minutes committee on local government · 2015. 5. 5. · minutes montana senate 53rd legislature -...

MINUTES

MONTANA SENATE 53rd LEGISLATURE - REGULAR SESSION

COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Call ~o Order: By Senator Kennedy, on January 28, 1993, at f 1:00 p.m.

ROLL CALL

Members Present: Sen. Ed Kennedy, Chair (D) Sen. Sue Bartlett, Vice Chair (D) Sen. Dorothy Eck (D) Sen. Delwyn Gage (R) Sen. John Hertel (R) Sen. David Rye (R) Sen. Bernie Swift (R) Sen. Eleanor Vaughn (D) Sen. Mignon waterman (D) Sen. Jeff Weldon (D)

Members Excused: Sen. Ethel Harding

Members Absent: None.

Staff Present: Connie Erickson, Legislative Council Rosalyn Cooperman, Committee Secretary

Please Note: These are summary minutes. Testimony and discussion are paraphrased and condensed.

Committee Business summary: Hearing: SB 156, SB 157, SB 230

Executive Action: SB 103

HEARING ON SB 230

opening Statement by Sponsor:

Senator Delwyn Gage, Senate District 5, stated SB 230 has been presented in past sessions but has not received much support. He said SB 230 would make all local elections non-partisan like judicial races. Senator Gage said it does not matter to local folks whether their sheriff is a Democrat or Republican or their Clerk is a Democrat or Republican. He noted there are people in some counties who run under a certain party, regardless of their political affiliation, in order to get elected. Senator Gage added there currently exists an option for local county residents

930128LG.SM1

SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE January 28, 1993

Page 2 of 9

to decide if their area should hold non-partisan local elections, however he did not think this option was widely used.

Proponents' Testimony:

None. ;

oppt~ents' Testimony:

Mr. Alec Hansen, Montana League of cities and Towns, stated his organization's opposition to SB 230. He said there are many Montana cities and towns which hold partisan local elections. Mr. Hansen presented a letter of opposition to SB 230 from the Missoula City Clerk. (Exhibit #1) He added the option to hold non-partisan local elections already exists in current law through a voter review process every ten years. He said Butte-Silver Bow, a notoriously Democratic area holds non-partisan local elections. He added it was their decision to do so, not the government's. Mr. Hansen concluded local areas should have the authority to determine what kind of elections to hold in their community.

Mr. Gordon Morris, Montana Association of Counties, stated his Association's opposition to SB 230. He felt the decision should be left at the local level.

Ms. Nancy Harte, Executive Director, Montana Democratic Party, stated her organization's opposition to SB 230. She said SB 230 was a further restriction of the voters' choices. Ms. Harte said individuals may run as Independent candidates or as traditional party candidates. She concluded the decision should be left to the discretion of local voters.

Informational Testimony:

None.

Questions from committee Members and Responses:

Senator Rye asked Ms. Harte if it would be easier for a County Commission candidate with a Democratic philosophy to win in Madison or Yellowstone County if he/she ran as a Republican candidate instead. Ms. Harte replied it would depend on the county since Democrats do better in some areas as do Republicans in others. She concluded the most important option is the ability for local residents to choose their local government representation.

Senator Rye asked Senator Gage how a non-partisan local official would be replaced if he/she died prior to the end of the term.

930128LG.SM1


Page 3 of 9

Senator Gage replied any non-partisan individual could be the replacement.

closing by Sponsor:

Senator Gage stated the majority of Montanans are not aware they could hold non-partisan local elections, however they would support the idea overwhelmingly. He said it is unfortunate for qua1ified people to be passed up for local government positions simply because of their party affiliation.

HEARING ON SB 157

opening statement by Sponsor:

Senator Greg Jergeson, Senate District 8, stated SB 157 would provide equal treatment of cities and counties with regard to the acquisition of tax deed property. He said under current law, cities are required to pay delinquent taxes on properties assigned to them by counties, however, the delinquent tax provision does not apply to property acquired by counties. Senator Jergeson concluded SB 157 was drafted at the request of the Mayor of Chinook.


Mr. Alec Hansen, Montana League of cities and Towns, stated his organization unanimously passed a resolution to endorse SB 157 at their annual meeting. He said current law exempts counties from paying delinquent taxes on acquired property but does not exempt cities from paying delinquent taxes on property assigned to them. Mr. Hansen stated current law imposes a financial impediment to the acquisition of property by cities and believes cities and counties should be treated equally in this respect. He agreed with the fiscal note which states the financial impact of SB 157 would be negligible, and added representatives of Montana's larger cities agree with this statement. Mr. Hansen stated the majority of cities frequently take assignment of tax deed properties. He said there are instances when cities would be interested in acquiring some of these properties and transferring them to the local housing authority to increase the amount of available low-income housing.

Opponents' Testimony:

Mr. Stan Hughes, Gallatin County Treasurer and President, Montana County Treasurers Association, stated SB 157 would not equalize the treatment of tax-deed property assigned to the city. He added there are technical problems with SB 157 which violate the

930128LG.SM1


Page 4 of 9

principle that the debt follows the lien. It was his opinion the delinquent taxes and the lien are one and the same. Mr. Hughes said SB 157 would separate the lien from the delinquent taxes. Mr. Hughes then gave an example of what, in his opinion, would happen under SB 157. He said the county has a tax lien sale in July and the city can then come in and request an assignment on any properties with delinquent assessments. He added, at that point, the lien would go to the city while the delinquent taxes would stay.with the county. Mr. Hughes said the lien and the taxes, wh~ch are one and the same, are now owned by separate entities. He said this situation creates many problems for the county. Mr. Hughes said once the city takes the assignment, the city has the option of going through the tax deed process and notifying the interested parties which would now include the county because the county still has the delinquent taxes. He said the county's ability to collect on its own debt, which was formerly the lien, is essentially wiped out. Mr. Hughes anticipates under SB 157, every city in every county would automatically request the liens be transferred to them on any properties with delinquent taxes. He said SB 157 does not specify how the city would request the liens be turned over. Mr. Hughes said the city has several options once it takes the assignment on properties. First, the city could do nothing. Second, .the city could pursue the tax deed procedure. He stated the county would be at a disadvantage regardless of the city's course of action. Mr. Hughes said current law permits the county to notify any entity which takes assignment and does not pursue the tax deed procedure that they have a maximum period of 120 days in which to act or the lien will be cancelled. He said under SB 157, the lien is cancelled but the delinquent taxes remain on the county's books. Mr. Hughes said there is no possible way for the county to ever collect the delinquent taxes since the lien has been cancelled, so all the districts within the county do not receive the money owed to them. In the event the city does pursue the tax deed procedure, Mr. Hughes said, 15-17-319 provides for the distribution of proceeds. He said there is no provision in this existing statute to pay the county for the delinquent taxes still sitting on the books. Mr. Hughes also said SB 157 may be in conflict with 15-17-319. He stated the cities currently have the mechanism in place to protect themselves on their delinquent assessments. Mr. Hughes concluded existing statutes provide that cities receive their pro-rated share of money derived from the sale of tax deed land if the proceeds are less than the total of assessments and taxes due. He urged the Committee not to pass SB 157 in its existing form.

Mr. cort Harrington, Montana County Treasurers Association, stated his Association opposes SB 157. He said under existing statutes, the municipality pays the county to take assignment on tax deed property. Mr. Harrington said SB 157 would allow municipalities to take an assignment and sell the property without having to pay the county first.

