Class Information

2012 Season Start

Obedience Classes for 2012 will commence on Tuesday February 7th at 10.30am and 7.30pm.

Agility Classes for 2012 will commence on Wednesday February 8th at 6.45pm.

Due to a large number of our Agility instructors attending seminars interstate, there will be no classes on Wednesday February 1st.

First Agility (Puppy) Foundation Class will be Wednesday February 8th at 6.45pm 2012

Class Times

Weather constraints:

We train in most conditions, but:

Tuesday morning classes will be cancelled if the forecast maximum temperature, broadcast at 9am that day, is 32C or over.

Tuesday evening classes will be cancelled if the temperature at 5pm is 35C or over.

Wednesday evening AGILITY training will be cancelled if the temperature at 5pm is 32C or over.

Training will be cancelled any morning or evening when heavy constant rain has been falling.

You can check by phoning the club on 8223 6626 after 10.00am on Tuesday morning or after 6.30pm on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings.

Should graduation fall on any such occasion, it will be carried over to the following week.

Basic Obedience

S.A.O.D.C.'s Basic Obedience Certificate program is the core of the club's activities, and the entry level for newcomers to dog training in Obedience.

We appreciate that most new members have no intention of going on to competition level work in their dog training, and indeed may not know that such an option exists. While some might surprise themselves and go on to enjoy success in the trial ring, our foremost role is to offer a key to their confidence and control with a well-behaved pet at home and in the community.

By reaching this standard of Basic Obedience, their own pleasure in dog-ownership, the dog's participation in their life, and the general public's awareness of the benefits of dog training can all be enhanced.

On successful graduation from Grade 5, members are awarded a signed Basic Obedience Certificate at the next monthly presentation.

Advanced Obedience

Dogs and handlers, who have earned their Basic Obedience Certificate by graduating from Grade 5 of S.A.O.D.C.'s syllabus, are encouraged to continue their training into the next level of expertise in the 'Community Companion Dog' class.

The CCD class (working toward a Community Companion Dog title) is the first level of competition obedience which requires your dog to perform the following exercises: heel on lead, stand for examination, recall and stays.
The focus of the CCD class is not only to help you get your dog to a level where you can consider entering him or her in a trial but to also provide you with an understanding of how trials are conducted. Those of you who wish to continue and consolidate your dogs training but have no intention of trialling are also more than welcome to join this class.

The CCD class is held on both Tuesday morning and evening training sessions.

Participation in the CCD class is optional and experienced dogs and handlers may elect to directly enter the Novice class (second level of competition obedience). The club's instructors are there to help you to determine realistic goals for your individual circumstances and work with you to achieve them.

The focus of the Novice class is to help you work toward gaining your dogs Companion Dog title (CD). This requires your dog to perform the following: heel off lead, stand free for examination, recall, either retrieve dumbbell or change position (stand to down) and stays.

This class is held on both Tuesday morning and evening training sessions.

Classes (third and fourth level of competition obedience) are held on Tuesday evening training sessions only.

Members joining from other clubs, or who have reached the equivalent level of achievement to our Basic Obedience Certificate, may ask to be assessed by the Chief Instructor re their eligibility for any of these classes.

Trophies

There are annual awards to recognise our members' cumulative success in competition throughout the year in Obedience and Agility.

The club provides the opportunity for members competing in trials to receive club trophies in obedience, agility and jumping.

These trophies are presented at the end of the trialing year, which for S.A.O.D.C. is from the 1st of December to the the 30th November the following year.

Details regarding the eligibility to compete for these trophies and applications forms when applicable are available at the club registration desk.

Please keep the club informed of your successes.

Agility

Competition-level Agility and its younger cousin discipline called Jumping, are dog-sports involving a course of jumps and obstacles which the dog must negotiate to 'pass' or 'qualify'. Not only must the dog make no mistakes in the course, or on individual pieces of equipment, but it must also complete the course within a time limit set by the judge on each occasion. The time is calculated within a range of 'metres-per-second' speeds allowed for each class of competition (Novice, Open and Masters) by the A.N.K.C. guidelines, as applied to that particular course. Variables such as the complexity of the pattern of obstacles, time spent on the 'contacts' obstacles, and the ground and weather conditions, are taken into consideration.

Dogs must be eighteen months of age before they are allowed to compete in Agility, and most training clubs require they be twelve months old before introducing them to jumps, which make up a large proportion of the obstacles

NB: S.A.O.D.C. Requires that a dog has passed Grade 5 before undertaking Agility training, as well as being a minimum of twelve months of age, because of the jumping involved in this sport.