One of the questions most frequently asked of Richard Quinn, President and Training Director of The Long Island Schutzhund Club (the parent club of The American Bulldog Club of Long Island) is, "What is the difference between American Bulldogs and German Shepherds, Rottweilers or Malinois working in the sport of Schutzhund?" People are curious as to why 75% of the membership of the Long Island Schutzhund Club is comprised of American Bulldogs, something unheard of in most Schutzhund clubs in the nation. Before we can answer that question in this column, we must address the origins of the sport and what qualities a dog must possess in order to be successful in it.

Schutzhund was originated in the early 1900s by a German fellow named Max von Stephanitz. Stephanitz was concerned about the future of the German Shepherd Dog, a breed originally created for herding. In the years preceding WW I, the need for herding dogs was diminished as the world’s attention was focused elsewhere. During this time Stephanitz developed a test to prove the versatility of the German Shepherd and their right to survival as a breed due to their utility in working venues beside herding. Thus, Schutzhund was born, proving the German Shepherds abilities in tracking (useful for various forms of police work and an invaluable tool for life saving in war scenarios), protection (again, necessary for police work and also for personal use) and obedience (showing that the intelligent, brave and versatile German Shepherd will lovingly and loyally listen to its master). Over the years, Schutzhund has become an international sport, whose parent organizations in America are the DVG and USA (United Schutzhund Clubs of America, the breed registry for the German Shepherd in the United States).

Beside the German Shepherd Dog, there are several breeds which, over the years, have gained recognition in the Sport. The most well known are the Rottweiler, the Malanois and the Bouvier. Additionally, there are several breeds which are seen competing in the Sport with more and more frequency. These include the American Staffordshire Terrier, Pit Bull, Airedale, Giant Schnauzer and the American Bulldog, among others. Our first question should be, "What are the common qualities these breeds share that allow them to compete in the Sport?"

The nature of Schutzhund is that the sport increases in difficulty by degrees. The very first level is the SchH BH test, which is a basic obedience/temperament test. Every dog that progresses in the Sport must begin with the SchH BH. Many, many dogs never make it through this first exam which tests the dogs strength of temperament thouroughly. Judges have been known to bonk dogs (lightly) over the head with their clipboards, throw large keyrings at the dog’s feet, grab the dog’s muzzle and jiggle its head etc. The dog is put into traffic situations with cars, bicycles and joggers passing closely. The dog is left tied out, without its owner, and is crowded by strangers. Gunshots are fired during the obedience portion of the test. It is an "almost anything goes" test with judges having free reign to test the dog’s temperament in almost any way they see fit. If the dog shows any sign of unwarranted aggression, shyness, extreme stress, fearfulness or any other symptom that might indicate to the judge that this dog has a temperament that is somehow lacking the dog will not pass the test. Another quality that is demonstrated by the SchH BH is a dog’s willingness to obey. Obedience is a very simple concept-- I, the dog, am willing to take orders from you, my master. If a dog is working happily for its owner, it is obvious in the dog’s step and demeanor. This is not to say that a dog that has either been trained through unbalanced methods or, for some other reason, appears to be an unhappy working dog won’t pass the BH, he may, but be prepared for the judge to push this dog a little further to try to expose any faults or weaknesses in its mental stability. If this unhappy dog does pass the BH, its Schutzhund career will not be a long one because this is a sport which values a sense of joy, spirit and plain old "zip" in each dog’s performance.

After the BH level, a dog continues it’s Schutzhund career by trialing for Schutzhund I, II and IIIs and IPO titles. These titles all combine the three phases of Schutzhund. Now the dog must prove itself not only in obedience, but in tracking and protection as well. Many dogs that excelled in trialing for their Schutzhund BHs never achieve further titles. One reason that this happens is that there are many dogs that cannot handle the stress of working three phases at once. A perfect example is an American Bulldog we had in the club at one time. This dog was dynamite in obedience and his tracking was incredible (much to the good-humored chagrin of the GSD owners of the club, he was the star tracker of the LISC!). Unfortunately, when the protection phase was added to his program the dog fell apart in ALL THREE phases!! He did not have a strong enough nerve base to handle the pressure of the triathalon. If it were possible to title for one at a time, this dog would have had titles in Obedience, Tracking and Protection!! The three phases of Schutzhund were too much for him and his career in the sport went kaput. For this reason, many consider the Schutzhund I the most difficult title to achieve. As the Schutzhund levels increase, so does the pressure on the dog. Superior training techniques can mask a weak dog’s shortcomings and possibly help the dog to fake it through a BH and occasionally through a I, but can rarely help a dog through a II and never a III.