930128LG.SM1


Page 6 of 9

Mr. Morris stated MACo would work with anyone to resolve SB 157. He believed there was another bill yet to be introduced which would allow counties to turn over property to the city for the specific purpose of using it for low-income housing. He suggested the Committee delay executive action on SB 157 and wait for the other bill. Mr. Morris said it was his understanding the true purpose of SB 157 is to put the city, as a taxing entity, in the position of being able to take tax deeds without paying the delinquent taxes.

~ . ~

Senator swift asked Mr. Hughes if the county was required to pay cities its share of revenue generated from the payment of delinquent taxes on properties. Mr. Hughes replied 7-8-2306 mandates the counties pay cities a pro-rated share on delinquent taxes. Mr. Hughes stated his Association would also work with proponents and opponents of SB 157 to resolve this problem.

Senator Bartlett asked Ms. saisbury if the city received from the county a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Placer Center. Ms. Saisbury replied no and stated, based on county attorney's opinion, the city has the option of picking up an assignment before tax deed is issued. She said if the city does not elect to do so, they may lose their right to the proceeds. Senator Bartlett asked Mr. Harrington if he knew of any similar situations in existence, to which Mr. Harrington replied he believed this situation was unique.

Senator Kennedy submitted to the Committee written testimony he had received from the Missoula County Treasurer. (Exhibit #3)

closing by Sponsor:

Senator Jergeson stated in sponsoring SB 157, he has identified a problem with existing tax deed law. Senator Jergeson said he had no particular pride in authorship of SB l57 and stated he would be welcome to any suggestions for its improvement.

HEARING ON SB 156

opening statement by Sponsor:

Senator Greg Jergeson, Senate District 8, stated SB 156 was drafted in response to an incident in Chinook where a child was seriously injured by a neighbor's pitbull dog. He said while the child ended up in the hospital, nothing was done about the dog or its owner. Senator Jergeson said the father of the child eventually shot the pit bull and was promptly arrested and thrown in jail for malicious destruction of property. Senator Jergeson stated he sees this issue as parallel to noxious weed laws where certain weeds are outlawed. He concluded it was his intent in requesting SB 156 to try to avoid situations like these from

930128LG.SM1


Page 7 of 9

occurring again. Senator Jergeson submitted to the Committee a copy of a letter sent to Representative Mc culloch regarding this matter. (Exhibit #4)


Ms: Maryrose Beasley, Treasure State Working Dog Association, stated her organization supports the intent of SB 156 but would ask·~ for consideration of maj or amendments. She said her organization primarily trains dogs in the sport of Shutzhund. She said the Shutzhund sport was established in Germany as a temperance test for the German Shepherd. Ms. Beasley said her Association does not condone animals with bad temperaments and never breeds ill-tempered dogs. She said the Association appreciates that SB 156 is not breed specific since it is impossible to determine on the whole which breeds of dogs are more potentially dangerous than others. Ms. Beasley stated there are very few individuals in Montana qualified to determine if a dog is vicious. She said by the standards of SB 156, all of the dogs in her organization would be considered "potentially dangerous". She said.this categorization would require owners to insure their dogs at a rate which is cost prohibitive to even the most affluent dog trainer. Ms. Beasley also stated she did not believe section 3, part 6 of SB 156 was realistic since no person in their right mind would get close enough to a vicious dog to read its identification tag. Ms. Beasley said the entire section on potentially dangerous dogs should be removed since any dog can be potentially dangerous. She said Section 5 of SB 156 was unrealistic as well. Ms. Beasley stated section 6, part a, should be eliminated since very few owners will admit their dog is vicious or potentially dangerous. She said if SB 156 was implemented, it would be costly and difficult to enforce. Ms. Beasley added it is unfortunate SB 156 only pertains to dogs since many people keep other potentially dangerous animals like snakes and bobcats as pets. Ms. Beasley urged the Committee to adopt language to SB 156 which specifies pet owners are ultimately responsible for the actions of their pet and may be held criminally and civilly liable for any destructive action.

Mr. Roy Brock, operator of Hirschtal Kennels in Elliston, MT, and Protection Training Coordinator for the Treasure State Working Dog Association, stated he supports the intent of SB 156 but is concerned with its wording. Mr. Brock gave Committee members a brochure on the sport of Schutzhund. (Exhibit #5) He said the definition of "potentially dangerous dogs" in SB 156 is so vague it could pertain to any dog. Mr. Brock said there are very few people in Montana who could determine a dog's propensity to attack. He said Section 3, part b of SB 156 is a good idea, but added SB 156 does not specify a standard warning sign to identify dangerous dogs. He added this same concern would apply to the dog's identification tags. Mr. Brock said Section 3, part 4 of SB 156 should also exempt all dogs in training for Schutzhund. He said he would also recommend SB 156 exempt police service dogs from this section, since many police service dogs are trained to

930128LG.SM1


Page 7 of 9

occurring again. Senator Jergeson submitted to the Committee a copy of a letter sent to Representative Mc Culloch regarding this matter. (Exhibit #4>


Ms~ Maryrose Beasley, Treasure State Working Dog Association, stated her organization supports the intent of SB 156 but would ask., ~or consideration of major amendments. She said her organization primarily trains dogs in the sport of Shutzhund. She said the Shutzhund sport was established in Germany as a temperance test for the German Shepherd. Ms. Beasley said her Association does not condone animals with bad temperaments and never breeds ill-tempered dogs. She said the Association appreciates that SB 156 is not breed specific since it is impossible to determine on the whole which breeds of dogs are more potentially dangerous than others. Ms •. Beasley stated there are very few individuals in Montana qualified to determine if a dog is vicious. She said by the standards of SB 156, all of the dogs in her organization would be considered "potentially dangerous". She said this categorization would require owners to insure their dogs at a rate which is cost prohibitive to even the most affluent dog trainer. Ms. Beasley also stated she did not believe section 3, part 6 of SB 156 was realistic since no person in their right mind would get close enough to a vicious dog to read its identification tag. Ms. Beasley said the entire section on potentially dangerous dogs should be removed since any dog can be potentially dangerous. She said section 5 of SB 156 was unrealistic as well. Ms. Beasley stated section 6, part a, should be eliminated since very few owners will admit their dog is vicious or potentially dangerous. She said if SB 156 was implemented, it would be costly and difficult to enforce. Ms. Beasley added it is unfortunate SB 156 only pertains to dogs since many people keep other potentially dangerous animals like snakes and bobcats as pets. Ms. Beasley urged the Committee to adopt language to SB 156 which specifies pet owners are ultimately responsible for the actions of their pet and may be held criminally and civilly liable for any destructive action.

Mr. Roy Brock, operator of Hirschtal Kennels in Elliston, MT, and Protection Training Coordinator for the Treasure State Working Dog Association, stated he supports the intent of SB 156 but is concerned with its wording. Mr. Brock gave Committee members a brochure on the sport of Schutzhund. (Exhibit #5) He said the definition of "potentially dangerous dogs" in SB 156 is so vague it could pertain to any dog. Mr. Brock said there are very few people in Montana who could determine a dog's propensity to attack. He said section 3, part b of SB 156 is a good idea, but added SB 156 does not specify a standard warning sign to identify dangerous dogs. He added this same concern would apply to the dog's identification tags. Mr. Brock said Section 3, part 4 of SB 156 should also exempt all dogs in training for Schutzhund. He said he would also recommend SB 156 exempt police service dogs from this Section, since many police service dogs are trained to

930128LG.SM1


Page 8 of 9

be V1Cl0US to potentially anyone but its master. Mr. Brock stated section 5 of SB 156 should be eliminated because there are very few people in Montana who have the expertise to determine any dog's behavior. Mr. Brock said Schutzhund is a legitimate sport and people in his business need to be protected from legislation like SB 156. He said the owners are responsible to tra~n their dogs.

opp&nents' Testimony:

None.

