Shutzhund Helpers...question

[Stella's Mom]

We were supposed to go to our first Shutzhund training on Saturday but it was rained out.

I will now go this coming Saturday but I have a question that may sound silly.

Our local club charges $324.00 for the year. That does not seem like a large amount of money considering the Shutzhund helpers are putting in a lot of time to help folks out.

What is the protocol in regards to the Shutzhund helpers, especially in protection work. Do you tip them at the end of each day? Do you tip them at Christmas?

This is all new to me and I don't want to appear to stupid my first time out, especially since I think Stella will do very well in this type of sport. She has extremely high ball drive and always outruns and outmaneuvers any dog that dare try to go after a thrown ball that she thinks belongs to her.

Any advice about what to expect?

[Chris Wild]

This really varies greatly from club to club. Some clubs have paid helpers, who charge a set fee per dog/session/month/etc... Some have helpers that "work for tips" but expect fairly large tips per session, so essentially they are paid. Some have helpers who just work dogs because they love to work dogs and help others, and neither receive nor expect any form of compensation (many of whom would be offended if it were offered).

So it would really depends on how the club you are training with is set up. Only way to know is to ask the other members how things work in that specific club.

[Liesje]

You'll probably just have to ask. There is a huge range in costs and how clubs handle money. Some only have dues, some you pay the helper a set amount, some you don't pay a set amount but "tip"....

[Stella's Mom]

Originally Posted by Chris Wild

This really varies greatly from club to club. Some clubs have paid helpers, who charge a set fee per dog/session/month/etc... Some have helpers that "work for tips" but expect fairly large tips per session, so essentially they are paid. Some have helpers who just work dogs because they love to work dogs and help others, and neither receive nor expect any form of compensation (many of whom would be offended if it were offered).

So it would really depends on how the club you are training with is set up. Only way to know is to ask the other members how things work in that specific club.

That makes sense. I could not imagine the $324 paid the folks who are out there each week putting in their time and experience.

thanks!

[Liesje]

It probably doesn't. That's a pretty low amount and probably covers equipment, insurance, and maybe goes towards whatever facilities you guys use (mowing, utilities, etc).

[Stella's Mom]

I will ask the other members how they handle the tipping/fees.

I am so excited to start the Shutzhund training. The weather should start to cool down a bit soon, so it will be great to be outdoors working with my dog.

[Chris Wild]

Dues that low wouldn't pay much to anyone unless the club has a lot of members paying that amount. Most likely it just covers expenses like Lies said, with anything left over commonly put into a fund to be used for seminars, trials, etc...

But a whole lot of clubs operate with no one getting paid or expecting to be paid. They're true clubs with people working together because they enjoy it, not businesses. The only way to know which category your club falls into, and whether or not any of the dues are used to pay members, or if there is an expectation for you to pay certain amounts to certain people above the club dues, would be to ask.

[lhczth]

Our yearly dues is low. Our helpers get a partial discount for their work and do not accept money in any form for training dogs on club time. One would never do it at other times either. The people who are out there coaching, teaching and helping the members in other ways also do not get paid. I maintain the grounds and the tracking fields and I am only compensated for the gas for my tractors. I did get to participate in a seminar we had this year for free. There are still a few people out there that do this because they love the sport and training dogs.

[Liesje]

Originally Posted by Stella's Mom

I will ask the other members how they handle the tipping/fees.

There may not be any even with low dues, just depends. My SDA dues were $135 and I can work 2-3 dogs, training is twice a week, and we don't give the decoys anything (plus they bring the equipment they already have and set it up). Plus they used club money to register the new dogs with the SDA organization so I didn't have to pay for Pan's registration ($25/dog). Not bad! The nice thing is that we have an awesome park we can train/trial at with permission from the township and don't have to pay them anything, they already maintain it.

[Stella's Mom]

Originally Posted by Liesje

There may not be any even with low dues, just depends. My SDA dues were $135 and I can work 2-3 dogs, training is twice a week, and we don't give the decoys anything (plus they bring the equipment they already have and set it up). Plus they used club money to register the new dogs with the SDA organization so I didn't have to pay for Pan's registration ($25/dog). Not bad! The nice thing is that we have an awesome park we can train/trial at with permission from the township and don't have to pay them anything, they already maintain it.

This club has annual family fees of $324.00 and $90.00 for the 90 day probationary period. They train 3x a week, Obedience, Scent, Protection.