Dog trainer Alex Cooper, from Essex, and his German Shepherd Banzai Vom Tiefgestade have become the first British team to win the 2025 RSV World Championship in Schutzhund dog sport.
The event, held from 3–5 October in Korbach, Germany, brought together leading working-dog handlers from across the world. Cooper and Banzai achieved 293 points, the highest score ever recorded by a British competitor in a world-level Schutzhund competition.
This was also Alex Cooper’s first world championship and only his third-ever participation in a major dog sport competition, following his victory at the 2021 Great Britain National IGP Championships with his previous German Shepherd, Jango.
Competition Results
Their phase scores were:
- Tracking: 99 / 100
- Obedience: 97 / 100
- Protection: 97 / 100
- Total: 293 / 300
Earlier in the season, they also earned a perfect protection score of 100 points during their qualification trial — an achievement that positioned them among the top contenders heading into the world event.
British Team Representation
Three British handlers represented the UK at the 2025 RSV World Championship.
1. Alex Cooper (RSVglobal Essex club)
First place overall and first British world champion in Schutzhund, scoring 293 points.
2. Antreas Lysandrou (RSVglobal Essex)
This is Antreas’ second appearance at the RSV World Championship, achieved his best-ever score with 272 points.
3. Gary Khakhian (RSVglobal Essex)
Competing in his first dog sport world championship, Gary earned 267 points in a strong debut performance. Their results mark the most successful collective showing to date for British competitors at a world-level Schutzhund event.
About Banzai – From Film Set to Field Work
Banzai’s route to competition was unconventional.
Before entering the world of Schutzhund, the German Shepherd was trained for the film industry, appearing in productions including Star Wars and Venom.
However, his strong drive and unpredictable behaviour led to his removal from film work. Cooper took Banzai on when he was two and a half years old, and began training him for working-dog sport. Now four years old, Banzai is competing — and winning — at the highest international level.
About Alex Cooper
Cooper’s involvement with dogs began early. He started training at the age of nine, working with his own mischievous Border Collie named Basil and helping a neighbour with gundog training for Labradors and Springer Spaniels.
After serving in the Royal Marines until the age of 22, Cooper got his first German Shepherd, Dylan, who later became a police dog. That experience introduced him to tracking, obedience, and protection training — which became his long-term focus.
Over the following 17 years, Cooper worked with more than 10,000 dogs, including those considered difficult or dangerous. He has held both a B Grade Helper Licence and Tracklayer Certification, and built a reputation for turning around challenging dogs.
A major turning point came with Jango, another of his German Shepherds, whom he trained to national success. With Jango, Cooper won the 2021 Great Britain All Breeds National Championship and the German Shepherd National Championship.
These experiences laid the foundation for his later work as a mentor to other trainers and competitors, and for his leadership role as Chairman of RSVglobal Essex, a dog sport club that promotes structured dog training and competition in the UK.
Beyond the sport field, Alex runs a successful dog training business, offering residential dog training, puppy training, and behavioural and obedience programs for pet owners and handlers across Essex and London regions.
About Schutzhund
Schutzhund (German for “protection dog”) is a working-dog discipline that evaluates three areas of performance:
- Tracking – the dog follows a human scent trail and indicates hidden articles;
- Obedience – exercises showing precision, control, and teamwork;
- Protection – tests of courage, self-control, and response to a decoy’s challenge.
The sport originated in Germany in the early 1900s as a method of testing the working ability of German Shepherds.
Last year, Schutzhund working-dog sport was recognised in Germany as part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, acknowledging its role in preserving human–dog cooperation traditions.
A First for the UK
Cooper’s victory in Korbach marks the first time a British handler has won a world-level Schutzhund title.
The result has drawn attention across the UK’s working-dog community, where British competitors have historically been outnumbered by their continental European counterparts.
“Banzai had all the drive you could ask for,” Cooper said after the event. “It was about channelling it the right way. Training him has been a challenge, but also a great experience.”
Looking Ahead
Cooper plans to continue competing internationally and to use the experience to help raise training standards through his work at RSVglobal and mentoring of upcoming handlers.
Their achievement represents a step forward for UK involvement in international dog sport and underscores the growing professionalism and depth of experience among British trainers.
Alex Cooper and Banzai Vom Tiefgestade’s win at the 2025 RSV World Championship marks a milestone for the UK in one of Europe’s most established working-dog disciplines — and highlights the value of skill, structure, and persistence in modern dog training.