Informational Testimony:

None.

Questions From committee Members and Responses:

Senator Kennedy asked Senator Jergeson if he had any more bills to present to the Committee.

closing by Sponsor:

Senator Jergeson stated his intent in requesting SB 156 was to avoid any more attacks on children by dangerous dogs. He agreed there were problems with the definition of "potentially dangerous dogs" in SB 156 and thinks the wording problems can be worked out.

EXECUTIVE ACTION ON SB 103

Discussion:

Connie Erickson stated the amendment offered by the sponsor, Senator Fritz, to SB 103 would make the language consistent with the firefighter bill passed in the last session.

Motion/vote:

Senator Waterman moved the amendment to SB 103. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Motion/vote:

Senator Waterman moved SB 103 DO PASS AS AMENDED. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

930128LG.SM1

Adjournment: 2:40 p.m.

JEK/rlc


Page 9 of 9

ADJOURNMENT

SEN JOHN "ED" KENNE Y, Jr., Chair

~~::

930128LG.SM1

ROLL CALL

SENATE COMMITIEE Local Government DATE 1- ?-~--1?

NAME PRESENT ABSENT EXCUSED

... Senator John "Ed" Kennedy if

~

Senator Sue Bartlett / Senator Dorothy Eck V' Senator Delwyn Gage ./ Senator Ethel Harding / Senator John Hertel / Senator David Rye / Senator Bernie Swift { Senator Mignon Waterman ./ Senator Jeff Weldon V Senator Eleanor Vaughn I

Fe8 Attach to each day's minutes

SENATE STANDING COMMITTEE REPORT

MR. PRESIDENT:

Page 1 of 1 January 29, 1993

Wft'r your committee on Local Government having had under --cOnsideration Senate Bill No. 103 (first reading copy -- white),

respectfully report that Senate Bill No. 103 be amended as follows and as so amended do pass.

That such amendments read:

1. Page 1, line 22. Following: "salary"

., Chair

Insert: ", following adjustments for income taxes and pension contributions,"

1!L: Amd. Coord. ~ Sec. of Senate

-END-

230920SC.Sma

_~ __ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ANANCEANDDE~MANAGEM~T ~~ BUDGET AND ANALYSIS

M I SSOU LA FINANCE/CITY CLERK OFFICE ~~O~~T~~G ¥.?St:.....::::39 435 RYMAN ST. • MISSOULA, MT 59802-4297 • (406) 523-4700 UTILITY BILLING ~ FAX (406) 728-6690 RISK MANAGEMENT

GRANT ADMINISTRATION

The Honorable John "Ed" Kennedy, Jr. Chairman - Local Gov. Committee

~ Montana State Senate Montana State Capitol Helena, Montana 59620

Dear Senator Kennedy:

January 27, 1993 Letter #93-021

JAN 2 81993

SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXHIBIT NO._--'-' ___ _

(}ATE.. I - ,). ~ - 1 3

BILL NO_ .s f3 ~3 0

At their meeting of January 25th, the Missoula City Council voted to oppose SB230, Senator Gage's bill to require local elections on a non-partisan basis. Their feeling was that this issue should be a decision and choice of the local voters rather than mandated by state government. The Montana Constitution requires that local electors vote every ten years to decide whether or not they want to review their form of local government. If the local voters choose to do local review, they could then· consider the question of non-partisan elections. Furthermore, the choice for non-partisan elections can still be accomplished without going through local government review as provided in current law.

As one Council member stated, "If non-partisan elections are such a good idea, why doesn't the bill also require non-partisan elections for the Montana Legislature as well." We would encourage you to leave this important decision in the hands of local voters as it currently stands and oppose SB230. Thank you for considering our viewpoint.

Sincerely,

~L~ Chuck Stearns Finance Officer/City Clerk

cc: Alec Hansen, Montana League of Cities and Towns SB230 File

AN EOUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER M I F IV I H

Printed on 1000,1, Recycled Paper " ,~~

SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXHIBIT NO. __ ~~ __ _ [)ATE.. ____ I_.-_:J._~_-_1_3_

BILL NO ___ 5--t3 ___ , _5_r"} __

PLACER CENTER: UNDER THE PRESENT COUNTY CONTRACT

, LOSS: City of Helena:

Taxes Assessments

Total Loss

WIN: County Schools:

Taxes Interest on Contract

Total Received

School District #1:

$34,026.65 $55,596.17

$89,622.82

$37,189.05 $7,525.88

$44,714.93

Taxes $70,653.11 Interest on Contract $11,109.63

Total Received

State of Montana:

County:

Taxes Interest on Contract

Total Received

Taxes Interest on Contract Reimb. Costs (Est.) Profit

Total Received

$81,762.74

$6,698.91 $5,017.25

$11,716.16

$28,356.55 $12,184.76

$150.00 $56,952.38

$97,643.69

Total Contract Proceeds: $235,837.52

PLACER CENTER: UNDER SENATE BILL #157:

, LOSS:

" County Schools: ~ School Dis trict #1:

State of Montana; County:

Total Loss

WIN: City of Helena:

Taxes Assessments Interest on Contract Reim b. Cost s (Est.) Profit

Total for City

$44,714.93 $81, 762.74 $11,716.16 $40,541.31

$178,735.14

$34,026.65 $55,596.17 $35,837.52

$150.00 $110.227.18

$235.837.52

Total Contract Proceeds: $235,837.52

MISSOULR COUNTY COMM . TEL No.40672140~3 jan - - --':::0 ~ 'j~:~ lr':U':l I'w.ulu r.U"::

MISSOULA ) COUNTY =a..;===

Local Government Committee Senate St.ate C&fit.ol Helena, KT 59'20

Re; SB 157

Dear Senators.

January 28, 1993

OFFICE OF COUNTY TREASURER MISSOULA COUNTY COURTHOUSE

BOX 7249 MISSOULA, MONTANA 59807

= (406) 721·5700

SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXHIBIT NO. ;.2 DATE I - :;. f - '7 ~ Bill NO_ ~ I $..7

After reading the Fiscal Note for sa 157, I believe ~here may be 50~e misunderst.andinq about the effects of the hill.

58 157 would allow municipalit.ies to acquire the county's tax lien on propert.y located wit.hin the municipalit.y without paying any delinquent taxes or costs. If the municipality t.hen re-assigns the tax lien interest, delinquent taxes and costs must be paid to the county and appropriatelY distributed. If an interested party redeems from the assignment., the delinquent taxes and costs are also recovered for the eliqible t.axing authorities.

