IconJPG

The Working Trial as the Foundation
of the Protective Heritage Breed

Jim Engel    2004

Although the search, tracking and protective canine functions have been fundamental from time immemorial, in the hunt, as agriculture began in the primitive herding and in defense of the ancient homestead, the police patrol dog in the modern, formal sense is an innovation of the twentieth century. In the general 1900 time period groups of men in the north of Europe, in places such as Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, gathered together dogs from among the indigenous farm populations with the purpose of creating police style protective heritage breeds.

From the very beginning these men devised functional tests or trials to serve the screening process for breed worthiness and as practical prerequisites for entry to service. Examples of such trials include the Belgian Ring, the Schutzhund trial in Germany and the Dutch police or KNPV trials.

Every successful working dog line has been based on such trials. In the homeland the German Shepherd dog from the beginning needed to prove his mettle in the Schutzhund trial in order to produce progeny to carry on this heritage, to be members of this noble breed. In the Netherlands the KNPV trial was primarily a police service eligibility test, but also emerged as the de facto breeding requirement for the males, and the females were in general of the same lines, for the Malinois and the working Bouvier.

From the beginning the fundamental purposes for these trial systems was certification for breeding and certification as suitable for immediate on the street service. Some systems, such as KNPV, were primarily a test of readiness for patrol duty, and as an ancillary secondary purpose evolved to become very effective breeding suitability tests.

Schutzhund on the other hand was primarily created as a breeding test rather than to produce dogs ready for the police patrol function. Thus in some ways it’s exercises can be seen as less practical and less directly related to service. In reality this is of very little significance, since innumerable good Schutzhund titled dogs go on to exemplary police service every year with minimal additional training.

The trial, depending on the integrity and capability of the judge and the trial helpers, the men who represent the human threat to test the courage of the dog, has served to set a minimum level for breeding. This is far from a perfect process, for no matter how severe the written requirements and how diligent the judge and decoys, it is still an artificial test and trainers have always been ahead of the curve in their ability to prepare a marginal dog to pass the trial, even if with indifferent scores.

Thus even the KNPV certificate or an impressive Schutzhund score does not guarantee that a dog will succeed in actual service, and every experienced working breeder and police trainer knows this.

But for purposes of breeding selection, this was not of primary importance. Training and titling marginal dogs is lengthy and unpleasant work, and does not enhance one’s standing in the esteem of his peers. Knowing that one’s reputation is based on the actual serviceability of the dogs produced, and that the breeder himself will most likely need to train the progeny in their turn, provides a strong incentive to select for breeding the strongest and most trainable dogs.

Thus in the beginning and for many years it was the selection through the training process itself rather than the actual titles, or the relative scores in obtaining the titles, that were of paramount importance. Dogs had value not only because of a working title, but because they were known and purchased locally by people who had seen them work, or had associates who could provide first hand knowledge. The fact that the dog had a lucky day and barley made it through, or was a very strong dog who lost points only through enthusiasm, was available knowledge that had it’s own influence on the value of the dog.

The point of the trial was not so much that bad dogs will fail and be eliminated but rather that the breeder and trainer, since he must title each dog, will make a strong effort to improve his lines so that the training takes a reasonable amount of time and effort, and is a much more pleasant experience.

The natural competitiveness played out on the trial field is a fundamental aspect of the process. When I take my dog on the field in my club trial or when a European trainer takes his dog on the field or into the stadium for the most important and prestigious European event, scores, diplomas, titles and who is first or second are of secondary importance. What is most desired is the respect of one’s peers, the people who have shared the struggle on the training field over the years. These people are not fooled, see through the points and the pieces of inscribed paper and know and respect the good dogs and the trainers who have struggled to produce them. This is the mechanism by which the trial system maintains and enhances the working breed, this is why the individual breeders and trainers struggle each year to come back with a better dog and earn the respect of the training community.

