in exercises), and bite work. It is most similar to Belgian Ring, Campagne and KNPV, but also sharing common elements with Schutzhund and Mondio Ring. French Ring Sport rules are set by Groupe Travail Ring under the mandate of Commission D’utilisation Nationale Chiens de Berger et de Garde, a committee run under the patronage of the Société Centrale Canine. To participate in French Ring Sport, a dog must first pass the Certificat de Sociabilité et d’Aptitude à l’Utilisation (Certificate of Sociability and Aptitude for Work) temperament test. French Ring Sport defines three earned levels, after earning a Brevet (Certificate) for Dogs of defense; Ring I, Ring II and Ring III. Each introduces progressively more difficult situations and makes greater demands from the dog. The trial is divided into three sections: Jumps, obedience (breaking in exercises), and protection. Obedience is emphasized in all three sections When competing in Ring, the dog has no collar or leash on at any time except during the heel on leash. No food rewards or physical corrections are allowed at any time while competing. Also, excessive praise or petting will result in a loss of general outlook points. Points for an exercise will be lost for multiple commands, incorrect commands, or failure of the dog or handler to perform the exercise correctly. Control is emphasized from the moment the dog/handler team walks onto the field, until they leave at the end.
KNPV
KNPV is the discipline originated in the Netherlands and its how the Dutch police determine the working ability of a dog. This sport requires a hard and civil dog usually a Dutch Shepherd or Belgian Malinois or a mix of both breeds.
SCHUTZHUND/IPO
(German for “protection dog”) or IPO (for Internationale Prüfungs-Ordnung — German for “International Trial Rules”) is a dog sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breed suitability test for the German Shepherd Dog. The test would determine if the dog displayed the appropriate traits and characteristics of a proper working German Shepherd Dog. Today, it is used as a sport where many breeds other than German Shepherd Dogs can compete, but it is a demanding test for any dog that few can pass. Schutzhund tests dogs of all breeds for the traits necessary for police-type work. Dogs that pass Schutzhund tests should be suitable for a wide variety of tasks: police work, specific odor detection, search and rescue, and many others. The purpose of Schutzhund is to identify dogs that have or do not have the character traits required for these demanding jobs. Some of those traits are:
- Strong desire to work
- Courage
- Intelligence
- Trainability
- Strong bond to the handler
- Perseverance
- Protective Instinct
Schutzhund tests for these traits. It also tests for physical traits such as strength, endurance, agility, and scenting ability. The goal of Schutzhund is to illuminate the character and ability of a dog through training. Breeders can use this insight to determine how and whether to use the dog in producing the next generation of working dogs.
There are three schutzhund titles: Schutzhund 1 (IPO1), Schutzhund 2 (IPO2), and Schutzhund 3 (IPO3). SchH1 is the first title and SchH3 is the most advanced. Additionally, before a dog can compete for an SchH1, he must pass a temperament test called a B or BH (Begleithundprüfung, which translates as “traffic-sure companion dog test”). The B tests basic obedience and sureness around strange people, strange dogs, traffic, and loud noises. A dog that exhibits excessive fear, distractibility, or aggression cannot pass the B and so cannot go on to schutzhund.
The Schutzhund test has changed over the years. Modern Schutzhund consists of three phases: tracking, obedience, and protection. A dog must pass all three phases in one trial to be awarded a schutzhund title. At any time the judge may dismiss a dog for showing poor temperament, including fear or aggression.