FAQs

We are located at the following address:

4400 Peach Rd
Chesapeake, VA 23321

Because schutzhund is comprised of three phases, tracking, obedience, and protection, the answer is three parts. A dog can begin to learn how to track extremely early.  Tracking for a 8 week old puppy may not look the same as a 8 month old or 2 year old, but dogs are born able to use their noses.  Training a schutzhund dog for obedience begins with proper early-socialization and drive building.  Once mentally mature with enough “drive” or willingness to work, we can begin teaching commands.  Protection begins with drive building as a puppy, but until a dog has its adult canine teeth, we will not engage in any hard bite work to protect the dog.

We recommend you come the first time without your dog and simply observe.  This way you can decide if the sport is right for you and your dog.  Once you come with your dog you should bring: a chair, dog’s crate, pack of hotdogs (cheap kind), the dog’s favorite toys and balls – ideally 2 of his/her most favorite toy, sunblock, water for you and your dog, insect repellant, every leash and collar you own, and boots (for tracking). There is also a recommended equipment list on our facebook page.

We are an all breed organization.  If you are willing to put the work in with your dog, we are willing to help.  Some breeds are easier to train than others, some dogs require a longer foundation phase than others.  Just because your breeder said the parents or grand parents were “champions” or “titled” does not mean your dog will be capable of competing.  Moreover, just because you have a particular breed, does not mean the dog will able to successfully compete.  Each dog is worked individually, and you are expected to learn from the other handlers and dogs in the club. With all that being said, not every dog has what it takes to be competitive in the sport, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun learning and training.

Depends on the dog’s personality, previous training, and your desire to train your dog.

No.

We are not a for-profit organization and the training director donates his time to the club.  In other words, TSC is NOT a business.  No one profits from the club or gets paid by the club.  Annual member dues pay for club equipment, field rental, field maintenance, trial expenses, etc.  Annual club membership for an individual with one dog is currently $500.  It’s more for 2 adults, 2 dogs, junior members, etc.  We gladly accept additional donations too.

We meet at 8:30am Saturday mornings and are typically finished with all the dogs by 1:30ish.  Overall, schutzhund is a sport that takes many hours of training and dedication for both the dog and the handler.  We joke that the dogs are easy to train, the owners are more difficult!  What you put into training your dog is what you will get out of it.  Some dogs learn quickly and love to work, others require more attention and more patience. The average age of a National or World Champion dog is about 6 years old and those dogs have been trained nearly everyday for their entire lives. If you are new to the sport and are interested in quick results with no work, then we recommend purchasing a dog that is already titled. We do not sell dogs, but we can recommend reputable breeders.  If you enjoy blood, sweat, and tears while overcoming adversity, then this may be the right place for you.

We actually prefer if your dog has NO training when you first come out.  Then there is less to unlearn and fix.  If you have been somewhere else for training, that’s fine, just be prepared to change your definition of “trained.”

Yes, we are a member club of the Southeast Region (KG) of DVG. For more information please visit www.dvg-america.com.