Western Port Obedience Club (& Hastings)

[Sonic]

I'm presuming that the Rotti Club require proof of vaccinations when joining. Does anyone know if they accept titre test results in lieu of vaccinations?

[Arya]

Hi Alanglen,

it's good that you've found a club that suits you, and very nice of Arva to refer you to it. I think we're quite lucky in our wide choice of local clubs.

I can't comment on the black labrador and handler in question, because I didn't see it, but really I see nothing wrong in tracking a beginner dog in a collar. If I don't have a harness handy, I'll track them without it....sometimes even off-lead depending on what aspect I'm training for. It's all training.

I guess if you were heavy-handed, or your dog pulled like a steam engine, it wouldn't be a good idea but mine are all very gentle dogs.

Best of luck with your dogs' training.

Barbara B

Hi all, I totally agree Barbara. In Sch. tracking is usually done on a collar (though can use a harness) and not on a harness. I have a harness for ANKC tracking and when training, I will sometimes put my dog on the collar because for some reason, this increases her drive over the harness (the reverse of what I see in a lot of dogs that go into 'pull drive' lol). A slip chain on deadring should be okay I would have thought too, unless the dog pulls hard. And I have trained my pup to free track off lead, so minimum interference with her. The deal is, you stick to the scent trail you get the reward (I use footstep and food drops to train). You go off the scent trail there's no pay dirt so not worth it. Free tracking pups great for this I have discovered lol.

Cheers

Arya

[Arya]

I'm presuming that the Rotti Club require proof of vaccinations when joining. Does anyone know if they accept titre test results in lieu of vaccinations?

Sorry Sonic, I don't know. Pop down and ask though, everyone is so friendly.

My experience is that here in SE suburbs we are lucky quite a few really good clubs around

[shoemonster]

I noticed a dobe pup last night, Dogslover was it you?!!!

[Barbara B]

Hi Arya,

I use a method similar to the Sch one too. Food in every footstep to start, but I don't want or accept any pressure on the lead though, and I don't want to track at any more than walking pace. Yes, I track them in harness, on solid collars, on slip chains, free. It doesn't matter - they love tracking anyway so they do it. As there's no pressure on the lead, it doesn't matter what collar is on the dog. If I've tracked several in the one session, I often let them "run the track" off lead together afterwards. It psyches up slow trackers.

Barbara B

[denis_c]

Nope was a a male handler and a black labrador off to do tracking with a chain only! Also had a good friend gone down there last week and her experience was just as bad as mine. Sad really.

Hi All,

I think I know a couple of you.

Look, I have been resisting the temptation to say anything, because as I was the instructor involved, I was thinking that a bit of negative publicity would reduce my work load and the need to find more land. We are pretty hard to find too, dressed in our red uniforms and caps. May be I got missed.

The handler involved did NOT track his dog with a slip collar but a harness. Period.

I am not in the habit of teaching experienced handlers how to suck eggs but I usually tell inexperienced handlers or handlers with a strong correction training history to remove their slip collars, as one of the joys of training tracking dogs is getting relatively scared dogs to come out and start tracking, as alanglen so obviously knows given his ability to criticise and analyse what was happening.

You could put this unwarranted criticism right by either apologising here, or PMing me of a date when you will bring a couple of your dogs along and show us some of the finer points of tracking or obedience. I am comfortable with either option. Personally, I find it much easier to teach with dogs that walk the walk, and a Sunday free with a speaker sounds good news to me.

Denis Cody

[alanglen]

Well you clearly don't know me because I'm a "she" not a "he"!

Perhaps you could relax a little bit. Yes I do know a reasonable amount about training dogs but I never said I was any expert and I did go along to learn. The bad experience was not my creation but from the club and its members so perhaps instead of mouthing off against me and suggesting that I should instruct your club, perhaps you should look within your own club and take this as a friendly reminder that we are not perfect and somebody had a rough introduction to your club.

PS I was alerted to your post by friends of mine who you have just put off from training with you because they were going to give the club a go despite my troubles! Being rude about me is only going to make the club look worse not me - I went to learn!!

Alanglen.

Edited June 28, 2008 by alanglen

[denis_c]

Well you clearly don't know me because I'm a "she" not a "he"!

Perhaps you could relax a little bit.

