P.S.A.
P.S.A is another bite sport that has grown super popular in North America! It was started in 2001 by Jerry Bradshaw and Joe Morris. It is a 2 phase sport consisting of Obedience and Protection. It has an Entry level title that must be passed before going to the competitive levels (think BH but it includes bitework). Each level of PSA must be passed twice before achieving the title. I will say from my personal experience I do think PSA puts more pressure on the dog from the decoys as well as the environmental distractions on the field. This is a scenario based sport where the no two trials will be identical which makes it pretty much impossible to pattern train the dog, and the higher levels will include surprise scenarios in both obedience and protection.
Obedience is scored starting at 100 points and will fluctuate based on how your dog does in different scenarios. There is an extra challenge in the PSA levels 1-3. In the level 1 the suited decoy sits on a chair on the field, they will toss some distractions at your dog during the routine. In level 2 the decoy(s) will walk or jog around you and your dog as well as talk to you the handler throughout the routine. There is also a food refusal (as a owner of dogs with crazy high food drive I know this can be a difficult one to teach). The decoy will also attempt to distract the dog during the position change portion of the routine. In levels 1 and 2 the handler does know the routine during obedience. In the Level 3’s the routine is decided by the judge as a surprise scenario. It will all be skills your dog has demonstrated at he lower levels such as heeling, climbing, jumping, retrieves, food refusal and position changes. You will also have the added element of multiple decoys on the field while you are doing obedience, these decoys will be agitating and running at the dog while doing the heeling, stays and doing the motion excersies. If you dog bites during the obedience portion you will be disqualified.
Protection is scored anywhere from 200-240 points depending on the level you are trialing for. Level one has car jacking using a hidden sleeve (my personal favorite to watch), attack on the handler from a decoy that is hiding, the courage test under distraction and a surprise scenario. In level two there are 4 bite scenarios, 3 are known to the handler one is a surprise. They can include the above scenarios as well as a two decoy courage test, attacked coming from behind a vehicle, and a call off. A call off is when you send the dog to a bite and then call them back to you before the bite the decoy. In the level 3 it can include all of the above scenarios as well as muzzle fighting. The handler does not know the scenarios until the day of the trial.
The PDC has two different routes the PDC Suit Division which consists of the bitework portion being done on a suit and the PDC Sleeve Division. In order the move to the competitive levels of PSA you must pass the Suit Division. The sleeve Division is an awesome option for those IGP dogs that you want to start cross training and dip your toes into PSA with!!