We have already discussed what qualities a dog needs to pass at the Schutzhund BH level and the necessity for a strong nerve base and mental stability to progress through the more advanced levels. The list does not stop there.

For tracking the dog needs an excellent sense of scent discrimination. The dog must have drive: Drive to perform for its master and drive for the reward the master has in store for it at the end of the track. After the initial teaching of the skill through food drive, we use prey drive to reward the dog for its work (yes, a good game of fetch!!). Prey drive is used as a release in obedience as well. A dog with strong prey drive is more easily rewarded for a job well done and is more likely to have the happy bounce in its step that is so sought after in our sport. In addition, for all three phases, the dog must posses a strong bond with its handler. The dog must be willing to forgive its handler through any compulsion used or any mistakes made by the handler. The dog must trust its handler and respect his/her authority. The handler/dog team must work together as partners.

For the protection phase, there are several qualities that are necessary, some of which we have already mentioned. Prey drive comes into play again here, helping the novice dog learn the gripping "game". Later the dog’s defense drive is utilized to make the "game" more real. While defense drive is important in a working dog, there are many dogs that have strong defense drives, but lack courage. Courage is an indisposable trait of the Schutzhund dog. Lack of courage can manifest itself in various ways. It can be seen in the dog who refuses to do a proper in-tight hold and bark, in the dog who jumps off the sleeve during the drive or at the threat of a stick hit and often lack of courage is the culprit when a dog refuses to out (refusal to out can occasionally be attributed to various training mistakes such as putting too much defensive pressure on a young dog or, in the case of American Bulldogs, encouraging the dog in rope hanging before the out is taught. These, and various other common training problems will be addressed in a future article) . The dog must possess fighting drive, the drive which makes the bitework fun and gives the dog the desire to come back at the bitehelper for more. Hardness is another term you’ll hear relating to working dogs. The interpretation of hardness varies with whomever you ask to define it. Our definition is loosely: Hardness is that genetic quality of the dog that allows the dog the ability to take anything the handler, bitehelper or life in general dishes out with an attitude of superiority, confidence and strength. Hardness is that which separates the men from the boys in the sport of Schutzhund.

So, generally speaking, the qualities that the working breeds share are strong prey, defense and fighting drives, courage, hardness, forgiveness, loyalty, trust, scent skills, strong nerve base and mental stability, a bond with it’s handler and one item I have not yet covered, intelligence. Without intelligence all of the above traits would be useless. We expect our working dogs to have the ability to think, to figure out what we want from them and give it to us. A stupid dog will not have a future in Schutzhund.

Now that we have covered what all the working breeds have in common, lets examine the differences between the American Bulldog and the three most proven working breeds in Schutzhund, the German Shepherd, the Rottweiler and the Malanois. We will look at the pros and cons of working these breeds and how the common "working breed" traits manifest themselves within each. For the purposes of this article, we must speak on general terms. It is important to remember that there are superior and inferior specimens in any breed.
 
 

Physical Traits

The German Shepherd Dog and the Malanois share similar physicality, medium boned with balanced muscle and long muzzles. Their medium build and sleek body style allow for blinding speed and excellent agility. These breeds bring oooh's and aaah's from the crowd as they speed down the field for their send outs and fly through the air to take their bites on the courage test. However, because the German Shepherd has far superior angulation than the Malanois, it is able to maintain its speed for much longer periods of time (not necessary for Schutzhund). The lightness of these breeds enables ease in handling for the trainer and ease for the bitehelper in working the dog.

