On January 05 2007, 7:32 PM, mnp13 wrote:On January 05 2007, 18:40, luvmypitties wrote:Ok so are there levels as to which the dog has to complete before moving on?? Like master obedience and the distractions of that and then move onto the actual bite work?
The TC is the first title that a dog MUST earn in PSA. It stands for Temperament and Control. If the dog doesn't earn that it doesn't go on.
At a trial, no matter what the level of the dog, the dog may not go on to bitework if it has not passed the obedience. You can trial for PSA I multiple times and pass every time, but after passing 5 times if your dog fails the obedience the 6th time it can not do bitework that day.
There is a certificate available in PSA called the PDC, that has the same "obedience rules" as the titles.
Michelle, this is not always true. In a tournament-style trial (e.g., Regionals and Nationals) you ALWAYS go on to bitework in the Level 1's. Anyone can compete in a regional event, but the rules have changed on qualification for Nationals for the Level 1's.
In the 2's and 3's, you go on to bitework regardless of the type of trial (regular or tournament-style) and regardless of whether you pass the obedience portion (so it is always, basically, tournament style). Also, if you are in the 2's or 3's you automatically qualify for Nationals (they're trying to get more people in those levels at Nationals) as long as you've competed in that level during that year. Finally, in the 2's and 3's, you need to pass the level twice in order to say you've titled in that level (so, you need to have competed on 2 different days, and pass 2 different days in order to have a Level 2 or Level 3 title).
In Schutzhund (we train with a Schutzhund club), you have tracking, obedience, and protection. Michelle put the obedience routine on here for the BH, which is the same used for the Sch I. However, if you are just going for a BH, you have to do the obedience routine, and take a written test. The test is fairly easy. Also, you have to know the OB routine by heart (there is no steward on the field telling you what to do). The tracking is ground-scenting (the dog must follow the scent methodically with it's nose to the ground, and should not deviate from the track. In other words, it should make 90-degree turns, etc). Also, when arriving at each article, the dog should indicate the article either by touching it with it's nose or downing right next to it. Schutzhund tracking differs from what you would see in SAR in that most SAR tracking is air-scenting. The protection has different scenarios (searching the blinds, courage test, transport, bark and hold, etc). However, all work is done with a sleeve and padded stick. The same components are in the upper levels of Schutzhund, but they are harder (longer track, harder obedience with retrieves over jumps, A-frames, etc). In Schutzhund there is also a Sch A title (just OB and protection) and a FH (just tracking).
Schutzhund was originally designed to test a dog's working ability and breedability. It is NOT considered a surprise-scenario sport because you can train for every level and every scenario...everything is written out. Ring and PSA are considered surprise-scenario sports. Ring has been around longer than PSA. The thing with these sports is (1) the decoy is in a full bite suit; (2) there tends to be more pressure on the dog; (3) you can train for components, but you don't know what the scenarios or distractions might be (you can train a call-off, but you don't know how it will be used the day of the trial). However, Ring tends to not put as much emphasis on the fullness of the bite (from what I've been told from Ring decoys), whereas in PSA you get judged on how full the grip is.
In PSA, as Michelle said, there are 4 titles (3 for protection) and 1 certificate. The certificate is a PDC. The obedience for the PDC is on-leash. The protection consists of 3 scenarios: carjacking, attack on handler, and courage test. These are entry level scenarios. Yes, there is pressure onthe dog, but not as much as in the 1 (for carjacking there is a jug of rocks used, the attack on handler is from the back, and the courage test has the decoy WALKING towards the dog and fewer stick hits).
The first title is a TC. This is both on-leash and off-leash obedience WITH distractions on the field. There is currently a list of approved distractions that can be used for the TC, and no water can be used. (Paula Lind, from Evolution K9, has taken a ton of time to draw out some on-leash and off-leash scenarios and put them on her website. If you go to
http://www.evolutionk9.com, and click on PSA Info, then choose from the choices at the bottom you can see them). The direction of turns and distractions used can change in each trial, so, therefore, there is a steward on the field telling you what to do. The TC is also used for the Level 1 obedience. As I said before, in a tournament style trial, you DO NOT need to pass the TC to go on to protection. In the Level 1's, the protection consists of a carjacking, attack on handler, and courage test. These bring more pressure than what you see in a PDC (gun for the carjacking, handler attack from the front, and running on the courage test and more stick hits). There is also a surprise scenario. However, PSA has put together 5 surprise scenarios from which a judge can choose. So, yes, you can train for the surprise scenarios, you just don't know which the judge will choose. Again, there is no water in this level.
In the 2's and 3's, anything goes (and you always go on to protection even if you don't pass OB). In the 2's, the dog is off-leash for the obedience. In the 3's, the dog doesn't even have a collar on. For obedience, there are harder components: change of position (typically not facing the dog), food refusal, obstacles (jumps, A-frames, tunnels), recall over/through obstacles, directed jump, down after doing a jump, retrieve. The Level 2 protection scenarios consist of a dual attack with transport and fleeing apprehension (2 decoys coming towards you, you send the dog on 1, the other attacks you, you have to call the dog back to get the one attacking you, out the dog, transport that decoy, the other decoy then takes off, and you have to send your dog on that decoy), fended off attack (decoy tries to fend off your dog using a sleeve (or something like it), your dog should bite the decoy rather than object), call-off (send the dog, call it off before the bite), and surprise scenario (which really is a surprise, but it can have distractions like water or gunfire, transports, send to a guard, directed jumping, obstacles, sending on a passive decoy).
The level 3 OB gets even harder, you have obstacles, change of position now including a stand, retrieve over obstacles, sit/down on recall, send out and down, etc. The protection is completely "up in the air" and you basically findout what it is when you go out for your handler's meeting. The things that must be included are a courage test and call-off. However, you can also see remote transports, remote guard (sending the dog away from you for a guard) with the decoy agitating the dog (at Nationals, the dog was sent into a horse trailer, had to do a guard, while the decoy was agitating it), muzzle attacks, area searches, mutliple call-offs, etc....
I am currently working with a dog who has a 2, and is now training for a 3. I am finding that this level is much more about the dog's obedience. By this time, the judge knows the dog WILL bite. The test is to see the control of the dog, and the ability of it NOT to bite, unless it is directed to do so (and not bite if it is called off). Most of my training with this dog is working on the obedience components. We have done some call-offs, directed sends, etc...but we really only give him 1 or 2 bites a session. We spend much more time working our obedience with decoys trying to get him to bite, and me keeping him from doing so....