[cookieface]

Does anyone have experience with dog training clubs? We're finishing a level two obedience class at a local club and are looking at their membership materials. They offer a number of classes and if we took four a year, we'd make up the membership fee. I'm interested in taking more advanced classes and I've not found many in my area; however, I'm not really interested in formal competition and many of the classes seem focused on competition preparation.

 

[Nev Allen]

You do not need to compete with your dog to be able to enjoy a well trained and obedient dog.

You could look into doing other training such as nose work, disc dog, agility, all of which require a certain level of control.

 

[cookieface]

Thanks. Of course competition isn't needed for good manners. I was wondering if others had experience with training clubs: are they cost effective if you're not interested in the competition level classes, are there benefits beyond classes, is there anything in particular to look for when joining? Obviously, each club is different, but it would be good to hear others' experiences.

 

[petpeeve]

are there benefits beyond classes,

I belong to a couple of clubs.

IME, among other benefits, membership provides an opportunity to socialize and network with other like-minded people. Much insight into the 'dog world' has been gained during the course of sipping on a wobblypop or two, while chatting with fellow members afterwards at the local pub .

So I suppose I'd say, in my books, THAT qualifies as benefits beyond classes. lol

 

[Poly]

Thanks. Of course competition isn't needed for good manners. I was wondering if others had experience with training clubs: are they cost effective if you're not interested in the competition level classes, are there benefits beyond classes, is there anything in particular to look for when joining? Obviously, each club is different, but it would be good to hear others' experiences.

Of course, there are financial benefits such as discounts for classes - and that does add up to a significant savings if you take more than a few per year. Most training clubs are performance oriented, but they all give classes in different activities and at different levels.

On the other hand, you will have some obligations as a member as well. Most clubs require you to put in time at their events. Typically, an AKC or UKC obedience club sponsors an obedience and rally trial each year. Many sponsor other rally or obedience events as well. If they are an agility club as well as an obedience club - and most these days are - they will also sponsor agility trials. Many clubs also hold matches of different types. And so on for all the other activites they are involved in.

How much time you are expected to put in will depend on the club by-laws, so you should inquire. You may also be encouraged to join a "committee" that does some sort of club work more-or-less all year round. Many clubs also "require" attendance at a minimum number of meetings per year, but IME if you pay your dues and help out at the events and committees, they aren't overly strict about that.

However, attending club meetings is not necessarily a bad thing.

The main benefit, IMHO, to joining a club such as this is the 'community support'. And you get a lot of that at the meetings. Yes it is partly socialization but it is also learning from the experiences of others. Also, many clubs have programs at their meetings that can be of great interest to people in the various activities.

BTW, most clubs keep track of who attends their classes and if you have attended a few, you may be informed that you've met one of the pre-requisites to apply for membership if you so desire. No pressure to join - usually - just a friendly piece of information

 

[cookieface]

Poly & PetPeeve - Thank you! This was the type of information I was looking for. The club I'm considering does require participation on one or two of their committees, but since I finished school last spring I have an abundance of free time. Plus, I'd love to have local / real life dog people to talk with. I do want to double check that the next level of classes is included in the training membership fee (it's not clear on the application). The answer to that will influence my decision.

 

[fullcontactk]

dog obedience training

At Full contact k9 provide training program for dog development and protection according to their requirement. Our main motive to provide essential training on dogs protection

 

[Pawzk9]

Re: dog obedience training

I was a member (and sometimes officer, and sometimes training director) for our local obedience club for over 20 years and for the most part really enjoyed it. Since there was a large volunteer pool of trainers the quality was variable (from excellent to barely capable) and so were the training methods. One reason I finally quit teaching for them was that I was tired of turning out puppies who could walk nicely on a loose leash and were promptly moved into a class where everyone was expected to use a prong collar whether they had any need for it or not. The other reason I quit was because I wanted to teach on my own, and have classes that moved from beginning to advanced with the same positive reinforcement based training philosophy. And I knew from the experiences of others that they have an issue with private trainers being involved with their classes (I guess they think they'll steal students or something) and didn't want to put anyone in an embarrassing position. I still have a great many friends from the club (and yes, some HAVE come to me in addition to maintaining their time in the club) I'd give it a try, it's a great social outlet, and even if you don't compete, stewarding can be interesting!