If, however, the municipality pursues a t.ax deed on the property, none of the tax delinquencies or costs may be recovered for the various taxin9 authorities who should receive such a distribution. Section 7-8-4201 M.C.A. allows municipalities to dispose of any property by a 2/3 vote of the members of the council. The statutes are silent on disposition of the proceeds in such a case. If the property 1s held in t.rust tor a specific purpose, a majority vote of the electors of the municipality is necessary for disposal. The proceeds would then have to paid to the designated special purpose. Section 15-17-317 M.C.A. does require that tax deed property acquired by a municipality must be ~held in trust by the municipality for the improvement fund into which the del1nquent special assessments are payable.-

If municipalit.ies are allowed to acquire the county's tax li~n without paying delinquencies or costs, t.hen lIlUn1cipalities should also lIleet. the requirements of Section 7-8-2306 H.C.A., as do counties, and distribute the proceeds of the sale as they would have been had they been paid before becoming delinquent. The requirement that tax deed property be held in trust for special improvement funds should be eliminat.ed. If these a.endmants to S8 157 are not made, then schools, counties, fire districts, and other taxing jurisdict.ions ~ill be disadvantaged.

Sincerely, (;~:

() ~~ we~romwell Cler~ & Recorder/Treasurer

WRC

JAN-27-93 WED 16:09 MIDWEST HEATING & COOLIN 2520615

5~D~ tv\ c Co \ \Oc..~ \-\~ q ~

I Jill Port 1339 Maurine St. Billings. NT do swe~r the following statement is true and on file with the Billings Police Dept.; Division of Animal Control.

On 5-7-91 ~t ~pproximdtely 11:55 A.M. I was walking my 0 ;rear old daughter to school. We were walking down the alley behind my house and she was about 15 teet in front of me. TWo Chows from.the duplex behind our house came out into the alley (through an open gate). They were barking as usudl ~nd pawing the ground. As I passed them they broke the chain off the fence and proceeded to attack me. one on each end of the chain. They bit both legs and arms. I tried to climb the neighbors fence but one dog grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the ground. They continued to attack. I was screaming for help. My neighbor apparentely heard me and came out to heJp. He got the dogs away from me so I could run and they got tangled in a garbage can yack. Animal Control was called ~nd the rest is on record. The dogs were destroyed ~s this was the second bite. They had ~ previous list of citdtions ~nd the owner relinquished them to the officer to be destroyed. I have multiple lacerations on my legs and arms. My daughter witnessed the whole scene and has hdd emo't-iondl problems resulting from this~ and I have had numerous nightmares ~nd ~ fe~r of dogs I never h~d before.

Something should be done to protect people from dangerous dogs. You shouldnJt hdve to wait until someone is permanentely mdimed or killed.

SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXHIBIT NO._ 4 DATE.. / - ;2 f -- 13-BILL NO... S 13 I 5 ~

P.01

The

final

are

a of

dev

elop

men

t is

that

of

driv

e en

cour

agem

ent.

The

natu

ral b

ehav

iors

th

at y

ou w

ant t

o en

cour

age

are

play

ing

with

th

e ba

ll, t

ug o

f war

, hid

e an

d se

ek, p

ullin

g to

ys o

n a

strin

g, p

ursu

ing

you

rapi

dly

whe

n yo

u ru

n aw

ay, a

nd fi

nally

def

endi

ng it

self,

its

fam

ily,

and

its h

ome.

The

latte

r re

ally

on

ly s

how

s its

elf b

etw

een

the

ages

of n

ine

and

18 m

onth

s, as

the

pup

begi

ns to

mat

ure,

by

bar

king

at s

trang

ers

or in

trude

rs.

It is

bet

ter

to le

ave

for l

ater

form

al o

bedi

-en

ce tr

aini

ng w

ith a

you

ng d

og. T

he c

hara

c-te

r of

the

pupp

y is

not s

uffic

ient

ly s

trong

to

with

stan

d th

e co

rrec

tions

invo

lved

in o

bedi

-en

ce tr

aini

ng.

Acc

epta

ble

man

ners

at h

ome

and

in th

e ca

r and

"pl

ay"

train

ing,

like

le

arni

ng to

sit

for

a fo

od r

ewar

d, w

ith n

o co

rrec

tions

invo

lved

, is

advi

sabl

e. R

eal o

be-

dien

ce w

ork

shou

ld b

egin

onl

y af

ter t

he d

og

is w

ell o

n its

way

in th

e pr

otec

tion

train

ing.

'0 D

og

s E

njo

y S

chu

tzh

un

d T

rain

ing

?

If tr

aine

d in

the

right

man

ner,

dogs

enj

oy

wor

king

, as

any

one

who

atte

nds

a Sc

htuz

-hu

nd c

ompe

titio

n ca

n se

e. T

he jo

y of

the

dogs

in w

orki

ng w

ith th

eir h

andl

ers

is ev

iden

t. Fo

r tho

usan

ds o

f yea

rs,

dogs

hav

e ad

apte

d to

ser

ve h

uman

s in

a m

utua

lly b

enef

icia

l re

latio

nshi

p. W

hile

dog

s co

uld

mov

e qu

ickl

y,

hunt

pre

y, a

nd p

rote

ct fl

ocks

and

thei

r ow

ner,

the

hum

ans

coul

d pr

ovid

e fo

od,

shel

ter f

rom

th

e m

ost s

ever

e el

emen

ts,

and

prot

ectio

n fro

m la

rger

pre

dato

rs,

besi

des

tend

ing

to th

e do

g's

inju

ries.

A do

g's

reas

on fo

r bei

ng is

to

serv

e hu

man

s. Sc

hutz

hund

trai

ning

hel

ps d

evel

op th

e do

g's

natu

ral i

nstin

cts

to a

hig

h le

vel.

Self-

conf

iden

t dog

s, do

ing

wor

k fo

r whi

ch th

ey

are

wel

l tra

ined

, ar

e ha

ppy

dogs

. Wag

ging

ta

ils,

soun

ds o

f exc

item

ent,

and

stro

ng p

ull-

ing

on a

leas

h al

l sho

w a

n ob

serv

er a

t a

Schu

tzhu

nd tr

ial h

ow m

uch

fulfi

llmen

t dog

s fin

d in

this

wor

k.

Er M

ore

In

form

atio

n A

bo

ut

Sch

utz

hu

nd

The

Uni

ted

Schu

tzhu

nd C

lubs

of A

mer

ica

can

be c

onta

cted

at 3

704

Lem

ay F

erry

Roa

d,

St. L

ouis,

MO

6312

5, o

r by

tele

phon

e at

(3

14) 8

94-3

431.

Sc

hutz

hund

clu

bs a

re o

rgan

ized

by

regi

ons

thro

ugh

the

U.S

., an

d th

ere

are

num

erou

s cl

ubs

in m

ost a

reas

of n

early

all

stat

es.

Reg

iona

l Dire

ctor

s ar

e al

so a

vaila

ble

for

info

rmat

ion

and

guid

ance

in lo

catin

g a

Schu

tzhu

nd c

lub

or s

tart

ing

a ne

w o

ne.

As

of J

anua

ry 1

988,

ther

e w

ere

mor

e th

an

130

full

mem

ber c

lubs

and

14

affil

iate

d cl

ubs

in th

e U

nite

d Sc

hutz

hund

Clu

bs o

f A

mer

ica.

Mor

e th

an 3

,500

indi

vidu

als

wer

e m

embe

rs o

f tho

se c

lubs

. Th

e U

nite

d Sc

hutz

hund

Clu

bs o

f Am

eric

a (U

SA) i

s a

mem

ber o

f the

Wor

ld U

nion

of

Ger

man

She

pher

d D

og C

lubs

, and

sen

ds a

te

am to

the

Wor

ld C

ham

pion

ship

eac

h ye

ar.

