The world of competition dog sports can be a little overwhelming for the uninitiated. Mondio Ring, French Ring, Belgian Ring, PSA, Schutzhund, IGP, IPO – you might have seen these names used on social media, or you may have even attended a trial or event for one or more of these sports. While they all share some commonalities, there are actually some key differences between them – which can influence your decision when it comes to choosing one for your dog.
In this article, we’re going to compare and contrast the similarities and differences between two of these sports – Mondio Ring and Schutzhund. We’ve written at length previously about Mondio Ring, and if you’re interested in learning more about Mondio specifically, we would encourage you to check out the information elsewhere on our website to help you get a deeper understanding:
Read on as we explore Mondio Ring and Schutzhund in more depth.
What is Mondio Ring?
Mondio Ring is an inclusive competition dog sport that is relatively recent compared to other sports, being developed in the 1980s by representatives from several countries. The sport tests a dog’s capability with obedience and protection skills. The first trial in the United States was in 2000, and the sport is administered in this country by the United States Mondio Ring Association (USMRA).
What is Schutzhund?
Schutzhund is a protection dog sport that was originally developed in Germany to test the working ability of German Shepherds (‘schutzhund’ is a German word that means protection dog). It tests a dog’s protection, tracking and obedience skills. The sport has been in existence for over a century, with interest spreading from Europe to the United States towards the end of the twentieth century.
Mondio Ring and Schutzhund - similarities and differences
Next, we’ll evaluate these two protection sports across a variety of different criteria so that you can easily see the similarities and differences between the two.
Origins
Mondio Ring: Originating in the 1980s, the principle behind Mondio Ring was to ‘level the playing field’ so that competitors in any of the major competitive dog sports (French Ring, Belgian Ring, etc.) could participate in a common sport.
Schutzhund: Schutzhund was developed in the early 1900s by German Shepherd breeders as a way to evaluate the traits, characteristics and aptitude of their GSDs for working dog tasks. The sport was then used for other German protection breeds, including the Dobermann and Rottweiler, before it spread to other parts of Europe and eventually North America.
Event Structure
Mondio Ring: A Mondio Ring event consists of three phases – obedience, agility and protection. Events are usually themed, and the field is set up with a variety of props, obstacles and distractions, all of which are unbeknown to the handler prior to the event. In each trial, the order in which the exercises are laid out are never the same, and the distractions are never the same either. Handlers must be able to prepare for unexpected scenarios and the dog must be able to deal with new and novel distractions.
It’s arguably one of the hardest dog sports in the world for the very reason that complete generalization is almost impossible to obtain. You can only train for what might happen. But the actual layout is always very different and a surprise to the handler and dog.
Schutzhund: Schutzhund follows a prescribed routine featuring obedience, protection and tracking. The event takes place on a standardized field that does not vary from event to event. Dogs and handlers follow the same routine in consecutive order that can be trained for in advance with predictability.
Schutzhund is still a very challenging event, but it is somewhat easier to prepare for, as the event follows the same structure each and every time.
Obedience
Mondio Ring: Mondio competitions always begin with the obedience component. Dogs must complete tasks such as heeling, a one minute absence (being away from their handler for 60 seconds with crazy novel distractions present), food refusal, retrieving items, scent discrimination, a Send-Out and more.
Schutzhund: In Schutzhund, dogs must complete skills including recalls, retrieves and heeling, all while another dog is present on the field and other distractions may be introduced.
Protection
Mondio Ring: In Mondioring, protection exercises are designed to test the dog’s courage, obedience, and stability under pressure.
Face Attack
The exercise begins with the decoy provoking the dog to test its steadiness. On command, the dog is sent from a long distance – often required to clear an obstacle – before engaging the decoy, who carries a baton. The dog loses points for every second it is not biting. After engagement, the handler must give a recall command (verbal or whistle), and the dog must release and return immediately.
Accessories
The dog must pass through various distractions—known as accessories—on its way to the bite. These can include pool noodles, streamers, or other obstacles designed to test the dog’s courage and focus. The decoy may use an esquive (a matador-style evasion). The dog loses points for each second it is not engaged in the bite if it misses on entry or after release.
Flee Attack
In this courage test, the dog is sent after a decoy running away at full speed. The dog must pursue, bite from behind, and maintain the hold while the decoy continues moving. During the bite, two blank gunshots are fired to test the dog’s stability under pressure.
Defense of Handler
This scenario is unknown to the handler until the day of trial, and completely unknown to the dog. The handler is asked to perform unusual tasks – such as picking up and playing a toy piano – while decoys attempt to distract or “steal” the dog. The dog must remain under control and only engage when the handler is physically struck by the decoy, known as the hit. There are two Decoys in the Defense of Handler. The Decoys will be talking continuously, while the handler is to remain silent. There will be a neutral handshake. The Decoys will occasionally attempt to trick the dog’s vigilance through deception. The dog should only bite when the hit comes. When the hit happens, the dog must bite the correct Decoy (the one who performed the hit). Once in the bite, the dog loses points for every second not biting. The judge will sound the horn signaling to the handler to ‘out’ the dog; the dog must out promptly, then must guard the decoy closely for five seconds, before another horn is given for the handler to recall the dog. The dog must release on command; failure to out promptly or the dog re-biting after the out results in deductions, and excessive delay leads to failure.
