IGP sport · Personal protection · Est. 2012
Clear heads.Full grips.Real control.
Ironside is a working dog club and training center outside Fort Worth. We build IGP dogs that score in all three phases, and protection dogs a family can actually live with.
IGP: three phases, 300 points
One dog.Three disciplines.
IGP (Internationale Gebrauchshundprüfung) tests a dog's nose, its obedience and its courage, all on the same day and in front of a judge. A dog has to pass every phase with at least 70 of 100 points. That's why we train all three from day one.
Tracking
Nose down, deep and calm. Footstep tracks up to 600 paces, aged an hour, with articles the dog must indicate.
100 pts · min 70
Obedience
Heeling with joy and precision, retrieves over the hurdle and wall, a send-out, and a long down under distraction.
100 pts · min 70
Protection
Blind search, hold and bark, full calm grips under pressure, and a clean out on the handler's single command.
100 pts · min 70Club record · updated after every trial
Titles earnedon our field.
Every patch below is a title a club dog has earned under a licensed judge, counted since our first trial in 2013. Handlers of every level train here, from first BH-VT to national team tryouts.
- BH-VT 0× Companion dog & temperament test
- IGP 1 0× Utility dog, level 1
- IGP 2 0× Utility dog, level 2
- IGP 3 0× Utility dog, level 3
- IGP-FH 0× Tracking dog title
- AD 0× Endurance test
- FPr 0× Tracking phase title
- UPr 0× Obedience phase title
- SPr 0× Protection phase title
- KKL 0× Breed survey, GSD
Two paths, one standard
Sport or protection,temperament comes first.
A good IGP dog and a good protection dog have the same core: a clear head, a full grip, and an off-switch. We don't train dogs that lack the nerve for this work. We tell you so, and help you find what your dog is good at.
IGP sport
Club membership, private lessons and trial prep, from puppy foundation to IGP3.
Club & programs →Family protection
Fully trained, family-tested dogs and a 12-week handler course for the owner.
Protection dogs →
Head trainer · Cal Rourke
Eight years on a leashfor the Air Force.
Cal handled patrol and detection dogs as a USAF military working dog handler, including two deployments, then spent four years as a trainer at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
He started Ironside in 2012 with one Malinois, a borrowed sleeve and a hay field. Today he has put three dogs through IGP3, helps at trials as a certified helper, and has coached club handlers to eleven national championship starts.
- Former USAF MWD handler and kennel master
- DVG America certified trial helper since 2017
- 3 dogs titled to IGP3, 2 to IGP-FH
From the club
What handlers say
Names shortened at our members' request.
"I showed up with a Malinois who bit everything and listened to nothing. Two years later we walked off the trial field with an IGP2 and a V in protection."
"Cal told me my first dog wasn't suited for protection work. Hard to hear, and he was right. My second dog, picked with his help, is now IGP3."
"Our protection dog is calm with our kids, walks past people at the farmer's market, and still knows his job. That balance is why we chose Ironside."
Step one
Every dog startswith an evaluation.
Ninety minutes on our field. We test drive, grip, environmental nerve and how your dog handles pressure, then tell you honestly what your dog is suited for.