In the nineteen seventies and eighties Americans in increasing numbers became aware of these titled dogs and were willing to spend ever increasing amounts of money to obtain one. From purchases for individual need and desire the concept of brokering dogs, of buying dogs on speculation with the idea of a quick profit through resale in America, quickly became predominant.

This was a critical juncture, for it profoundly changed the dynamics of the training community in Europe. Where previously it was knowledge of the work of the dog and the reputation of the lines, the trainer and the training club that determined the value of a dog, the brokering of dogs tended to change the titled dog into a commodity.

In these new circumstances, a piece of paper denoting a working title took on new and unreasonable value. A dog with such a certificate had significant sale value even if the title was earned in a marginal way, on a lucky day, under a known lenient judge or simply fabricated wholesale.

For the European trainer with one eye on the dollar this meant that the quickest route to the title, regardless of the actual quality of the dog or his training, became a primary consideration. Why put extra work into a dog who is going to disappear into the broker’s hands the day after the trial, never to be seen again ? Rather than training the dog with the objective of laying a good foundation for further training and serviceability the rest of his life, training just to get through the trial, by hook or by crook, becomes for the most profitable approach for the quasi commercial trainer.

Thus the trial based training and breeding system is a fragile process, most susceptible to outside money. When ignorant Americans will buy a dog on the basis of the title alone, for what are seen as incredible prices to largely working class trainers, the system is corrupted and weakened at it’s very core. The desire for the quick title and the money from the export sale rather than excellence can become primary motivation. When the Americans are joined in ignorant enthusiasm by the Japanese and others with big chunks of cash to spend the whole heritage is in imminent danger of collapse.

It is true that the presence of a working title does not guarantee that the dog is a superior worker. Aside from the fact that it might at some level be fraudulent, which does happen, the dog may have been slid through under a lenient judge or just had a lucky day. Every person buying a dog should regard the title as an indication that the dog is potentially worth while, but base the buying decision on more comprehensive testing and his confidence in the seller of the dog.

For the person new to the working dog world, it can be quite difficult to grasp that while the working trial is the foundation of every successful working breed, the title on the individual dog is of only limited value, is not and should not be taken to be an absolute guarantee of working capability. For most of us this is a paradox in the beginning, one only mastered gradually through experience and observation over time.

Thus in the beginning each of us tend to fall into one of two errors; either believing that the title is proof of total working functionality, or the more dangerous converse, that since the title does not always correlate with working excellence in the individual dog, it is not of fundamental importance in the breeding line.

This fundamental principle, the absolute necessity of testing working stock through training, has at times been an enormous difficulty for those in what have come to be known as the “alternative breeds,” that is, breeds other than the German Shepherd and the Malinois.

Since it is very unusual, almost impossible, to find lines in these breeds really based on the title as a breeding prerequisite, people are led to believe that these breeds and these lines are or can be viable sources of reliable working stock.

Sad to say, this is simply not true, as many have learned through difficult personal experience. Thus many enthusiasts for these breeds go into a perpetual state of denial, choose to believe things that common sense, the evidence available through observation and the accumulated wisdom have made obviously untrue. But widespread denial of objective reality has accelerated rather than retarded the demise of these unfortunate breeds.

The Nature of Sport

From time to time it will be said of Schutzhund or KNPV that it is “only a sport,” normally meant in some sort of pejorative way. This may be in contrast to some other training regimen, characterized as “real work” because it is “hard core.” Other times this will be in contrast to herding or some other functionality being proposed as the “real function” on one breed or another. This propensity is in general peculiar to Americans in that in the areas of Europe where these sports are actively pursued their actual nature is in general well understood.

This denigration of sport is peculiar in that the top human sports figures, such as Michael Jordan, are compensated in a range of over ten million dollars a year while the best paid skilled workers, such as electricians and cabinet makers are normally in the less than one hundred thousand range. Thus Mr. Jordan and similar figures are paid on the order of one hundred times what “real workers” make.

