Taken from The Rules ? The Schutzhund Trainers League

"After the out and during the “Hold at Bay,” the dog should remain with the helper and watch him closely. If the dog leaves the helper or does not watch him closely, he cannot receive the Pronounced rating."

Silent guarding is staying with, but not barking at the helper after the out, before the helper attacks again. Nothing in the rules that suggest barking at this point in the routine is good or bad or required or not... In the blind, the dog must bark and hold.

I'm a little bit confused as to why no one that actually knows what silent guarding is all about has not already just explained it clearly....

Sorry if I broke some unspoken rule by actually offering an explanation...as a complete outsider, who does not compete in any dog sports whatsoever...

SunSilver, their is a really helpful discussion of the pros and cons of a silent guard on the PDB site!

 

A judge once said that what he wants to see in a silent guard is a dog staring intently, every muscle tense ready to engage at the slightest hint of an attack. A dog just sitting on its butt staring is not doing a correct silent guard.

 

This is what I imagined when I think of "silent guard."


Thank you @tim_s_adams for the quote and link. I wasn't sure if what I thought was a silent guard was a silent guard. I've never seen it.

 

This dog always showed a very intense silent guard IMO

 

This dog always showed a very intense silent guard IMO

Frank is very picky about the silent guard and what he wants to see.

 

How did a thread about WGSL conformation morph into a discussion about silent guard, lol ... still educational though!

Here's a very famous dog in probably not his best performance, lol, with an interesting silent guard .... not sure what to make of this one, but I am admittedly a complete novice when it comes to IPO.

 

How did a thread about WGSL conformation morph into a discussion about silent guard, lol ... still educational though!

Here's a very famous dog in probably not his best performance, lol, with an interesting silent guard .... not sure what to make of this one, but I am admittedly a complete novice when it comes to IPO.

https://youtu.be/RPnbJJgK-no

I'm curious, did he pass in this event?

 

If you have to go down, that's the way to go!

I don't think that was so much a silent guard as it was young dog confusion. He was only 3 in that video.

 

Could be, I would be interested to see if he still used a silent guard later in his life, but wasn't able to find any other videos of him unfortunately.

 

Maybe that is what he was trained to do. Here's a long bite

 

No, disqualified where the video ends.

 

Interesting... Wonder if it was to reign him in a bit or something. In the first video it looks like he not only won't out, but he actually anticipates the helpers second attack... Like he just can't wait to bite again, lol.

 

Could just be the way they did it in 1994. Lisa might be able to give insight on that.

He wasn't done fighting. <3

 

The out/down was often used for control with a dog that had an issue staying clean. I haven't seen a dog doing this in a long time.

 

One of the next videos after Yoschy is this one of Quardes:

Its hard sometimes to see intensity in videos, but look at the out after the escape bite. I think part of a strong silent guard is the way the out is very sharp off the sleeve. They snap off it and from this angle you can see the way he's a little coiled, really ready to strike.

 

That was an impressive performance! Definitely a convincing silent guard!

 

Looking at these videos of these GSD my question is why are these people in there everyday cloths & track suits & sweat pants. You don’t see people here dressed like that in CKC & AKC dog shows.

 

I don’t know that it would be a smart idea to try to do bitework or tracking in dressy clothes and non-athletic shoes.

 

I don't think it had anything to do with practicality. Plain and simple....IPO is about the dog. Not about the fashion of the handler. Totally different mindset of what's important.

 

I figured it made sense for the people on the field to be comfortably dressed (hence, practical), but I do think there’s a much different emphasis on the visual - including the handler - in a conformation ring.




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Our handlers wear suits and athletic shoes to show shepherds. The rest of us at the dog show look like we’ve been cleaning out the garage.

 

Looking at these videos of these GSD my question is why are these people in there everyday cloths & track suits & sweat pants. You don’t see people here dressed like that in CKC & AKC dog shows.

In these trials conformation is only one part of the show. You also are doing bitework, obedience and tracking with the dog in large fields. Half the time the fields are muddy and you're tracking through tall grass, weeds, etc. The sport is taxing and people dress appropriately for it. It's not just about the conformation ring.

I also know the UKC is more laid back on dress. I've worn jeans and a t-shirt to a UKC show. But I always wear my running gear to SV/USCA shows. Nobody cares what the handler wears, so why not be comfortable? We also run A LOT in the conformation ring. The dogs need to be moving at a fast trot and we go round and round, both on and off leash. So, again, if you can be comfortable, why not?

 

SV shows involve lots of running/gaiting behind the dog at a fast speed. So, it's understandable that most competitors wear track suits and jogging shoes! I see nothing wrong with it. They are most often dressed in their kennel colours, or have t-shirts/jackets that identify their kennel, and it looks very nice and professional.

 

Here is another silent guard. I believe this was during the 2009 BSP, might have lot of points during the side transport. Dog is poised to strike till the handler comes nearby when he somewhat relaxes.

 

"lost" points during side transport