In a

dditi

on,

the

USA

san

ctio

ns re

gion

al

cham

pion

ship

s an

d tw

o m

ajor

nat

iona

l ch

ampi

onsh

ips.

It al

so s

anct

ions

con

form

a-tio

n sh

ows

and

cham

pion

ship

s fo

r the

Ger

-m

an S

heph

erd

Dog

. U

SA is

resp

onsi

ble

for s

ched

ulin

g vi

sits

fro

m fo

reig

n ju

dges

and

adm

inis

ters

its

own

judg

es p

rogr

am.

USA

also

mai

ntai

ns a

Bre

ed R

egis

try fo

r G

erm

an S

heph

erd

Dog

s co

nsis

ting

of p

edi-

gree

s fo

r fiv

e ge

nera

tions

. U

SA a

dher

es to

the

VDH

rule

s fo

r Sc

hutz

hund

.

utzh

und

and

the

Ger

man

She

pher

d do

g o

f'

"

SENA

TE L

OCAL

GOV

ERN

M EN

T EX

HIBI

T NO

. S

-~---

DATE

/-

;;. f

-.,

3

;

BILL

NO.

S

G

15

~

hat

is S

chu

tzh

un

d?

Schu

tzhu

nd is

a G

erm

an w

ord

mea

ning

"p

rote

ctio

n do

g:' I

t ref

ers

to a

spor

t tha

t fo

cuse

s on

dev

elop

ing

and

eval

uatin

g th

ose

traits

in d

ogs

that

mak

e th

em m

ore

usef

ul

and

happ

ier c

ompa

nion

s to

thei

r ow

ners

. Sc

hutz

hund

wor

k co

ncen

trate

s on

thre

e pa

rts. M

any

fam

iliar

with

the

obe

dien

ce

wor

k of

the

Am

eric

an K

enne

l Clu

b's

affil

i-at

es w

ill r

ecog

nize

the

first

two

part

s, t

rack

-in

g an

d ob

edie

nce.

The

Sch

utzh

und

stan

dard

s fo

r the

third

par

t, pr

otec

tion

wor

k, a

re s

imila

r to

thos

e fo

r dog

s in

pol

ice

wor

k.

Whi

le d

ogs

of o

ther

bre

eds

are

also

adm

it-te

d to

Sch

utzh

und

tria

ls,

this

bre

ed e

valu

a-tio

n te

st w

as d

evel

oped

spe

cific

ally

for

the

Ger

man

She

pher

d D

og. S

chut

zhun

d is

inte

nded

to d

emon

stra

te th

e do

g's

inte

lli-

genc

e an

d ut

ility

. As

a w

orki

ng tr

ial,

Schu

tzhu

nd m

easu

res

the

dog'

s m

enta

l sta

-bi

lity,

end

uran

ce, s

truc

tura

l eff

icie

ncie

s,

abili

ty to

sce

nt, w

illin

gnes

s to

wor

k, c

our-

age,

and

train

abili

ty.

This

wor

king

dog

spo

rt of

fers

an

oppo

rtu-

nity

for d

og o

wne

rs to

trai

n th

eir d

og a

nd

com

pete

with

eac

h ot

her f

or r

ecog

nitio

n of

bo

th th

e ha

ndle

r's a

bilit

y to

trai

n an

d th

e do

g's a

bilit

y to

per

form

as

requ

ired.

It i

s a

spor

t enj

oyed

by

pers

ons

of v

arie

d pr

ofes

-si

ons,

who

join

toge

ther

in a

cam

arad

erie

bo

rn o

f the

ir c

omm

on in

tere

st in

wor

king

w

ith th

eir d

ogs.

Pers

ons

of a

ll ag

es a

nd c

on-

ditio

ns o

f li

fe-e

ven

thos

e w

ith

sign

ifica

nt

disa

bilit

ies

-enj

oy

Schu

tzhu

nd

as a

spor

t. O

ften,

it

is a

fam

ily

flW

ort

._

he

Th

ree

Par

ts o

f a S

chu

tzh

un

d T

rial

The

trac

king

pha

se in

clud

es a

tem

pera

-m

ent t

est b

y th

e ov

erse

eing

judg

e to

ass

ure

the

dog's

men

tal s

ound

ness

. Whe

n ap

proa

ched

clo

sely

on

a lo

ose

leas

h, t

he d

og

shou

ld n

ot a

ct s

hyly

or a

ggre

ssiv

ely.

The

tra

ck is

laid

ear

lier b

y a

pers

on w

alki

ng n

or-

mal

ly o

n a

natu

ral s

urfa

ce s

uch

as d

irt o

r gr

ass.

The

track

incl

udes

a n

umbe

r of t

urns

an

d a

num

ber o

f sm

all,

man

-mad

e ob

ject

s le

ft by

this

per

son

on th

e tra

ck it

self.

At t

he

end

of a

30-

foot

leas

h, t

he h

andl

er fo

llow

s th

e do

g, w

hich

is e

xpec

ted

to s

cent

the

track

an

d in

dica

te th

e lo

catio

n of

the

obje

cts,

usu-

ally

by

lyin

g do

wn

with

it b

etw

een

its f

ront

pa

ws.

The

track

ing

phas

e is

inte

nded

to te

st

the

dog's

trai

n abi

lity

and

abili

ty to

sce

nt, a

s w

ell a

s its

men

tal a

nd p

hysi

cal e

ndur

ance

. Th

e ob

edie

nce

phas

e in

clud

es a

serie

s of

he

elin

g ex

erci

ses,

som

e of

whi

ch a

re c

lose

ly

in a

nd a

roun

d a

grou

p of

peo

ple.

Dur

ing

the

heel

ing,

the

re is

a g

un s

hot t

est t

o as

sure

th

at th

e do

g do

es n

ot o

penl

y re

act t

o su

ch

shar

p no

ises

. The

re is

also

a'se

ries

offi

eld

exer

cise

s in

whi

ch th

e do

g is

com

man

ded

to

sit,

lie d

own,

and

sta

nd w

hile

the

hand

ler

cont

inue

s to

mov

e. Fr

om th

ese

vario

us p

osi-

tions

, the

dog

is r

ecal

led

to th

e ha

ndle

r. W

ith d

umbb

ells

of v

ario

us w

eigh

ts,

the

dog

is re

quire

d to

ret

rieve

on

a fla

t sur

face

, ove

r a

one-

met

er h

urdl

e, a

nd o

ver a

six-

foot

sl

ante

d w

all.

The

dog

is al

so a

sked

to r

un in

di

rect

ion

from

Mdl

eL.W

l,.c

om-

~an~ie d

_n

a

• co

tWfll

Mttd

.

Fina

lly, e

ach

dog

is ex

pect

ed to

sta

y in

a

lyin

g do

wn

posi

tion

away

from

its

han

dler

, de

spite

dis

tract

ions

, at t

he o

ther

end

of t

he

obed

ienc

e fie

ld,

whi

le a

noth

er d

og c

om-

plet

es th

e ab

ove

exer

cise

s. A

ll of

the

obed

i-en

ce e

xerc

ises

are

test

s of

the

dog'

s te

mpe

ram

ent,

stru

ctur

al e

ffic

ienc

ies,

and

, ve

ry im

porta

ntly

, its

will

ingn

ess

to s

erve

m

an o

r wom

an.