Not until you withdraw the statement you made.

what happens Alanglen is that when you make a criticism of our club that is not right and can't be put right, it makes it hard for me to find the motiivation to take on extra dogs, or to look out for Labrador's that might be struggling,or to give candid advice about weight and excercise. It also makes it harder to help prepare other people's dog's for trials. I guess I am less inclined to knock on farmer's doors for more land or to take on any more dogs into our group. It also makes it just that bit harder to climb out of bed on a Sunday when i have a virus next time.

It does help me orientate my priorities a little bit better though. My dogs first, no more leaving my poor old fella in the car so I can help others. I do thank you for that. You see, we are all volunteers down here. A big part of the petrol in the tank is the wonderful people and dogs that we meet from week to week. The big hole in the tank is the usual chinese whispers that happen in the dog community, and unfair judgement of programmes that took a lot of effort to put together. You probably don't see that, but one statement like yours can result in a hell of a lot of time explaining yourself to committees etc which I can well do with out.

Denis Cody

[Cosmolo]

denis c- does how one person responds to the club really influence how you will respond to your other members and clients? :D Why would what someone says on an online forum influence your committment to those who show up every week to seek help to train their dog?

If you feel the feedback is incorrect, i can understand you being annoyed frustrated etc. But i think its sad that the members will now get less of your efforts

There is no reality, only perception, and i would be looking into why a negative perception is there rather than attacking the person providing it.

[JulesP]

Tricky situation.

As a fellow volunteer I do feel your pain Denis. It is hard to give up your time and then get slagged off.

Not sure how big Western Port is but I am sure you could turn up to Croydon on some Sunday mornings and see bedlam! It is a big club and obviously alot of the doggies are not trained yet. Probably better to give feedback to the club through rather than writing it on an internet forum. Or send a PM.

[Silvawilow]

Tricky situation.

As a fellow volunteer I do feel your pain Denis. It is hard to give up your time and then get slagged off.

Not sure how big Western Port is but I am sure you could turn up to Croydon on some Sunday mornings and see bedlam! It is a big club and obviously alot of the doggies are not trained yet. Probably better to give feedback to the club through rather than writing it on an internet forum. Or send a PM.

:D

Well said JulesP! I have been reading this thread and trying to think of how to articulate what I was thinking - you said it so well!

I'm also a fellow volunteer at an obedience club and it's always going to be hard to please everyone. That being said constructive critism is needed, however, I don't think broadcast over the www is the way to go.

One of our members trains at Westernport sometimes and she's never said a bad thing about the club.

[Kristina]

Haven't read all but i can give you my opinion on hastings one, i went there for a while and got sick of them in the end as they dont' have anyone there who really knows what they are doing. ( mind u this was few yrs back now) The most recent thing about a yr ago is one of their young instructors was doing a course on dog training and all of a sudden he was kicked out, turns out that rspca took his dogs, etc as he was doing some not doggy stuff to his dogs :shakehead: no idea if he is still there, his mum was very much in instructing too. Last time i looked on their site i saw his name there.

But apart from that hastings isn't very good at all. God help ya if u have a behaviour problem with ur dog, don't even bother asking them how to fix it, they can make it worse tho :cool:

Some of the other clubs, haven't heard much good either, like the berwick one. I guess in the end it's a matter of going down to the club and having a look.

If you're close to berwick there is ADT :D No, not biased one bit....

[BelgianPup]

Thanks all for the advice. I'm checking out the Vic Rotti Club training tonight (Will edit this post after I've been. )

[shoemonster]

Hey Belgianpup, it was you last night! I thought it was but every time I went to say hi and ask about dol we would start a new exercise! (Plus I'm a wuss!) How did you like it?

Edited July 2, 2008 by shoemonster

[grotty_rotty]

well we had our first lesson at Mornington Obedience Dog Club.... what a delightful little set up, very nice and the grounds are great. Postive training, the puppy enclosures are fantastic, surrounded by pine trees.

the smaller size is great so far.... everyone seems freindly and Falco had a great time

[Guest Tess32]

Anyone know if Westernport accepts titer tests?

[Purpley]

Last time I asked they didn't. They did say it was going to be discussed at future meetings, but unsure of what the outcome was with it.

[Guest Tess32]

K ta...will have to go and ask in person then.

[Guest Tess32]

Just to add another opinion to this thread - I joined westernport and have been a couple of times now and found it really good - trainers knew what they were doing, weren't pushy, classes were long but not boring.