Welcome to Greater Washington, D.C. Schutzhund Group (GWDCSG). We would like to take this opportunity to share some information with you about our group. We are an intense group of dog trainers who take our dog training seriously. If we are preparing for an upcoming event, we can be much focused. Please be patient with us. We don't intend to be unfriendly.

GWDCSG is a training group with elected officials that maintain By-Laws as it pertains to dog training and sportsmanship. We are not like typical obedience groups where you pay to have a trainer instruct you. The dues that you pay upon joining the group go support our seminars, training sites, and equipment. The dues are not for a service even though you can expect group support. We are here to help each other with training.

Schutzhund is difficult for new people. It can be confusing because of the wealth of knowledge necessary to assist you in training. We assign you a mentor to ensure you have a firm understanding of the sport. We expect you to pay attention to the training on the field; this is the fastest and successful ways to learn about Schutzhund. It takes a lot of time and energy outside of our regularly scheduled training times. There is no guarantee when you join, you will obtain a title; the work is up to you. If you haven't gained enough knowledge to feel comfortable working your dog outside of group training, wait until you do. No training is better than bad training.

If you don't understand something, ask someone to explain it to you. We are here to help each other succeed, so don't be shy. We also use various training terms that have unique meanings as they apply the situation for clarification please ask questions. If you are impressed with a dog's performance, or you seem to migrate to a certain person who best describes training methods, please don't hesitate to ask them to join you on the field. Because we feel that observing is very important, we would like you to stay entire training session. We would also appreciate your help with setting up the field, cleaning, and putting on events.

Schutzhund is a three-phase sport that involves tracking, obedience, and protection. Each phase require training, and a significant commitment. During our regular training sessions, we typically focus on obedience and protection. This is not a sport/hobby for all dogs and handlers. It takes a special dog, and a lot of hard work. We try to be honest in our assessment of your dog/puppy. Our intention is to make sure that you and your dog are both mentally and physically able of doing the work. If your dog does not succeed in Schutzhund that does not mean that you have a bad dog. There are a lot of really nice dogs that don't find this type of exciting.

After three weeks of attending Group training sessions, a prospective member is required to pay the training fee and summit a membership application. After a minimum of six weeks from receipt of membership application, the prospective member will be voted on as a probationary member. If the applicant has not regularly attended group activities, they will not be considered for probationary membership status.

Return to Top

Last modified: August 25, 2007