The

pro

tect

ion

phas

e te

sts

the

dog'

s co

urag

e, p

hysi

cal s

tren

gth,

and

agi

lity.

The

ha

ndle

r's c

ontro

l of t

he d

og is

abs

olut

ely

esse

ntia

l. Th

e ex

erci

ses

incl

ude

a se

arch

of

hidi

ng p

lace

s, f

indi

ng a

hid

den

pers

on (

act-

ing

as a

hum

an d

ecoy

), an

d gu

ardi

ng th

at

deco

y w

hile

the

hand

ler

appr

oach

es.

The

dog

is ex

pect

ed to

pur

sue

the

deco

y w

hen

an

esca

pe is

atte

mpt

ed a

nd to

hol

d th

e gr

ip

firm

ly.

The

deco

y is

sear

ched

and

tran

s-po

rted

to th

e ju

dge

with

the

hand

ler

and

dog

wal

king

beh

ind

and

late

r at t

he d

ecoy

's rig

ht

side

. W

hen

the

deco

y at

tem

pts

to a

ttack

the

hand

ler,

the

dog

is ex

pect

ed to

sto

p th

e at

tack

with

a fi

rm

grip

and

no

hesi

tatio

n.

The

final

tes

t of

cour

age

occu

rs

whe

n th

e de

coy

is as

ked

to c

ome

out

of a

hid

ing

plac

e by

th

e do

g's

hand

ler

from

the

opp

osite

en

d of

the

tria

l fie

ld.

The

dog

is se

nt a

fter

the

deco

y w

hen

he a

ttem

pts

to r

un a

way

. Jus

t whe

n th

e do

g is

abou

t to

catc

h th

e de

coy,

the

judg

e si

gnal

s th

e de

coy

to tu

rn a

bout

and

run

dire

ctly

at t

he d

og,

thre

aten

ing

the

dog

with

a st

ick.

All

bite

s du

ring

the

prot

ectio

n ph

ase

are

expe

cted

to

be fi

rmly

pla

ced

on th

e pa

dded

sle

eve

and

stop

ped

on c

omm

and

and/

or w

hen

the

deco

y di

scon

tinue

s th

e fig

ht.

The

prot

ectio

n te

sts

_, ar~nde~ssur~ the~s ne~

t~owa"""'r a

c""

,",a

l m~e.

•

he

Sch

utz

hu

nd

-Tra

ined

Do

g i

n t

he

Ho

me

Sinc

e Sc

hutz

hund

is th

e de

mon

stra

tion

of th

e G

erm

an S

heph

erd

dog'

s m

ost d

esir-

able

cha

ract

eris

tics,

dog

s w

ell t

rain

ed in

Sc

hutz

hund

are

usu

ally

exc

elle

nt c

ompa

n-io

ns in

the

hom

e. T

he G

erm

an S

heph

erd

Dog

-lik

e an

y ot

her w

orki

ng d

og th

at p

os-

sess

es m

enta

l sta

bilit

y -ha

s tr

ust a

nd c

onfi-

denc

e in

itse

lf, a

llow

ing

it to

be

at p

eace

w

ith it

s su

rrou

ndin

gs.

In a

dditi

on to

sou

nd s

truc

tura

l eff

icie

ncie

s fo

r lo

ng, a

rduo

us w

ork,

the

sta

ndar

d fo

r the

G

erm

an S

heph

erd

Dog

cal

ls fo

r men

tal s

ta-

bilit

y an

d a

will

ingn

ess

to w

ork.

The

dog

sh

ould

be

appr

oach

able

, qui

etly

sta

ndin

g its

gr

ound

, sh

owin

g co

nfid

ence

and

a w

illin

g-ne

ss to

mee

t ove

rture

s w

ithou

t its

elf n

eces

-sa

rily

mak

ing

them

. It s

houl

d be

gen

eral

ly

calm

, but

eag

er a

nd a

lert

whe

n th

e si

tuat

ion

war

rant

s. I

t sho

uld

be fe

arle

ss,

but a

lso g

ood

with

chi

ldre

n.

The

Ger

man

She

pher

d D

og s

houl

d no

t be

timid

or r

eact

ner

vous

ly to

unu

sual

sou

nds

or s

ight

s. A

dog

that

is o

verly

agg

ress

ive

beca

use

of it

s ov

eral

l fea

rs o

f peo

ple

and

even

ts c

an b

e ex

trem

ely

dang

erou

s. Th

e Sc

hutz

hund

spo

rt is

desi

gned

to id

entif

y an

d el

imin

ate

such

dog

s fro

m b

reed

ing

stoc

k.

Bec

ause

Sch

utzh

und

train

ing

give

s th

e ow

ner a

gre

at d

eal o

f con

trol o

ver t

he d

og,

the

owne

r is

able

to le

t the

dog

hav

e m

ore

fun.

Not

onl

y is

Schu

tzhu

nd tr

aini

ng it

self

enjo

yabl

e fo

r the

dog

, but

the

Schu

tzhu

nd-

train

ed d

og k

now

s ho

w to

ple

ase

its o

wne

rs,

crea

ting

a st

rong

er b

ond

betw

een

dog

and

owne

rs.

e S

chu

tzh

un

d-T

rain

ed D

og

fo

r P

oli

ce

Wo

rk

'."'"

A do

g th

at p

erfo

rms

wel

l in

Schu

tzhu

nd

wor

k is

obvi

ousl

y a

very

goo

d ca

ndid

ate

for

polic

e w

ork.

Pol

ice

dogs

, lik

e ot

her s

ervi

ce

dogs

, mus

t hav

e te

mpe

ram

ents

with

a g

ood

foun

datio

n of

inte

llige

nce

and

utili

ty. A

min

-im

al a

mou

nt o

f add

ition

al tr

aini

ng m

akes

man

y w

ell-t

rain

ed S

chut

zhun

d do

gs r

eady

fo

r act

ive

polic

e du

ty. S

uch

fear

less

pol

ice

dogs

can

also

wor

k ar

ound

chi

ldre

n an

d in

cr

owds

with

out w

orry

on

the

part

of t

heir

ha

ndle

rs.

,.Ino

os1n

1! a

Pu

pp

y f

or

Sch

utz

hu

nd

In e

very

bre

ed, t

he p

edig

ree

is th

e ke

y to

kno

win

g th

e po

tent

ial o

f the

pup

py.

Schu

tzhu

nd re

volv

es a

roun

d w

orki

ng l

ines

-ge

nera

tions

of d

ogs

that

hav

e pr

oven

them

-se

lves

and

pro

duce

d si

mila

r cha

ract

eris

tics

in th

eir

offs

prin

g. T

hese

cha

ract

eris

tics

incl

ude

not o

nly

the

phys

ical

str

uctu

re o

f th

e do

g, w

hich

is v

ery

impo

rtant

, but

also

its

tem

pera

men

t. Se

lect

ing

the

bloo

dlin

es fr

om w

hich

you

w

ant y

our p

uppy

may

req

uire

adv

ice.

In

form

atio

n fro

m b

reed

sur

veys

can

hel

p.

