IGP is a dog sport that tests your dog's ability to track, perform obedience skills, and demonstrates your dog's protection ability. IGP stands for Internationale Gebrauchshund Pruefung, which is German for "international utility dog test".
IGP was originally developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breed test for German Shepherds, but is now a popular sport for many working breeds. Any breed is eligible to trial in the sport of IGP at all levels.
The BH
The first title you must earn to continue on in IGP is called the BH. The BH stands for "Begleithundprüfung" in German meaning companion dog. The BH, sometimes written as the BH/VT is a test of the dog's ability to perform obedience skills, evaluate their general temperament, as well as the knowledge of their handler.
3 Phases
1.Written Test
2.Obedience Routine
3.Traffic Portion (Temperament Test)
The Written Test is a multiple choice test on the rules and regulations governing the sport and trial. Handlers only need to pass the written test once with one dog. Once a handler has received their certificate stating that they have passed the written test, they may be required to present the certificate at future trials during which they plan to earn a BH with a different dog, or may be expected to take the test again.
You can find a copy of the multiple choice written exam here: https://www.germanshepherddog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2015-BH-Questions-Final-JA-EDIT.pdf
The Obedience Routine is the primary focus of most trainers preparing for their dog's BH Title. We will cover the complete routine as well as what happens before and after later. The obedience phase is a test of the handlers ability to maintain control of the dog as well as the dog's ability to perform basic obedience behaviors without training equipment.
The Traffic Portion is generally expected to be performed without your dog in formal obedience and should show your dog's natural response and reaction to normal experiences that they may encounter in day-to-day life.
Preparing for each Phase
Study for the Written Exam!
The written exam is publicly available on the United Schutzhund Club of America (USCA) website (See link above). This allows you the opportunity to review the questions and research the answers.
All of the answers can be found in the trial rulebook which is also publicly available on the USCA website. While you could simply just study the questions listed on the test, it is in your best interest to read the rulebook thoroughly before you intend to trial your dog for the first time.
The Rulebook is the answer to all of your trial questions. While this guide is a great start to get you prepared for your trial training, knowing what the rulebook states can help you avoid simply yet costly mistakes.
Microchip Scanning
Sometime before the obedience phase the judge will have either the secratary or another trial helper scan each dog for a microchip or identification tatoo. The judge may interact with your dog during this exercise, or just observe their behavior. Your dog's temperament is being evaluated at all times throughout the trial so you should be mindful of your dog's behavior during all points throughout the trial.
The Obedience Phase
When you trial in the sport of IGP with your dog, you are expected to know the routine before you enter the field. There will not be anyone on the field telling you what to do with your dog, so it is very important that you know the complete routine thoroughly before you step on the trial field.
During the Obedience phase, there will be two dogs on the field performing the obedience phase at the same time. One dog will be performing a long-down on the side of the field while the other performs the obedience routine. The dog in the long down first will be referred to as the "Down-Dog". The dog performing the obedience routine first will be referred to as the "Up-Dog".
The Walk-Through/Handler Meeting
Prior to the beginning of the obedience phase, the judge will require the handlers to do a walk-through where they will explain the important points on the field including the long-down location, the starting location for the heeling pattern, and where the group will be. This is the time to ask any questions you may have.
You should try to think of your questions before the trial, and find the answers in the rulebook. If you have new questions the day of the trial, or a question you could not find the answer to in the rulebook, these would be the questions to ask the judge at this time.
The judge may walk through the important parts for all levels trialing that day, including the Obedience for levels 1-3 that include things like retrieves, obstacles, and the send-out. However, you will not need to worry about those until after you and your dog earn your BH Title.
Equipment
For the BH, your dog may only wear either a Long-Link Fursaver Chain Slip Collar, or a minimum 1.5" flat collar. You will have a 3-6' leash attached to the dead ring of the fur saver or your flat collar. (The "Dead ring" is any ring of the collar that when you leash is attached to it will not allow the collar to constrict)
The BH is the only level in IGP that allows for the option of the flat collar for your dog's obedience phase. All other levels require the use of the Fursaver collar.
Entering the Field and Checking-In
You and the other dog performing the obedience phase together will enter the field on-leash one after the other and will position yourselves in front of the judge side by side. It is generally accepted to leave at least 6 feet of space between you. Additionally, many handlers will angle their dogs slightly away from each other to further discourage the dogs from looking at each other.
The judge will approach each team one at time for you to check in with your dog. You will state your name, your dog's name, and that you are checking in for your BH Obedience Phase, and he may ask if you are the "Up Dog" or "Down Dog". Then the judge will shake your hand and tell you to go to your starting point.