In reality, the fundamental purpose of KNPV and Schutzhund is both to identify those dogs most suitable for breeding and also to provide young trained dogs for police departments and other protective applications. The KNPV dog in general only certifies once in his life. Many, if not most, such dogs, on the completion of training and certification, are sold for police service. The best dogs, particularly females, tend to be retained for breeding purposes.

The KNPV organization has an official relationship with the Dutch police organizations, and often have access to training grounds not available to others. Because of this official relationships, certain criminal convictions preclude participation.

Although Schutzhund and IPO in Europe tend to be a little more sports oriented, the same general principles apply. Many dogs are trained at IPO clubs for social and sport purposes and tend to not be the top level dogs. But there is also a significant population of trainers working more serious dogs, and selling those not retained for breeding for Police service.

Most dogs going into police service in America are imports from Germany, Belgium or the Netherlands trained or titled in KNPV or Schutzhund.

The only reason that we do not have significant numbers of American trained dogs entering service is that we are lacking the infrastructure, that is, we simply are not producing enough dogs of sufficient quality to supply the market, which thus goes to the European trainers.

So although these sports provide recreation and a social outlet for many trainers and their families, they are also the primary training ground for actual service dogs and provide the testing ground which sorts out which dogs should be chosen for breeding.

The Natural Dog

Preparing a dog for the traditional working trials requires a great deal of time and effort, and can be quite frustrating when one or a series of dogs need to be abandoned because they have been found wanting under the pressure of training. Although it is a labor of love, and can be an exhilarating experience, training is always time, money and effort consuming, particularly for those who seek fame and fortune through the keeping and breeding of many dogs.

There are those who from time to time postulate that this training is unnecessary and is in fact an actual impediment to effective breeding selection. The thesis is that by devising clever tests for the “natural” dog we can see his true nature and potential, thus gaining a more accurate insight as well as avoiding the effort of training. In this view of the canine world, training serves to unnaturally conceal and cover over the essence of the dog.

It is true that a fortuitous combination of clever training, a cozy home trial field, a less than ruthlessly diligent judge and a simple lucky day can get a dog, sometimes a truly quite poor dog, through the trial, perhaps even with an impressive score.

It is also true that if you plucked six million Joe Six Packs from in front of their television set on Saturday afternoon and plunked them down at home plate in Yankee stadium in game seven of the world series a few of them, by sheer blind luck, would swing and hit a game winning home run. This is just the nature of life is the probabilistic world we inhabit, improbable things do from time to time occur.

But testing the untrained dog is not the answer. For one thing, as soon as something important hangs in the balance, such as breeding eligibility, every dog will in fact be extensively prepared for the test. There will be no such thing as seeing the dog’s reaction to a new situation, for the situation will be known and well prepared for.

In the big picture, the most fundamental consideration in testing a dog for working potential is that trainability is a primary and fundamental attribute of a good dog. Indeed, the very foundation of the usefulness of the dog to mankind is his natural instincts and his ability to work in productive partnership with man through training.

Dogs are useful to man primarily because the social structure of the wolf pack produces through the domestication process animals that are trainable, that is, willing to respond to the needs and commands of his leader and thus bring the physical and moral aspects of the dog – his power, his quickness, his olfactory capability - into harmonious partnership and service.

The idea that one could evaluate a dog for breeding or service without fundamental validation of his trainability, his inherent willingness to be a partner, is an absurdity only the most novice or ignorant person could postulate. Unfortunately, people profoundly ignorant of the real process of dog use and training become conformation oriented breeders, officers in canine organizations, big deal conformation judges and in general those in control of the canine establishment.

If the canine trials are imperfect, as they are and always will be, the solution is not to devise absurd tests for untrained dogs, but rather to incessantly work to improve trial procedures, require more advanced titles at regional trial fields and move the selection of judges into the hands of regional officials rather than local club officers. No baseball team, after all, expects to select, hire and pay the umpires at the world series.