Of c

ours

e, i

t mak

es s

ense

to d

iscu

ss y

our

obje

ctiv

es w

ith r

eput

able

and

exp

erie

nced

Sc

hutz

hund

han

dler

s or

ent

husi

asts

. O

nce

you

have

det

erm

ined

that

the

bloo

d-lin

es o

f the

pot

entia

l dam

and

sire

are

of

high

qua

lity,

you

sho

uld

obse

rve

the

pare

nts,

es

peci

ally

the

mot

her,

if th

at is

at a

ll po

ssi-

ble.

The

dam

will

be

the

mai

n in

fluen

ce o

n th

e yo

ung

pup

for

the

first

six

wee

ks o

f its

lif

e. I

f the

dam

is n

ervo

us o

r uns

ure,

ch

ance

s ar

e th

is u

ncer

tain

ty w

ill b

e tra

ns-

ferr

ed to

the

offs

prin

g.

If yo

u ar

e ab

le to

see

the

litte

r, w

atch

the

pupp

ies

toge

ther

and

also

sep

arat

ely,

to

try

to d

eter

min

e w

hich

is th

e be

st p

uppy

. Obv

i-ou

s st

ruct

ural

def

ects

or h

ealth

pro

blem

s sh

ould

be

wat

ched

for.

It is

impo

rtant

that

the

pupp

y ha

ve in

tens

e

inst

inct

to s

talk

the

pre

y-a

bal

l, a

toy,

etc

. -

and

also

be

the

lead

er in

the

sens

e of

bul

-ly

ing

the

othe

r pup

pies

. The

pup

py s

houl

d no

t sho

w fe

ar w

hen

away

from

its

litte

r m

ates

. It s

houl

d no

t nee

d to

sta

y w

ith th

e m

othe

r. Th

e pu

ppy

shou

ld b

e ad

vent

urou

s an

d ac

tive,

pla

ying

with

obj

ects

sho

wn

to i

t by

som

eone

in th

e en

clos

ure,

but

it sh

ould

be

inde

pend

ent e

noug

h to

take

that

obj

ect

and

go o

ff o

n its

ow

n as

wel

l. It

is in

depe

nden

ce a

nd c

onfid

ence

, com

-bi

ned

with

the

posi

tive

cont

act w

ith th

e pa

ck le

ader

(th

e da

m,

at th

is ti

me)

tha

t will

de

velo

p in

to th

e tr

aits

of t

rain

abili

ty t

hat

you

need

.

RaiS

ing

a P

up

py

fo

r S

chu

tzh

un

d W

ork

-r P

uppy

hood

is th

e m

ost c

ritic

al p

erio

d fo

r th

e de

velo

pmen

t of t

he c

hara

cter

istic

s yo

u w

ant t

o en

cour

age.

You

r loc

al S

chut

zhun

d cl

ub c

an a

dvis

e yo

u ab

out n

urtu

ring

and

so

cial

izin

g yo

ur g

row

ing

pupp

y.

A pu

ppy

lear

ns fr

om it

s ex

perie

nces

, so

you

wan

t to

prov

ide

only

pos

itive

one

s. It

sh

ould

be

prov

ided

with

opp

ortu

nity

to

expl

ore

and

inve

stig

ate

new

situ

atio

ns a

nd

new

peo

ple,

but

alw

ays

in a

non

-thr

eatin

g w

ay. R

emem

ber t

hat y

our g

oal i

s to

bui

ld

conf

iden

ce in

the

you

ng a

min

al. Y

our a

im

is no

t to

dom

inat

e or

opp

ress

the

youn

g pu

p.

Expo

sure

to d

iffer

ent e

nviro

nmen

ts is

cru

-ci

al to

the

gene

ral e

duca

tion

of th

e do

g an

d al

so to

ass

ure

it th

at th

e w

orld

is a

safe

pl

ace.

If s

omet

hing

app

ears

to m

ake

the

dog

unsu

re, g

ive

it th

e op

portu

nity

to in

vest

igat

e it

slow

ly, b

ut d

o no

t for

ce t

he is

sue.

It

is im

pera

tive

to a

void

situ

atio

ns w

here

yo

ur d

og w

ould

be

dom

inat

ed b

y an

othe

r, ol

der o

r stro

nger

dog

, or b

y an

othe

r pup

py.

You

also

wan

t to

avoi

d ha

ving

to d

isci

plin

e or

cor

rect

you

r pup

py a

nd th

us d

ampe

n its

sp

irit o

r dam

age

its s

elf-

conf

iden

ce. Y

ou c

an

do th

is b

y ne

ver l

eavi

ng th

e pu

p in

a si

tua-

tion

whe

re it

can

cau

se d

amag

e to

you

r va

luab

les

or fi

nd i

tsel

f in

a da

nger

ous

pred

iram

ent..

"'.' -

-chu

tzhu

nd A

roun

d th

e W

orld

The

first

Sch

utzh

und

trial

was

hel

d in

G

erm

any

in 1

901

to e

mph

asiz

e th

e co

rrec

t w

orki

ng te

mpe

ram

ent a

nd a

bilit

y in

the

Ger

man

She

pher

d br

eed.

Orig

inal

ly, t

hese

do

gs w

ere

herd

ing

dogs

, but

the

indu

stria

l-iz

atio

n of

Ger

man

y en

cour

aged

bre

eder

s to

pr

omot

e th

e us

e of

thei

r dog

s as

pol

ice

and

mlli

tary

dog

s. Th

e V

erel

n fli

r Deu

tsch

e Sc

hafe

rhun

de (S

V) ,

the

pare

nt c

lub,

bec

ame

conc

erne

d th

at th

is w

ould

lead

to c

arel

ess

bree

ding

and

und

esira

ble

traits

suc

h as

men

-ta

l ins

tabi

lity,

so

it de

velo

ped

the

Schu

tzhu

nd te

st.

Sinc

e th

en, m

any

othe

r cou

ntrie

s an

d w

orki

ng d

og o

rgan

izat

ions

hav

e al

so a

dopt

ed

Schu

tzhu

nd a

s a

spor

t and

a te

st o

f wor

king

pe

rfor

man

ce in

dog

s. In

tern

atio

nal r

ules

ha

ve b

een

esta

blis

hed,

and

they

are

adm

in-

iste

red

by th

e V

erei

n fU

r Deu

tsch

e H

unde

s-po

rt (V

DH

). In

197

0 th

e fir

st S

chut

zhun

d tri

al in

the

U.S

. was

hel

d in

Cal

iforn

ia. I

n 19

87, t

he

Uni

ted

Schu

tzhu

nd C

lubs

of A

mer

ica

alon

e sa

nctio

ned

near

ly 3

00 tr

ials

with

a to

tal

entry

of a

bout

1,8

00 d

oglh

andl

er te

ams.

Mor

e th

an 1

7 co

untri

es s

ent t

eam

s of

com

-pe

titor

s to

the

Wor

ld C

ham

pion

ship

for

Schu

tzhu

nd d

ogs

from

the

Wor

ld U

nion

of

Ger

man

She

pher

d C

lubs

.

he S

chut

zhun

d T

itle

s

Ther

e ar

e th

ree

leve

ls of

the

Schu

tzhu

nd

test

. For S

chut

zhun

d I t

he d

og m

ust b

e at

leas

t 14

mon

ths

old

and

pass

an

initi

al te

mpe

ra-

men

t tes

t by

the

judg

e. ,T

he d

o! m

ust h

eel

on th

e le

ash

and

off,

dem

onst

rate

the

wal

k-in

g si

t, th

e w

alki

ng d

own,

and

the

stay

te

sts,

as w

ell a

s th

e se

nd-o

ut. I

t mus

t re

triev

e on

the

flat a

nd o

ver a

hur

dle.

