IGP Equipment Checklist for Beginners

Short answer: to start IGP you need a trial-style single-row chain collar, a flat collar and lead, a tracking line with a harness or collar, trial-style tracking articles, a 650 g wooden dumbbell, a tug or bite pillow for foundation work, and handler kit with pockets for rewards.

In our experience, clubs usually provide the hurdle, wall, blinds, sleeves and the helper. Buy for the stage your dog is at, not for IGP-3 on day one.

IGP, formerly known as IPO or Schutzhund, is the international utility dog trial of the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale). It has tracking, obedience and protection phases.

Our team includes World and National Champion trainers. New handlers often spend money on kit they won't need for a year and miss the basics they need every session.

This checklist follows the three IGP phases, tracking, obedience and protection, and is checked against the FCI-IGP 2025 rules, in force since 1 January 2025.

On this page

• Before you start: what the rules require
• Phase A: tracking checklist
• Phase B: obedience checklist
• Phase C: protection checklist
• Handler kit
• What to buy first, by stage
• FAQs

Before you start: what the rules require

Phase A: tracking checklist

• Tracking line at the length you will trial at (5 m for IGP-1, 10 m for IGP-2/3)
• Böttcher or chest harness, or track on the loose collar
• Trial-size articles (10 cm × 2–3 cm × 0.5–1 cm) in different materials such as leather, wood and felt
• Flags to mark the start and corners
• A bag for articles, treats and a logbook

Our tracking harness and line guide covers each item in detail.

Shop: Böttcher Leather Dog Tracking Harness · Schweikert Tracking Articles Sets · Schweikert Cotton Work Lead 5m

At IGP-1 the three articles are your own; at IGP-2 and IGP-3 they belong to the stranger who lays the track. The start is marked with a starting pole or flag pushed into the ground to the left of the scent pad (FCI-IGP 2025, p.36).

Phase B: obedience checklist

• Trial chain collar. Single-row, worn loose. We stock Herm Sprenger's single-row long-link chain, which Sprenger describes as coat-friendly and slips over the head. Check with your club that the collar you choose meets the trial requirement.
• Flat collar and lead for everyday handling and ID tags.
• A 650 g wooden dumbbell, the weight for the IGP-1 flat retrieve and every hurdle and wall retrieve. Add 1 kg and 2 kg later. See our IGP dumbbell guide.
• A hold-training bar or adjustable dumbbell if your dog mouths the bar.
• Rewards you can carry hidden: a ball on a string, a small tug, and food.
• Hurdle and wall: usually provided by the club. Under the 2025 rules the hurdle is 100 cm high and the wall 160 cm vertical.

Shop: Herm Sprenger Fur Saver Chain Collar Long Links 3mm · Schweikert IPO / IGP Dumbbell · Sporthund IGP 1 Dumbbell 650g

You must also carry a lead throughout the trial, either out of sight or worn with the clip on the side away from your dog's working side (FCI-IGP 2025, p.13).

Phase C: protection checklist

Protection work must be done with an experienced club and helper (trainer guidance). The trial organiser provides the helper's protective equipment; your job at the start is mostly foundation work.

• Foundation bite kit: a soft tug, then a bite pillow and a handled cushion, building towards a puppy sleeve. Our bite tug and bite pillow guide takes you through each stage.
• Agitation or work harness and a sturdy lead, if your helper asks for one.
• Blinds for the blind search: clubs usually have full-size blinds. For practice at home, Sporthund's mini hide is 1 m high and weighs 2 kg; Sporthund suggests five mini hides plus one full-size hide are enough for blind-search training.

In a trial, a dog that bites the helper anywhere other than the protection sleeve is disqualified.

Shop: Sporthund Puppy Hollow Bite Pillow · Sporthund Mini Protection Hide / Blind

Helper kit: under the FCI-IGP 2025 rules the helper wears protective clothing (protection trousers, a protection jacket, a sleeve, a cup and, if needed, gloves), carries the sleeve close and in front of the body, and uses a padded (soft) stick above the sleeve without hitting the dog (p.64–66).

The rules don't give sizes for the sleeve, its cover or the stick. For clubs and helpers, we stock:

The Sporthund competition sleeve takes its own competition sleeve cover (standard covers don't fit). The Sporthund jute cover has a universal fit and fits most standard bite sleeves. The Schweikert Extra Strong cover is made for Schweikert sleeves, including the JÖRG.

Handler kit

• Somewhere to hide rewards. The IQ Dogsport Multifunctional Training Belt has a large elastic back pocket that takes a bite pillow, built-in elastic food pockets, and two removable coated food pouches. It gives you full training function without a vest.
• Weatherproof training jacket or vest with secure pockets. See dog training jackets and vests: what to look for.
• Footwear with grip for wet grass and ploughed tracking fields (trainer guidance).

Shop: IQ Dogsport Multifunctional Dog Training Belt

What to buy first, by stage

This table is trainer guidance; the weights and line lengths come from the rules.

K9 Store is the exclusive UK distributor of Schweikert, Sporthund and IQ Dogsport. See all IGP and Schutzhund training equipment.

Shop by phase: IGP tracking, IGP obedience and IGP protection equipment. Starter kits: IGP Tracking Starter Kit, IGP Obedience Starter Kit and IGP Helper Kit (see all starter kits and bundles). Related guide: how to fit a fur saver collar.

FAQs

What collar is required in an IGP trial?

A single-row, loose-fitting, large-link chain collar, worn for the whole trial. A tracking harness can be worn in addition for the tracking phase.

How old does my dog need to be for IGP?

18 months for IGP-1, 19 months for IGP-2 and 20 months for IGP-3. The dog must have passed the BH/VT first, and that minimum age is set nationally but is never under 12 months.

Do I need to buy a bite sleeve?

Not at first. The helper uses the sleeve in protection work, and your club will advise when, or whether, you need your own puppy or young-dog sleeve for foundation work. Our guide to choosing a bite sleeve explains the options.

Which dumbbell should I buy first?

A 650 g wooden dumbbell for training. That weight is used for the IGP-1 flat retrieve and for all hurdle and wall retrieves. In the trial itself you use the organiser's dumbbells.

Can I use a prong collar or e-collar in a trial?

The rules require the single-row, loose chain collar to be worn throughout the trial, so plan to trial on that collar. For the UK law on training collars, read are prong collars legal in the UK? and are e-collars legal in the UK?

Starting out and not sure what you need? Email info@k9store.co.uk and one of our trainers will help.