obedience

At the Club we hold obedience classes most Tuesday evenings, from 7.00pm to 7.45pm.
We provide five beginners/domestic obedience courses a year, each of eight weeks duration. Should one wish to go on to more advanced obedience/agility training with a view towards competition, we then offer club membership.

To enrol, dogs must be at least four months old and the handler of the dog must be at least 15 years of age, unless prior arrangement has been made with the club.

Domestic obedience, where most new dog owners start, is actually more about the handler than about the dog. Taking part in a domestic obedience course will help you to get better control over your dog, so you will enjoy your walks more and be able to give your dog some off-lead time to play and socialize with other dogs. In general you will improve your dog's quality of life!

*How to understand your dog better and communicate effectively.
*How to teach your dog the basic commands - sit, down, stay, heel and come.
*How to teach your dog to obey quickly and to ignore distractions.
*How to solve common problems like jumping up, pulling on the lead and excessive barking.

Dogs learn better and are more willing to work for you when they are having fun and are happy. That is why in modern obedience all training is based on positive methods. We use a system of rewards and praise to get the dogs to focus on you and what you want from them. It will not be enough to do all your training in your weekly class though. Only with commitment and hard work is it possible to achieve the results you are after. So you'll have to do your 'homework', on a regular basis, every day. Please go to the download page on this website for the very interesting article called 'Your Dog', on how dogs learn, so you can utilise your class instruction to the max.

After graduating from the domestic obedience class, you have a choice of activities. You can teach your dog anything from basic good manners, to more complex exercises and (off-lead) heelwork. The latter can be achieved in the obedience courses that follow the domestic course. You then have the options of competitive obedience and/or qualifying obedience ('Canine Good Citizen' and 'Companion Dog'). You can also choose to go on to enjoy any of the Club's other activities, like agility, flygility and a tricks class (below). A good standard of obedience is necessary for these other activities, so a lot of members choose to multi-task and carry on with their obedience work at the same time.

If you have done an obedience course elsewhere and you wish to pursue further training, you can come to the club on any Tuesday night at 6.45 pm, and ask to see the obedience coordinator. After an 'assessment', you will be placed into an appropriate class that meets you and your dog's skill level. Be aware, however, because of differing dog training organisations’ methods and/or standards, you may be required to complete our beginner's class, in which case, you will need to go on to the waiting list for the next course – remember one starts every nine weeks.

For further information or to book into a course please leave a message on our answer phone and we will get back to you (evenings).
Alternatively, download our information sheet and application form and post together with payment to the address shown on the form.