Furthermore, the nature of the training process excerpts substantial psychological pressure on the dog, so substantial that in the inferior dog it can weaken and perhaps break what was perceived as strength and potential in the green dog.

Certainly, decisions about untrained dogs are made every day, every trainer will quickly dismiss candidates on the basis of observation and contrived tests in order to make as good a selection as possible before investing time and effort in training.

And it is true that mistakes are made, for it is not uncommon to select a dog and yet in the future discard him when he is revealed as inadequate under the pressure of training. Indeed, for this reason, the trainer will typically give the benefit of the doubt to the questionable dog for this very reason, so as not to make a mistake and bypass a good dog.
And no doubt dogs who under some trainer, some place, some time could have evolved into excellent workers are discarded and lost; such is the nature of life.

But the fundamental fact remains that canine excellence is proven only in the crucible of training, and that projections or evaluations of untrained dogs are mere speculation. The most courageous and hard dog in the world, capable of the most impressive olfactory feats in search and tracking, agile, swift and powerful, is useless if that dog can not be molded into an effective, obedient working partner.

The unwilling dog is a useless dog, and no dog who has not demonstrated cooperation in training is of fundamental use. Making breeding decisions on untrained dogs, to speculate that they have the potential for police style service is, like having untrained people off of the street operate to see if they are potential surgeons.

The Bouvier Experience

For the Bouvier des Flandres specifically, the lessons are clear. In France and Belgium, where after the second world war seriously working titled breeding stock became most unusual, the credentials of the Bouvier as a working dog deteriorated to the point where the breed was no longer taken seriously. The French and Belgian temperament tests, now often conducted by show breeders with no real working commitment, exacerbated the situation and have made the breed a laughing stalk.

In the second half of the twentieth century, the only national level line of serious working Bouviers was the KNPV line in the Netherlands. It is true that a few men such as Edmond Moreaux in Belgium and Gerard Gelineau in France, with lines from Moreaux, swam against the tide and maintained working lines in their own kennels. For the true Bouvier enthusiast these men will forever be heroes of the first order, for their struggle was against the sloth of the mainstream Bouvier community as well as for excellence in their dogs. These men were the exception and largely estranged from the over all breeding communities, to the everlasting shame of the pretenders in Belgium and France.

Without exception police style working canine lines are only maintained where a significant majority of the breeding stock obtains a working title as a breeding prerequisite.

This of course would be a longer term goal. In practice, this would necessitate organizations separate from those currently existing under the control of show breeders and play trainers. And it means earning existing titles in established systems rather than the invention of special tests pretending to “take account of the special Bouvier character” which always turn out to be thinly disguised farces, watered down to accommodate the weaknesses of the stock on hand. In particular, credibility would preclude the appointment of special judges specific to our testing programs.

There is a tendency to focus on of the degeneration of the Bouvier in terms of a lack of aggressiveness and confidence. These are of course fundamental components of a useful police style working dog, but only part of the picture. The dog who is strong and brave and confident, but has not demonstrated the willingness to be a working partner rather than a loose cannon is just as much a detriment to the heritage, and the gene pool, as the dog who is willing but not sufficient to perform under the stress of a serious confrontation.

The problem with the currently popular Dutch show lines is a propensity for stubbornness and a lack of trainability as much as a lack of fighting instinct.

A breeding group of very strong, aggressive dogs without the corresponding trainability and olfactory capability is not a "working dog" gene pool but just an ego toy.

Many will say, correctly, that just having a KNPV, IPO or Ring title does not make a dog a great dog, or even a good dog. But the inability to earn such a title, or a character that makes it time consuming and difficult, also means that, however strong and brave, the dog is not a complete or useful working dog.

This is a fundamental reason why all successful breeding programs are based on the working trial, the most important function of which is to demonstrate trainability and olfactory usefulness.

Jim Engel, Marengo    © Copyright June 2004