Object Guard
For this exercise, the handler leaves the dog to guard an assigned object – anything from a toy rocking horse to a tricycle. Two decoys move about operating in a 5m circle from the designated object, they take turns attempting to test whether the dog bites too soon outside of 5m or between the 2-5m range of the object. The dog may only engage in the bite if a decoy comes inside 2 meters of the object. If the object is taken and moved by the decoy beyond 10m, the exercise is failed.
Schutzhund: For the protection component of Schutzhund, a dog needs to search a field to find a person in hiding (the decoy). The dog must find the decoy and guard them. When the decoy flees, the dog must apprehend with a bite on the decoy’s bite sleeve. Finally, the dog will be sent after the decoy who is wielding a stick to intimidate the dog. The dog must respond promptly and appropriately.
Agility
Mondio Ring: In Mondio Ring, the agility phase consists of completing a palisade (height ranging from 1.8m to 2.3m, depending on the category of competition), a hurdle jump 1 to 1.2m, and a long jump from 3m to 4m. The height and lengths of a jump depends on what level the dog is competing at.
Schutzhund: there is a Hurdle Jump (1-meter jump): A-Frame (Scaling Wall): An angled where the dog scales the wall while retrieving a dumbbell.
Tracking
Mondio Ring: There is no judged tracking component in Mondio Ring. However, there is a Decoy search where the dog is “Trailing” which is a hybrid of air scenting and tracking to search for the decoy in a “Cold Trail” scenario in relation to SAR dog Trailing. There is also a scent discrimination exercise that can be compared to articles on a track in a tracking exercise.
Schutzhund: The competing dog must identify a series of dropped scent articles that eventually lead to the track layer. The dog is judged on how intently it indicates on the articles and how closely it follows the track.
Awards
Mondio Ring: Brevet (beginner), (obedience titles) (Ob1, Ob2 Ob3 (Obedience with jumps but no bitework) Obj 1, Obj 2 Obj 3 Mondio Ring full program with bitework: MR-1 (entry level), MR-2 (intermediate), MR-3 (advanced).
Schutzhund: BH-VT (beginner), IGP-1 (entry level), IGP-2 (intermediate), IGP-3 (advanced).
Other differences
Perhaps the main difference between Mondio Ring and Schutzhund is the style and culture of the two sports. Schutzhund is a very prescriptive, repeatable sport, where the routine does not change from event-to-event. This, in theory, can make it easier to train for, although there is a greater emphasis on precision. By contrast, Mondio Ring has a lot more variation from event-to-event, which changes depending on the theme of the trial and the layout of the field. This unpredictability forces dogs and handlers to be more creative in problem-solving.
In addition, in Mondio Ring, all exercises are completed without a leash or collar, and decoys wear full bite suits owing to the nature of the protection exercises. In Schutzhund, decoys will only wear a bite sleeve as dogs are trained to only target one part of the body (the arm).
Which sport is more suited to your dog?
It is important to consider this question not just from your dog’s perspective, but from your own viewpoint, too. If you are looking for a repeatable but demanding protection sport that follows the same process in each event you’ll participate in, then Schutzhund will be a better option for you. Mondio Ring is a far more varied and unpredictable sport, with an emphasis on problem-solving as opposed to repeating the same skills again and again. In some ways, this makes Mondio Ring more demanding, as it requires the dog to have the confidence and mental flexibility to adapt to different layouts in real-time. It is impossible to train for every eventuality in Mondio Ring, as no two events are the same.
Fundamentally, both Schutzhund and Mondio Ring (and indeed, all other protection sports) demand consistency in training from handler and dog. They also require a fundamental drive and desire to learn and perform under pressure. Without these qualities, a dog will struggle to consistently excel.
Whether you opt for Schutzhund, Mondio Ring, or another sport altogether, the most important thing at first is to enjoy the process of working with your dog. These activities are an excellent way to provide your dog (particularly if they are a high-energy, high-drive breed) with mental and physical stimulation, in addition to improving their overall behavior. The sports also emphasize a strong dog-handler bond and rely on exceptional levels of communication, both during training and competition.
If you’re interested in getting involved in a sport like Mondio Ring or Schutzhund, but don’t know where to begin, reach out to us today at info@k9evolutionsdogtraining.com. We have extensive experience in these environments, with a dog titled in Mondio Ring. We would be happy to guide you as you start your journey, or help if you’ve already started and need further support or training.