The Rottweiler and American Bulldog, too, share similar physicality, with large bone, heavily muscled fronts and rears and big, square heads. This is where the similarity between these two breeds ends physically. The Rottweiler's angulation is more functional and better suited for work. This is one aspect of the American Bulldog that is still lacking and will only be improved through conformation. When conformation judges award for a particular trait, breeders tend to try to produce it in their programs. This lack of angulation in the American Bulldog is partially due to two factors:

1. Our conformation programs have only been in effect for four years, not long enough to produce improvements in the workability of the breed.

2. Our dogs have the drive to work through the pain caused by poor angulation and the resulting pounding that their joints suffer.

The frontal heaviness of the Rottweiler and the American Bulldog make the agility aspect of Schutzhund more awkward for these breeds. It is extremely important that they are taught how to jump and land properly to avoid over stressing their fronts.

Surprisingly enough, the difference in muzzle length between these four breeds does not seem to effect their tracking abilities. The Rottweiler and the American Bulldog with their short, square muzzles are excellent trackers and can hold their own against the longer-muzzled German Shepherd and Malinois in any tracking event (a fact which we will discuss further in the drive section of this article). The biting ability of these four breeds is also unaffected by the difference in their length of muzzle (an exception to this would be extremely short muzzled American Bulldogs). Since we have brought up biting ability, it should be noted that due to the higher muscle mass in the jaw of the Rottweiler and even more so in that of the American Bulldog, these breeds have a much harder gripping strength. Additionally, the shape of skull and jaw in the American Bulldog gives a much wider biting surface for a harder grip. The muzzle length does, however, come into play when speaking of endurance. Neither the Rottweiler nor the American Bulldog has the endurance of the Shepherd or Malanois. There is also a problem withstanding high temperatures within these shorter-muzzled breeds.

Temperature tolerance is also affected by the coat of the dog. Due to their insulating undercoats, the the German Shepherd and the Rottweiler do extremely well in the cold. Both can withstand the cold almost anywhere in the world. The Malanois and the American Bulldog also have good tolerance for moderately cold weather, but would not survive outdoors in extreme temperatures. The insulating undercoat of the German Shepherd also protects it from extreme heat. In theory, this should work for the Rottweiler as well, however, due to the extra work the Rottweiler has propelling its mass, combined with the shorter muzzle length, its heat endurance is not as great. This also holds true for the American Bulldog. The Malanois, propelling less mass than the German Shepherd, and with much greater lung capacity than any of the other working breeds makes up for its lack of insulating undercoat and withstands high temperatures successfully. While temperature tolerance is not always an issue when training in Schutzhund, it can make a big difference in the performance of the dog on trial day.

Drive

A.  Food Drive:
In the wild, food drive and reproductive drive are the underlying force behind all the other drives of the dog.  Food drive is what necessitates prey drive (dog chases food), defense drive (moment of the catch) and fighting drive (the willingness to stand, fight and kill it's prey).  Reproductive drive also necessitates these other drives for the establishment of pack order.  Man has not yet learned to implement reproductive drive in a training program; however, food drive is relied on heavily.  Of all the drives used in Schutzhund training, food drive has the lowest intensity level.  We use food drive with puppies, young and novice dogs to teach the basics of Schutzhund obedience and tracking.  Food drive is a most valuable tool for teaching a dog.  Food keeps the dog interested in its task and offers an immediate reward for a job well done.  Teaching a dog with food drive is 100 times easier than teaching a dog without it.  Because food drive is of a lower intensity than the other drives, teaching with it lends more forgiveness to handler error (i.e. a slow reward is still a good reward.).
The intensity of food drive in the German Shepherd and Malinois breeds is very subjective.  There are some GSDs and Mals that have very high food drives and just as many that have to be starved for days in order to achieve the mildest interest in food.  While obedience can be taught using alternate drives, lack of food drive becomes a huge problem when teaching tracking.  In Rottweilers and American Bulldogs, the intensity of food drive is much more uniform.  It is very rare to meet an AB or Rott whose food drive is not through the roof. The incredibly high food drive in these two breeds may be credited partially for their excellent tracking abilities and perhaps compensates for their shorter muzzle length.  Food drive is the teaching drive.  It is a calmer drive and using it, you can teach the dog how to think.

