The final test is the most misunderstood by
the general public, this is protection. The dog must be under complete
control at all times to get maximum points. The dog searches six
blinds (hiding places), where he finds the helper in blind #6. He
guards the helper by barking and without touching the man. The dog
must never bite the trial helper unless either the dog or the handler
is attacked, then he must attack fully and without hesitation, even
under severe threat and stick hits (given with a padded, noisy stick).
Here is where the real differences become apparent. The dog must
stop biting on command of the handler and guard the trial helper
without further biting. Often people confuse IPO protection training
with police dog, personal protection work or "guard dog"
training. While police dog training is legitimate (dogs and handlers
are certified), many (not all) "guard dog" trainers and
personal protection trainers are not. Some even may claim that they
do IPO, but in fact have never titled a dog. If you simply ask them
about trial rules and how they train the other two phases as well
and whether they have achieved any SchH/IPO titles this will answer
your question….. It takes a certain kind of dog to do this
work, be it Schutzhund/IPO or police/patrol dog, one with superior
temperament, courage and drives, healthy, predictable, discriminating
aggression (meaning that they can be easily taught when and when
NOT to bite), nerve stability and the ability to control its drives
under stress. Only this kind of dog is capable of the feats of not
being aggressive except in specific situations it is trained to
face, when there is a threat of him or his handler being hurt, and
even then it must always be under absolute control of the handler.
Many, many dogs are not cut out for this sport or any kind of protection
training.
The above tests are difficult enough, but to
make it even more demanding, they all happen in one day, except
in the championship trials where the tracking may be held on a different
day from the other two phases, split due to the large number of
entries and the locations of the tracking fields. These trials are
held by local clubs, in Regional, National, and World Championships.
The maximum number of points that a dog can achieve in each phase
is 100 pts for a total of 300. The minimum score to pass is 70-70-80
= 220 total.
When a dog successfully completes the first
trial, it is awarded a title of IPO1 (also the minimum level for
breeding), it can progress to IPO2, and then to the ultimate, IPO3,
which is the competition level. Each level makes greater demands
on the dog and training in all three areas. Any Schutzhunder will
tell you that a high scoring IPO3 dog can be the ultimate working
dog, one in thousands of working dogs.
In addition to the IPO 1, 2, and 3 titles, other titles can
be achieved in advanced tracking (FH1, FH2, IPO FH); the BH (similar
to the CD and CGC combined), which is the temperament test that
is required before titling in the IPO trials; police dog training
titles (DPO1 and 2), where the dog and handler have to be active
K9 officers; OB1-2; TR 1-3; Apr 1-3; and an endurance test (the
AD), where the dog has to complete 12.5 miles at a certain speed
mext to a bicycle. The AD is not a title, but a requirement for
the breed survey.
Today IPO is more than the small group that
started in Germany over one hundred years ago. Its organizations
have several hundred thousand members, scattered across Europe,
North America, and most other continents.