Example: "John Smith and Fido checking in for the BH Obedience Phase. We will be the Down-Dog first"
"Down-Dog"
If you are the "Down-Dog" meaning that your dog will be in the long down first, then you will proceed to the designated long-down position that will be marked on the side of the field. There will be two different locations marked near eachother, one for male dogs, and the other for female dogs. Make sure you go to the appropriate location for your dog's sex.
Once you get to that location you should stand and wait with your dog on-leash in the basic positiong (The heel position) until the judge gives you a signal to proceed. The judge may wait for the other handler to reach the starting location for the heeling pattern, or he may not, so it is important to watch for the Judge's cue.
On the Judge's cue, you will remove your dog's leash while they are in the basic position and secure your leash in a way that the snap of the leash is not near the dog. You can roll up your leash and place it in your pocket, or you can attach the leash around your body so the the snap is on the opposite side from your dog.
Once you have secured your leash, you will give your dog the down command, and leave your dog. You will walk approximately 15 paces from your dog. Watch for the judge to give you the cue to stop.
You will stand with your body turned sideways from the direction of your dog and stand in a relaxed position. At this time the other dog and handler team will begin their heeling pattern. You should pay attention to the other team. There is always a possibility that they may lose control of their dog and you may need to take fast action to protect your dog. You should also take occassional glances to make sure your dog is still where you left them.
The final exercise of the heeling and obedience pattern is the recall from a down. Once the other handler has recalled their dog and performed a finish, the judge will cue you to return to your dog. Be sure to wait for the judge to give you the cue. Once you return to your dog you will stand next your dog in the heel position before call your dog into the heel position from the down.
Once your dog is in the basic position seated you will then reattach your leash and heel to the starting location for the heeling pattern. While you head to the start point for the heeling pattern, the other handler will heel with their dog to the long down location and prepare to perform the long down just as you had.
Study the Obedience Routine!
There are a few different diagrams that effectively display the heeling routine for the BH, here are two different ones below.
Once you and your dog are at the start location, you will wait with your dog in the basic heel position until the judge gives you the cue to begin. The judge may wait for the "Down-Dog" handler to finish leaving their dog before having you start the routine, so it is important to wait for the judge's cue.
The heeling pattern begins on-leash at the start location. From the basic position, you will give your dog the heel command and proceed heeling with your dog about 50 paces in a straight line down field.
Tips: Before stepping off, choose a point of reference to look at while walking to keep you walking in a straight line. And don't forget to count!
At 50 paces you will perform an about turn. Your about turn should be a 180degree turn on a straight line. You should not appear to walk around your dog in the about turn, and your dog should not impede your ability to make a direct about turn.
Following your about turn you will walk 10-15 paces at a normal heeling pace. Best practice is to aim for 12 paces. Without stopping at 10-15 paces you will give a heel command and begin a fast pace heel. This should be a noticeable change of pace, and your dog should remain at your side in a consistent heeling position as you change your pace.
You will do 10-15 paces of a fast pace heel. Without stopping, at 10-15 paces you will give a heel command and immediately change to a slow-pace heel. Your dog should remain at your side through all changes of pace. Without stopping, at 10-15 paces of a slow pace, you will give the heel command and return to your normal heeling pace.
After 10-15 paces of your normal pace of heeling you should be roughly back at your starting point. Without stopping and without giving a heel command, at 10-15 paces or about at the start location you will perform at 90 degree right turn.
You will continue heeling for about 10-15 paces and without giving a heel command you will perform another right turn. You will heel for another 10-15 paces and perform an about turn.
Following the about turn you will walk about 7-8 paces and halt. Your dog should sit in the basic position without a sit or heel command when you come to a halt. Once you have halted and your dog is seated in the heel position, wait for the judge to signal for you to heel to the group.
The Group
On the judges signal, you will make your way to the group. You should do your best to walk directly forward from your previous halt and make a 90 degree turn towards the group. Some judges do not require this, while others may, so it is always safe to try to complete the entire pattern as shown in the diagram.
Without stopping you will heel directly to and enter the group of four people. You will be required to perform a figure-eight when you circle around two different members of the group. Once with your dog on the inside, and once with your dog on the outside.
You will finish the group exercise by stopping in the group near a person and your dog should automatically sit without command when you come to a halt.
The judge will usually say "thank you group" indicating for the group to leave the field. You may also say thank you group as well if you wish. You may want to ask the judge during the walk-through if the group will leave while you are your dog are still in the basic position in that location, or if you are expected to leave the group first.
