If you are serious about getting better at what you do, then no matter who you are or what you’ve already accomplished, you keep your mind open to new ideas and always seek out information and knowledge. When you close your ears to knowledge you have capped yourself and set your own limitations. I try to always have an open mind to training ideas. When I hear the information

I play it through my head and give it my three prong test:

1. I picture whether or not I think it would work before doing it;
2. Would it work better than what I’m currently doing;
3. Would it apply to my personal dog and my abilities as a trainer.

Show me something that works better than what I’m currently doing and I’ll gladly accept that knowledge to better myself and my dogs.

There’s a lot of information out there about Schutzhund and German Shepherds overall. It’s important to sort out the good information from the bad though. Go to any chat room or dog forum online and read some of the terrible information being exchanged sometimes to people seeking to learn, from people playing computer dog trainers.

I’ve compiled a list of books that I feel would help a person wanting to learn. They have a wealth of information for the newcomer, and are also great information for the person already highly involved. I hope these books help someone become better at what they do and give them more enjoyment and satisfaction from the time they have training their dog. If you have a favorite book you’ve read and would like to share, email me. This page will be updated from time to time with new information where I can. Here they are, in no particular order.

The German Shepherd Dog
In Word and Picture
~Captain Max von Stephanitz

Royal Canin German Shepherd Encyclopedia
~Dominique Grandjean and Franck Haymann

The Total German Shepherd Dog
~Fred Lanting

The German Shepherd Book
~Susan Barwig

Schutzhund: Theory and Training Methods
~Susan Barwig and Stewart Hilliard

Advanced Schutzhund
~Ivan Balabanov, Karen Freeman Duet, Doug Loving

Der Schutzhund
(The Protection Dog)
A Training Manual
~Helmut Raiser, translated by Armin Winkler

Tracking: From the Beginning
~Gary Petterson

Training the Behavior
Tips, Techniques and Theory for the Working Dog Trainer
~Gary Petterson

Schutzhund Obedience: Training in Drive
with Gottfried Dildei
~Sheila Booth

Training Dogs
A Manual
~Colonel Konrad Most

Purely Positive Training: Companion to Competition
~Sheila Booth

Schutzhund Protection Training
~Gary Patterson

Training the Competitive Working Dog
~Gary Patterson and Tom Rose

The Police Service Dog
~Johannes Grewe

Top Working Dogs: A Training Manual–Tracking, Obedience, Protection
~Dietmar Schellenberg

I also highly recommend the following dog training videos:

Obedience Without Conflict: Clear Communication
~Ivan Balabanov

Obedience Without Conflict: The Game
~Ivan Balabanov

Schutzhund Training Courses
~Phil Hoelcher

Schutzhund Basic Obedience 1
~Gottfried Dildei

Schutzhund Advanced Obedience 2
~Gottfried Dildei

Schutzhund Obedience 3: A Modern View Of Correction
~Gottfried Dildei

Schutzhund Tracking
~Gottfried Dildei