B. Prey Drive:
Prey drive has many subcategories, including, but not limited to, play drive, booty drive and ball drive.  Because this is an article and not a novel, we are going to limit our discussion by simply using the all-encompassing term "prey".  Prey drive is used in all the phases of Schutzhund.  It is used as a reward in obedience and tracking and as a teaching mechanism and reward in protection.  Because prey drive is a higher level drive than food drive, it is used as a higher level reward and can relieve the stress of training.  Think of prey drive as a "happy" state for the dog to be in.  A dog with strong prey drive is more likely to be a happy working dog.
 A proper German Shepherd, Malinois and American Bulldog, due to their original purposes as breeds all have extremely high prey drive.  Out of the three aforementioned breeds, the Mal seems to have the highest in prey drive.  Due to this extreme prey drive in the Mal, they often have a very excited demeanor while working.  A Mal at work often resembles a tightly wound spring that is gearing up to "boing" momentarily.  This excitability can often be seen in the American Bulldog as well.  There can be a down side to this excitability as, often, the dog is moving faster than it is capable of thinking and is more apt to make mistakes.  While the GSD has as high prey drive as the AB, this excited demeanor diminishes to certain extent as the dog matures, giving the dog an up and happy, but regal appearance while working.  Of the breeds under examination, the Rottweiler has the lowest prey drive and tend to have a less excited and happy, but more serious attitude while working.  Teaching the elements of Schutzhund and releasing the dog from the stress of work is more difficult for Rott handlers and necessitates the use of creative training techniques.

C.  Defense Drive (Courage, hardness and fighting drive):
  As we explained in Part I of this article, defense drive is the drive which, in the protection phase, makes the game more real and more stressful.  A dog in defense drive feels truly threatened by the helper.  You need to see a dog in defense drive to test the quality of its courage, hardness and fighting drive.  You can never test these traits through pure prey drive.  These traits are a necessary for a working breed and must be tested.
 Proper American Bulldogs, Rottweilers, German Shepherd and Malinois all have highly accessible defense drives, however, ABs and Rotts are often more comfortable in this drive than GSDs and Mals.  To put it in human terms, GSD and Mals can be likened to professional boxers.  They fight with confidence and take it very seriously, but do not get angry or take it personally.  ABs and Rotts are more like streetfighters, every bit as confident and serious, but more likely to take the fight personally.  All four breeds rate high in defense, courage, hardness and fighting drive.  It is extremely important for Schutzhund dogs to have well-balanced prey and defense drives.  The American Bulldog and German Shepherd have the most-balanced drives, however, the AB scores higher than the GSD in fighting drive. While it is rare to find any dog that is perfectly balanced in drives during the protection phase, a good bite helper, along with a good training program can be instrumental in helping the dog become more balanced.

Handler/Dog Relationship
 Loyalty, trust and forgiveness are all aspects of the handler/dog relationship.  All working breeds must rate well in these traits in order to excel in Schutzhund.  With that said, keep in mind that there are varying degrees of each trait from breed to breed.  The Malinois rates very high in forgiveness, followed by the German Shepherd, American Bulldog and the Rottweiler.  The lower the forgiveness level of the dog, the more likely the dog is to fight its handler when receiving corrections during training.  All four of these breeds are loyal to and trusting of their handler, however, all four are capable of changing handler and becoming loyal to and trusting of them.  A working dog must trust their handler to make the right decision for them, even if the handler's wishes are in direct contrast to the dog's natural instincts.  A dog that trusts his handler is willing to march through the fires of hell because his handler tells him he is capable of doing it!!  While all four breeds rate similarly in trust, once trust is broken, through error or abuse, it is more difficult to regain it from an AB or a Rott.
 The handler/dog relationship is directly correlated to how well you will perform as a team.  Loyalty, trust and forgiveness are all crucial to a good handler/dog relationship.