In

track

ing,

it m

ust b

e ab

le to

follo

w a

trac

k '-

y i~ler ~t2~tes"

lier .. Th

~r~ ar

eaJ~

QprQ

tect

iQn

test

s.

..

For S

chut

zhun

d II

the

dog

mus

t be

at

leas

t 16

mon

ths

old

and

mus

t alre

ady

have

ea

rned

its

Schu

tzhu

nd I

deg

ree.

It m

ust

agai

n pa

ss a

U of

the

obed

ienc

e an

d pr

otec

-tio

n te

sts

requ

ired

for

the

Schu

tzhu

nd I

de

gree

, but

thos

e te

sts,

for

Sch

utzh

und

II,

are

mad

e m

ore

diff

icul

t and

req

uire

gre

ater

en

dura

nce,

agi

lity,

and

, ab

ove

all,

cont

rol.

Ther

e is

an a

dditi

onal

ret

rieve

req

uire

d ov

er

the

six

foot

sla

nted

wal

l. In

trac

king

, th

e Sc

hutz

hund

II c

andi

date

mus

t be

able

to fo

l-Io

wa

track

laid

by

a st

rang

er a

t lea

st 3

0 m

inut

es e

arlie

r. Fo

r Sch

utzh

und

III,

the

mas

ter's

deg

ree,

th

e do

g m

ust b

e at

leas

t 18

mon

ths

old

and

mus

t hav

e ea

rned

bot

h th

e Sc

hutz

hund

I a

nd

the

Schu

tzhu

nd II

title

s. A

gain

, the

test

s no

w a

re m

ade

far

mor

e di

ffic

ult.

All

exer

-ci

ses

in o

bedi

ence

and

pro

tect

ion

are

dem

-on

stra

ted

off l

eash

. The

re is

the

addi

tion

of

a w

alki

ng a

nd ru

nnin

g st

and.

In

track

ing,

th

e do

g m

ust f

ollo

w a

trac

k th

at w

as la

id b

y a

stra

nger

at l

east

50

min

utes

ear

lier.

The

track

has

four

turn

s, c

ompa

red

with

two

turn

s fo

r Sch

utzh

und

I and

II, a

nd th

ere

are

thre

e ob

ject

s, ra

ther

than

two,

tha

t mus

t be

foun

d by

the

dog.

The

pic

ture

of o

bedi

ence

, st

reng

th, e

ager

ness

, and

con

fiden

ce p

re-

sent

ed b

y an

exc

elle

nt S

chut

zhun

d III

team

is

a be

autif

ul il

lust

ratio

n of

the

partn

ersh

ip

of h

uman

and

dog

. In

add

ition

to th

e Sc

hutz

hund

tem

pera

-m

ent t

ests

, th

e U

nite

d Sc

hutz

hund

Clu

bs o

f A

mer

ica

offe

r thr

ee tr

aini

ng d

egre

es:

the

FH, a

n ad

vanc

ed tr

acki

ng d

egre

e; t

he B

, a

basi

c ob

edie

nce

degr

ee fo

r tra

ffic

-saf

e co

m-

pani

on d

ogs;

and

the

WH

, or b

asic

pro

tec-

tion

degr

ee w

hich

incl

udes

bas

ic o

bedi

ence

.

he V

alue

to

the

Bre

ed

-A

ny r

egis

tere

d G

erm

an S

heph

erd

that

has

ea

rned

a S

chut

zhun

d de

gree

has

dem

on-

stra

ted

suff

icie

nt a

bilit

y as

a w

orki

ng d

og to

qu

alify

for b

reed

eva

luat

ion.

The

bre

ed e

val-

tio

n_

ery

~d e~ati~he

dog'

s st

ruct

ure,

tem

pera

men

t, an

d pe

digr

ee

and

requ

ires

both

a c

ertif

icat

ion

of g

ood

hip

join

ts a

nd s

uffic

ient

per

form

ance

on

an

endu

ranc

e te

st (

the

AD

). D

ogs

that

do

wel

l in

the

bree

d ev

alua

tion

rece

ive

a K

oerk

lass

e lo

r K

oerk

lass

e II

. Th

is is

a re

com

men

datio

n an

d ev

alua

tion

by a

trai

ned

and

reco

gniz

ed

expe

rt ju

dge

as to

the

wor

thin

ess

of th

e do

g fo

r bre

edin

g. D

ogs

rate

d K

oerk

lass

II a

re

"sui

tabl

e fo

r bre

edin

g" a

nd d

ogs

rate

d K

oerk

lass

e I a

re "

reco

mm

ende

d fo

r bre

ed-

ing~'

By th

us s

cree

ning

dog

s in

ord

er to

se

lect

the

suita

ble

spec

imen

s fo

r br

eedi

ng,

Schu

tzhu

nd h

elps

to m

aint

ain

the

qual

ity o

f th

e br

eed

at a

ver

y hi

gh le

vel.

Thus

, th

ere

is a

very

hig

h le

vel o

f ass

uran

ce t

hat p

uppi

es

born

to S

chut

zhun

d da

ms

and

sire

d by

Sc

hutz

hund

dog

s ar

e m

ore

likel

y to

be

of

relia

ble

tem

pera

men

t, hi

gh in

telli

genc

e,

stea

dy n

erve

s, ex

trem

e en

dura

nce,

gre

at

stre

ngth

, and

sou

nd s

truc

ture

.

hat

Is th

e Ju

dge

Loo

king

for

in th

e ~"'Dog?

At a

ll th

ree

stag

es-S

chut

zhun

d I,

II, a

nd

III -

each

of t

he th

ree

phas

es:

obed

ienc

e,

track

ing,

and

pro

tect

ion,

is w

orth

100

po

ints

, for

a to

tal o

f 300

poi

nts.

If a

dog

doe

s no

t rec

eive

a m

inim

um o

f 70%

of t

he p

oint

s in

trac

king

and

obe

dien

ce a

nd 8

0 % of

the

poin

ts in

pro

tect

ion

-or

if th

e do

g fa

ils t

he

pret

rial

tem

pera

men

t tes

t-it

is n

ot

awar

ded

a de

gree

tha

t day

and

mus

t rep

eat

the

entir

e te

st, p

assi

ng a

ll ph

ases

of t

he te

st

at a

late

r tr

ial.

In e

very

eve

nt,

the

judg

e is

look

ing

for

an e

ager

, co

ncen

tratin

g, a

ccu-

rate

wor

king

dog

. H

igh

ratin

gs a

nd s

core

s ar

e gi

ven

to th

e an

imal

tha

t dis

play

s a

stro

ng w

ill-

ingn

ess

and

abili

ty to

w

ork

for i

ts

hum

an

hand

ler. -

Name

u

Representing

7 -,

Bill No.

.tl()~k,,~ c+-., TJ~'; A:»oc, stS 157 I

" Ii II I(

h.

VISITOR REGISTER

Check One

Support Oppose

(

(

(

PLEASE LEAVE PREPARED STATEMENT WITH COMMITTEE SECRETARY

FIe.

minutes committee on local government · 2015. 5. 5. · minutes montana senate 53rd legislature -...

Documents