Where do you train?
We train at the Dog Rings within St Ives Showground, Mona Vale Rd St Ives, NSW.
Do I need to book in advance?
Yes. For all Saturday afternoon classes, you must book in via the BOOKING SYSTEM to attend class. You are welcome to join the club on any New Members intake day. Please refer to the calendar to determine when the next New Member intake day is. The New Member intake day consists of registration between 2:15pm – 2:45pm followed by class at 3 pm. There is a facility to join online.
What details do I need to supply?
You will need to bring your dog’s current veterinary vaccination certificate.
Either the print out from your online application or your completed Membership Application & Dog Profile. (Please print off these pages and complete them prior to your first lesson if you are not joining online. If you are joining online please just print and complete the Dog Profile form and bring that to your first lesson).
What do I need for class?
- Your dog must wear a flat collar with identification.
- Should you have difficulty controlling your dog on a flat collar your Instructor will advise you on a suitable soft training collar or training harness, which may be purchased from the club shop. The use of check chains is actively discouraged by this club.
- A fabric lead approx 750mm – 1.2m long. (NO extenda leads please).
- Suitable casual clothes. Sensible shoes – no high heels, scuffs, sandals, thongs or bare feet.
- Tasty, soft food treats for rewards e.g. cheese, cooked sausage, chicken – cut into tiny pieces. A ‘treat pouch’, available at the club shop, will prevent your pocket becoming unpleasant! Food in a plastic bag is not recommended as it is too hard to get food out of it quickly.
- Plastic ‘pick up poo’ bag(s).
- All the patience in the world.
At what age can my puppy start?
The earliest puppies are able to join the club would be 14 weeks of age. They must have had a C3 vaccination (distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus) administered at or after 12 weeks of age. The club then requires a delay of two weeks after vaccination before they can join classes.
The NSDTC Inc Vaccination Policy can be viewed here.
Are there classes for older dogs?
We cater for dogs of all ages providing obedience training from beginners to trialling standard. To start agility training, dogs must be 12 months of age or over and have reached 4th Class obedience & must pass an entry test.
On what days do you train?
Obedience – Saturday afternoons
Rally – Monday nights
Gun Dog (All levels) – Wednesday evenings 6:30 – 7:30pm
Agility (Beginners*, Intermediate and Advanced levels) – Saturday mornings (enrolment on Saturday afternoons only)
Agility – (Advanced only) Monday night
Dances with Dogs & Tricks – on the first Wednesday of the month
Scent Work Advance classes 12-1pm Saturdays, Beginners 4-6pm Saturdays
*Dogs must be at least 12 months old & have reached fourth-class level in obedience at the club before starting introductory agility training.
How much does it cost?
Membership Fees:
Membership is renewable yearly. Membership fees are as follows:
- Full Year Membership: 1 Dec to 31 December – $120
- Half Year Membership: 1 July to 31 December – $60
- If training more than one dog – $20 per annum extra for second dog. Third or more dogs are free.
- Instructors, Committee (who contribute 20 hours or more per annum), Pensioners, Juniors and Non-Training members – $30 (no half yearly concessions)
Annual Renewal of Membership is due at the start of each year.
Renewals can be done online by going to the Membership section at the top of this website.
So that I can make a payment. What are your BSB Details?
Payment can be made via BSB (preferred) prior to the registration date. Bank details are as follows:
Account Name: NSDTClub
BSB: 032-089
Account Number: 126297
Please email a copy of the BSB transfer to membership@nsdogtraining.org.au.
Is training on when it is raining?
Yes, but in case of extreme weather, training will be cancelled. Please check the “Training Cancellation” box on the website homepage or our club Facebook page if in doubt .
For Obedience classes (Saturday afternoon) a decision will be made by 11am that morning if training is cancelled.
What happens when I miss a class?
No problem, just resume training the following week or when you are able.
There is an initial 4 week program for dogs 6 months of age & over and for puppies 6 months of age or under. It is advisable that you plan to attend each week of the 4 week programs or you may miss some important lessons.