Could you please be more specific about the Club's location?

S.A.O.D.C.'s location and class-times don't suit me,

Do I have to use a slip-collar on my dog ?

How long are the classes and how long will it take me to train my dog?

Can I join the Club on-line?

What do letters before or after a dog's name mean?

What times do you train?

What does it cost to join the club?

What vaccinations do I need?

What age can I bring my dog?

When is training cancelled because it is too hot or too wet ?

If you have any questions not answered above, please send the SAODC an e-mail and we will try to answer your dog-training queries.

1 Could you please be more specific about the Club's location?

SAODC  grounds and club-rooms are sited in Adelaide's parklands, just south of St Andrew's Hospital (UBD Map 4: M 18).     The best approach is along South Terrace past St.Andrew's Hospital, turning Right at the eastern end: you will find us about 80 metres along on the right hand side, just before where the road is barricaded as it is a no-through-road.     The Club building is nestled in the trees, but quite evident from the road in daylight, or when our lights are turned on for evening training sessions.   I hope this helps you find us.   Access to Beaumont Road from the south via Greenhill Road involves a hike from the barricade, and we do not recommend this approach in the evening.

2 S.A.O.D.C.'s location and class-times don't suit me

3 Do I have to use a slip-collar on my dog?

No, not necessarily, but you may find that even a dog who is quite well-behaved at home becomes very easily distracted amongst so many other dogs at training, and that you cannot control him as well as usual,which will detract from the purpose of bringing him to class. In such circumstances, the Instructor or Chief Instructor may recommend the use of a slip-collar or head-collar during the early stages of your dog's education, which can be put aside when you and your dog become more confident and settled in that environment. You will be taught how to use these and other training aids correctly. You must not simply re-cycle an old slip-collar, unless your new pup is much the same size as the previous dog, and the collar is still shiny. If you do buy a slip-collar, make sure that it is the right size ... a collar which is too long or heavy, or too small, will make training much less effective and less enjoyable for both of you. You may have to buy one collar for your puppy, and another one later as your dog matures. Good quality collars of various designs are available from the Club's sales counter, where they can be custom-fitted to the dog on the spot, and you will be shown how to put it on so that it 'slips' as intended, instead of tightening as a 'choker' if put on the wrong way. There are a number of different styles of head-collar available, some of which suit various breeds' facial structure better than others, so these also need to be individually fitted for your dog. 'Eemia' Sandison, appropriately our model dog in these photos, is a G.A.P. (Greyhound Adoption Program) girl now living with Bill and Jillian. Top of page

Slip collar correctly fitted: Slip collar incorrectly fitted (choker):

4 How long are the classes

The classes are a half hour long.

How long will it take for me to train my dog?

This question is about as easy to answer as the old one about a piece of string ... there are so many variables involved ! The breed, age, and even gender of your dog, and their early socialisation and experiences, influence their readiness for the environment we provide, as does your own relationship with your dog, and your preparedness to be consistent with training outside of class.
Theoretically, it is possible to progress through the classes being graduated each month, and so achieve your Basic Obedience Certificate in five or six months, but it is unusual for anyone to manage this in training their first dog. Rushing through the classes also doesn't ensure a better-trained dog, or a happier team, and we may sometimes recommend that a dog-&-handler repeat a particular class for reasons other than the performance of the required exercises, to facilitate their progress and teamwork later on.
S.A.O.D.C. does not offer 'crash-courses' but can occasionally offer one-on-one instruction in order to overcome specific behaviours or problems in training. We would also like to think that you and your dog will come to enjoy your membership of the Club, and be in no great hurry to move on, unless it is towards higher levels of Obedience..

5 Can I join the Club on-line?

Sorry no, you have to present yourself and your dog at the Club to allow us to see your dog's vaccination certificate, and at this stage the Club does not have facilities to accept credit card payments.

No bookings are needed ... just turn up by approximately 10.45 am on a Tuesday , or 7.45 pm on Tuesday evening, and make your way to the desk inside the Club-rooms. One of the instructors or senior members can look after your dog on the verandah ( dogs not being allowed inside) while you complete some paperwork for our records, before your Introduction / Orientation session, in when you will be allocated a class for the weeks to follow.

All members of the family who are likely to be involved in training the dog are welcome to attend this first session, even if they are not all eventually members

6 What do letters before or after a dog's name mean?

Wherever in your reading you find reference to the results of canine competitions, or write-ups on individual dogs, you may have seen a series of letters before or after a dog's name, and wondered what they signify.
You may also have noticed that some dogs' names are written up differently ... the usual practice is to put inverted commas around a pet-name, but not a kennel or pedigree name, so that O.C. Kayaman Alexis is known as 'Alex' although many pedigreed dogs' registered names have no obvious connection to their pet-names, like the well-known Hillacre Highperformance CDX, ADX, JDX, TDX who is known affectionately as "Frosty" presumably because she's blue.

There is a bewildering array of "titles" on offer to dogs in competition in different classes of Obedience, Agility, Jumping,Tracking, Herding, Conformation (the Show-ring), various forms of Retrieving, Flyball and Flygility, and others which are even less common.
Letters before the name indicate a Championship achieved, most frequently in the Show-ring, which will appear as Ch. or Aust. Ch.(you may also see N.Z.Ch.or Am.Ch.or similar, indicating titles gained overseas) There are Obedience Champions too, or the older form, Australian Obedience Champion, O.C. or A.O.C. We also have here in this Club a  T.Ch. (Tracking Champion) and at least one dog with a Dual Ch. (Championships achieved in two disciplines, Conformation and one other) ..... but the initials you will see most often around S.A.O.D.C., and may already be aspiring towards yourself, are:

7 What times do you train?

We train Tuesday morning with beginners' and puppy classes starting at 10.30 am and Tuesday evening at 7.30 pm.
You may attend either or both training sessions each week, please inform your instructor.
New members joining times are 10.45 am on a Tuesday, or 7.45 pm on Tuesday evening.

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8 What does it cost to join the club ?

9 What vaccinations does my dog need ?

All dogs must be vaccinated at least to C 5 level
(Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo & kennel cough), plus Parainfuenza & Bordetella.
Proof of this will be required to be sighted before your dog may participate in classes.

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10 What age can I bring my dog?

All dogs must be fully vaccinated so from 3 months and after vaccinations.
Dogs under six months of age automatically go into a Puppy class while older (dog) beginners start in Grade 1, unless they have had previous training and need individual assessment which might put them in a higher class.

11 Do I bring my dog when joining?

Yes each week new members attending for the first time have paperwork to complete and pay fees, then join an Orientation class in which Club rules, class structure and expectations are outlined. A basic introduction to training is given to them and their dog, before being allocated to their class for the following week.

12 If it is too hot.