OKAY, all you SchH Snobs!

[martemchik]

I'm not part of a Schutzhund club, but I am part of my state's GSD club. In 2 years I'm already the treasurer, and the people there really only accept you once you start volunteering and getting to know everyone for who they are and not just the dogs/training. Volunteering at our shows, staying after to clean up a bit, basically just participating and giving time to a place that charges $200 a year for club dues and training fees.

Of course we won't deny anyone that doesn't do those things...but you definitely get different treatment from instructors. It's just a human thing though...people are more willing to help those that they know better and that they see helping out the club. You put in a little more effort...they put in a little more effort. Also helps to be trying to trial/title a dog as well since a competition sit has to be more exact than a "pet" sit.

[Mrs.K]

I visited two clubs when I was in Germany. Guess that isn't as many as Mrs. K. has trained with. Both were clubs with world level competitors (one Mali, one GSD). Both clubs there were people working more of a routine center field and then others working in different areas with newer people or with their own pups. At the one club on the other side of the fence there was agility going on. Anyhow, at no time were there different time frames or groups.

There are lots of different concepts on how a club is run and there are thousands of different clubs.

One club for example has this concept for the BH group which is divided into three different groups. The groups train on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

Group 1: handler teams that already passed the BH
Group 2: young dogs and beginners
Group 3: advanced handler teams.

Schutzhund is on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Saturday it's after the basic obedience (BH) class is done.
Agility is on Thursdays approx. 1930 and THS is on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

It is a highly organized and popular club.

Another Club for example has this time-frame

Monday 19:00 Schutzhundesport
Tuesday 18:00 Agility-Beginners Group 1
19:00 Agility-Beginners Group 2
Wednesday 18:00 Agility Advanced
Thursday no training
Friday 17:00 Obedience
Saturday 13:30 Puppies(8. - 16. week)
14:15 puppies (17. - 24. Lebenswoche)
15:00 Obedience/Basics
15:00 Group Work
Sunday 09:00 Tracking

[Liesje]

There are lots of dog clubs like that here. I go to a dog club where we do flyball on Tues, GSD club on Wed (more of a meeting/planning, not training), nosework on Thurs, and then trials on the weekends. They also offer several levels of obedience, agility, and puppy classes.

[Mrs.K]

Yeah, we don't have anything like that around here at all. Not that I know off. The closest club to me, that is consistently training twice a week is the new SchH club in Ottawa which is just one and a half hour away. However, the helper is very very very green but just for Obedience and Tracking, it's worth the drive plus I can go twice a week for the same amount of time I'd have to drive to Buffalo.

The people are VERY outgoing which I told them too and they said that it is because other clubs are so unfriendly and they do not want to give the same experience to new people coming to the club and what I really like is that it's not just pattern, pattern and more pattern. What I like is that they do more than just Schutzhund style Obedience.

Like I said, I never expected CKC Utility Obedience to be THAT challenging. The Canadian Club is the first Club I'm actually willing to join.

[Konotashi]

Originally Posted by Catu

So they use to train in a park, but later, when they arrive, there is other people using it, so they start arriving earlier. Isn't it the logical thing to do?

And dare they to give unfriendly looks to the people who has been occupying the place where they've always trained? Duh?

No, we would be gone by the time they got there. They just started showing up earlier once they knew we practiced there so we couldn't use the park at all. So now, between our flyball team and the SchH people, it's a rivalry on who can get there first.
The only time they showed up while we were still there working was when they tried beating us there. Otherwise, we're long gone by the time they get there to train.
They just don't want us using it.

Originally Posted by martemchik

I want to know what kind of park this is...just a city/county park with a large field that they just train Schutzhund on?

It's a decent sized field in an industrial/business area. During our practices (which last about 2-3 hours), only two or three cars will pass by in that time.

Originally Posted by Mrs.K

So why not make it mandatory for beginners to start with Obedience and Tracking before they get to do any bitework at all?

This sounds like a good (and safe) idea to me.
If someone newer to the sport gets to try out bitework without at least a solid obedience foundation, how dangerous could that 'partially trained' bitework dog be if they decide not to pursue SchH?

Originally Posted by onyx'girl

IMO anyone that hasn't trained before should be going regularly, observing the skilled handlers to better learn handling skills, timing and other aspects of all three phases. I'd hate it if I was isolated in a BH group.

This is what I intend on doing.... Before getting my GSD.

Originally Posted by lhczth

I had a long post written and then realized that I would be arguing with a person who has stated they know NOTHING about SchH/IPO. Just not worth my time. I would rather help those who are actually interested in learning.

THIS.
RIGHT HERE.
I'm very interested in learning, and hopefully competing someday. I just don't think it'd be wise to try and learn everything about SchH/IPO YEARS (hopefully not that long, but it's likely) before I get my dog I'd be competing with, considering training methods, clubs, people, etc. change over time.
That long post may have been helpful for me, considering I DO know next to nothing about the sport.

[zivagirl]

Originally Posted by ayoitzrimz

Seriously... its all related to the sense of entitlement people have nowadays.

It's like "why wouldn't they welcome me with open arms? Don't they know how special I am? How smart my dog is?
I would be an asset to any club and these guys are just elitist jerks because they fail to see that.
Oh and of course I can't make 8am tracking I have kids to take care of!
and oh, of course its not true that my dog may not be suited for bite work! They just say that because it's not the TD's breeding...
oh and I'm sorry but I can't stick around all day I have a long drive home.
What do you mean I have to help setup the field?
What do I pay dues for? And are the dues really necessary? Can you put me on a payment plan? Why not???
What exactly do they pay for?
And why am I being ignored? It's not because I ask the same questions every week and show NO improvement or understanding but because these guys are jerks, and on and on and on...

jeez give it a rest people. If you are not welcomed with open arms it just means you have to either find somewhere else or make the effort to be accepted - show you are dedicated and show you are not here to bs and waste everyone's time. It's just so tiring hearing the same old cries and excuses...

Not related to The OP's post at all by the way, but more so to the direction the thread has gone

Guess what? We're not out in your club right now and there are no dogs being worked. And I don't think this is a matter of entitlement, but a matter of manners. Sheesh! Sometimes dogs are far better bred than humans!

[FirstTimeGSD]

I know someone who emailed the local ScH club ENDLESSLY, and got not a single response. Upon hearing this, I tried my hand and got....not a single response. Not even an "membership is closed" or something similar. Just didn't even bother responding to our requests for information.

[Smithie86]

Originally Posted by abakerrr

Don't really know why everyone is getting so bent out of shape.

I just hit the one year mark with my club and its no surprise that it took some effort on my part to prove that I was dedicated to the team. Showing up consistently late, only staying for your turn, making excuses why you haven't trained/ showed up the past few weeks, and not taking the initiative to help out are all things that WONT get you in with a club. Its not elitist, its the demonstration you need to prove to show YOUR serious about THEM taking you serious.

Excellent point. Clear and consistent communication, no hidden agendas or hidden training (to mess up). The effort, work, communication and support can not only come from the TD, etc.

The only time that we have not communicated weeks/months ahead of time that there would be no training is when Gabor's father passed away (the weekend before Nationals). We let people know that we would be gone for two weekends for his service (out of the country) about 2 weeks ahead of time. People complained about that.....

Yet some and some of the same people would not let us know that they were not coming to training. We trained throught the holidays. We trained the day after my father passed away unexpectedly (and waiting on travel arrangements).

No matter what you do and how you support, there will always be those that it will not be to their liking (after they complained about others....)