Protection Sports Association (PSA)

American Schutzhund has no parallel governing organizations in the United States. PSAK9-AS — the Protection Sports Association (PSA K9, Inc.) and its American Schutzhund program — writes the rulebook, licenses every titling event, certifies judges and helpers, runs the annual Nationals, and maintains the scorebooks. One ladder, one rulebook, one database. Many AS handlers also train and trial in IGP or PSA, but those titles do not transfer into the AS system. Eligibility runs through behavior and temperament rather than pedigree — all breeds eligible on paper, but two gates apply before AS titles: a dog aggression test, then the BT or BTX.

PSA K9, Inc. is the sole sanctioning authority for PSA titles in the United States. Unlike Barn Hunt, there is no cross-org pedigree recognition program — AKC and UKC do not list PSA titles on their pedigrees. Many PSA clubs also train and trial American Schutzhund, and PSA membership is valid for both — but PSA titles are defined and recorded only by PSA itself. Membership and a scorebook are required to compete.