Comprehensive Overview: Utility Dog Testing – Disciplines, Regulations, and Procedures

The Working Dog Test, a sport of its own, was held annually until 2011 as an eventing test for working dogs in this country. It encompasses three disciplines – tracking, obedience and protection – so read here about its exercises and procedures!

Protection Dog Sport tests should challenge and amuse both you and your four-legged companion, with each testing session offering its own set of challenges and rewarding experiences. As previously described in terms of “versatility test”, your faithful friend may lean more toward being trained as a tracking dog; thus you, as dog handler, must decide whether your beloved friend should receive training in all three disciplines or simply focus on one discipline specifically.

Utility Dog Test in Dog Sports: Definition

Working dog sports, also known as eventing, follows the rules set out by the International Testing Organization (IPO). Each sport discipline is known as a division; apart from an overall functional test that covers all three divisions there may also be individual tracking and protection tests performed on each dog.

Before engaging in working dog sports, one must pass both companion and working dog tests successfully. Even then, however, many years of training are often needed before your four-legged friend can pass a comprehensive working dog test with flying colors – this requires patience, discipline and diligence during training sessions.

Tracking progress of working dog tests

As part of tracking work, you create a path by placing one foot after another on an even path until reaching its conclusion. At that point, place a treat or toy on the ground for additional stimulation for your pet and watch how he reacts! Eventually make the task more challenging with wavy lines, right or acute angles and more objects along each track.

Experts in this discipline can follow tracks that cover over two kilometers in just three hours and regardless of weather – finding all small and large objects placed along them. Starting off, 400 to 800 steps tracks must have three objects per track in each test run for optimal performance.

Subordination in Working Dog Test

Subordination tests investigate the relationship between handler and dog. The goals include joint, harmonious running as well as joyful, correct, and fast execution of exercises involving footwork, sit, down, retrieve, send ahead, send down. Furthermore, shot indifference and running through crowds without aggression are part of this requirement set.

Protective Dog Test

Schutzdienst discipline allows your dog’s temperament to be assessed. As one of the working dog sports’s toughest disciplines, its quadripeds must endure extreme loads and much training is often necessary – particularly during exercises where high drive situations arise during exercises which must quickly return to respectful behaviors when faced with individual stimulus situations. Balance, nerves of steel, self-confidence and being able to work under pressure are key qualities necessary to passing this test successfully.

Exercises of Schutzdienst include patrolling after the helper, placing and barking, and an attack by the helper on the dog. Once a helper stands still, his or her dog must show enough control and oversight to secure him or her safely; when resting phases arise for quadrupeds, helpers may use that opportunity to flee; the pursuit may resume only upon direction from handler; then when an attack comes again from helper’s end he/she should retreat before engaging again – again this time successfully fending off invasion with no further attacks coming from them or him/her; this time round