You should leave the group location and make your way to the starting location when the judge gives you the cue to do so. You should return to and approach the starting point in such a way that you are dog are set up straight for the off-leash heeling portion.
The Off-Leash Heeling
Once you are at the start point the judge will give you the cue to remove your dog's leash for the off-leash heeling portion. You will secure your leash either in your pocket or around your body in such a way that the snap is away from your dog.
Once you have secured your leash the judge will give you the cue to begin your heeling pattern. The off-leash heeling pattern is exactly the same as the beginning of the on-leash heeling including the 50 paces out, about turn, the normal, fast, slow, and normal change of paces.
After your change of paces from fast, slow, and normal, you should return to and stop at the starting point with your dog in the heel position. At this point you and your dog will be facing the opposite direction of when you started. On the judges cue you will be able to reposition yourself and your dog to face down field in the same the direction that you had originally started the heeling routine.
You should use plenty of space to ensure that when you and your dog reposition to face down-field that you are able to set-up in a straight basic position before beginning the next exercises.
The Sit-Stay and Down-Stay
With your dog still off-leash and on the judges cue, you will begin walking 10-15 paces down-field. If you aim for 12 paces you will be good to go. For the BH, you can choose to either to perform your stays from "in-motion" or "out-of-motion".
In-motion means that you do not stop to sit and down your dog, rather while heeling and without stopping you will give your dog the sit command at 10-15 paces and your dog must immediately stop and sit while you continue heeling 15 paces away.
Out-of-motion means that at 10-15 paces you will stop with your dog in the heel position for a 3 second pause before giving the sit command. Then after another 3 second pause you will leave your dog and continue walking 15 paces.
At 15 paces away from your dog who is still in the sit-stay position you will turn and face your dog. On the judges cue you will return to your dog with your dog in the heel position for a 3 second pause before giving the heel command and continue heeling forward.
At 10-15 paces you will have your dog perform a down stay. The down-stay can also be performed either in-motion or out of motion. If you opted to do your sit-stay in motion, you should perform your down stay in-motion as well. If you chose to perform your sit-stay out-of-motion, then your down stay should also be out-of-motion.
Once your dog is in the down-stay position, you will leave your dog and walk 30 paces away. Once you are 30 paces away, you will turn and face your dog.
The Recall
On the judge's cue, you will recall your dog to a "front" position where you dog is sitting directly in front of you with their attention on you. On the judges cue you will "finish" your dog by calling them into your heel position. Your dog may perform a flip into heel or may go around behind you to arrive in the heel position.
Checking Out and the Critique
Once your dog is in the heel position you will reattach your leash and make your way to the judge to check out. Both handler and dog teams should be present for checking out with the judge.
When checking out, you will state your name, your dog's name, and that you are check out for the BH Obedience Phase. Then the judge will shake your hand and let you know that you are complete with your BH Obedience.
Example: "John Smith and Fido Checking out for the BH Obedience Phase." Followed by a hand shake.
Don't let your dog get out of control as you make your way to the designated critique area. You should head to the critique are and both handler and dog teams to position themselves with plenty of space between them and place their dog's in the down position and wait for the judge.
The judge will go over all of the skills that each team demonstrated along with how well they were performed through the entire phase. Be sure to maintain control of your dog throughout the entire critique. At the end of the critique you will shake the judge's hand and then exit the field with your dog still under control.
Your dog should be under control at all times throughout the entire trial. If you dog demonstrates an unacceptable behavior at any time throughout the entire trial, they can be disqualified and you may not receive your BH Title, even after you've completed all of the phases. So, be mindful of your dog's before even between phases.
The Traffic Portion
The traffic portion is also sometimes referred to as the temperament portion. The way this part of the trial is conducted may vary between judges, but most often consist of very similar exercise.
You will be expected to be able to walk your dog among other dogs at the trial with an appropriate amount of space between each team. The judge will likely have a person run near the dogs, a bicyclist ride by, and a car start and honk their horn near the dogs. Your dog should remain under control and not show any significant signs of fear or aggression to any of the stimuli.
You may be asked to leave your dog back-tied to a post and go out of sight. Many judges will have a neutral dog pass by your dog while you are out of sight. Your dog should be generally neutral towards the other dog and people in your absence.
Many judges will ask you to leave your dog in a down with a group of people near your dog and for you to go out of sight. Your dog's obedience is not being judged, but your dog should not show any signs of fear or aggression towards the group of people in this exercise.
While the exercises in the traffic portion may vary, you should make every effort to expose your dog to many of the things that may appear in the traffic portion prior to trial day.
You haven't officially passed your BH until you receive your score book back at the end of the tiral, so make sure your dog remains under control and well behaved until then at least!
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