Intelligence
 Here we tread into dangerous waters.  Each and every admirer of each and every breed will argue that theirs is the most intelligent of the breeds.  However, if you speak with people who have trained more than one of these breeds, you will find that there are distinct differences in the intelligence between the four breeds.
 Before we compare the breeds, we must define intelligence.  Four Schutzhund training, intelligence can be defined as a dogs potential for learning, the speed at which the dog learns and the retention of what has been taught.  There are factors that are not necessarily reflective of a dog's intelligence that do, however, influence the learning process.  We cannot ignore these factors in this discussion, for if we do, we will not give a fair and accurate assessment of each breed's intelligence.
  The most intelligent of the four breeds is the German Shepherd, followed closely by the Rottweiler then the Malinois.  There is no comparing the intelligence of the American Bulldog to these three breeds who have been bred for police and sport work for decades.

German Shepherd:
The GSD has been bred for 100 years to be an independent problem solver, yet follow handler direction and desire to please his handler.  They learn at an incredible rate of speed and will retain their knowledge even through lengthy periods of downtime.  They have a keen ability to stay focused on their work and are able to absorb a great deal of new information in a short period of time.

Rottweiler:
Like the GSD, the Rott was bred to be an independent thinker, but unlike the GSD, who has always worked as a team with man, the Rott worked independent of its owner.  Although the Rott is every bit as intelligent as the GSD, it does not have as great a desire to please and therefore, learns at a slower pace.  If the Rottweiler does not have the desire to learn, it is just stubborn enough to refuse to do so.  Aside from this, the Rottweiler is a highly intelligent breed.

Malinois:
Malinois are also as intelligent as the GSD and Rott, but are so high in drive that it moves faster than it can think.  The greatest challenge to a Malinois handler is getting it to slow down long enough to absorb what it is being taught.
 

American Bulldog:
As I stated the American Bulldog, while a very intelligent animal, simply does not have the absorption rate of the other three breeds.  Additionally, they seem to see training as a game and can be quite clownish in their antics while learning, thereby slowing the learning process considerably.  What ABs do have going for them is their ability to bond very strongly with their handlers and the accompanying desire to please them.  This desire to please enhances the learning process and makes teaching the American Bulldog very enjoyable.

Conclusion
 Different personalities are attracted to different breeds.  All four breeds make excellent partners to the right people.  Take myself, for example.  As a professional dog trainer, I have handled Shi-tsus to Dobermans.  My own personal dogs for Schutzhund have been American Bulldogs and German Shepherds.  I train the ABs because I love to and the GSDs because I have to.  Don’t get me wrong, I love, respect and admire my German Shepherds, but I feel like they don't even need me on that field, they learn to quickly and so well!  Their personalities, while loving, are loving in a royal, aloof sort of way.  American Bulldogs, on the other hand, are blatantly affectionate and will slather you with their drippy love at any opportunity.  I am drawn to the challenge of working American Bulldogs and the thrill I experience when my dog finally achieves what I am looking for.  I love the comic relief so often experienced in training ABs, like when Toro was learning his blind search and decided the shortest route to the helper was dead center, under the blind and through the helpers legs!!  After this he performed a quick about face and executed a perfect hold and bark!!  I thought my sides were going to bust from laughing at the look on the helper's face when that big head came charging between his legs!  Some folks, however, would not have the patience for such undignified antics, preferring their working dogs to be more serious and dignified about the job at hand.  There are so many differences…..for example, Malinois handlers, who love the fast pace of Mal drive, may be bored by the balance of the GSD; while German Shepherd fanciers, who are accustomed to the steadiness of their breed, might suffer a nervous breakdown in trying to train a Mal!!  Handlers who admire the awesome beauty and power of a Rottweiler performing a perfect protection routine may never be satisfied training a slender little Mal.  Ultimately, there are pros and cons to each breed.  You must assess your goals and your personality and choose the breed that fits you best.  For me, that choice is, and will always be, my love, the American Bulldog.