What makes a schutzhund club successful? - Page 1

I would like to know and understand how a club can influence the success rate of their members.  I believe a good structure for training and members support is beneficial.  However, is there a “BUT” in reality? 

Most occasion I have seen members (not in one club but various clubs) chatting away audibly on matters other than watching or supporting their fellow member on the training field.

 If there was a Michelin star rating for schutzhund clubs, what would classify a 5 star rating?  Is it only top marks applicable for private clubs with their expert knowledge and expense?  What sort of suggestions can one make to improve the learning and the moral for an existing club?

Since schutzhund is a teamsport, I personally feel that the Club is undervalued.

The first prerequisite in our opinion is that club members like each other. In order for that to happen, yes, they must KNOW each other, so inevitably, there will be some "chat" going on. In our club, we have a training director and it is me. I am mainly responsible  for helping each member make progress, but all members help as they can and based on the level of experience and knowledge that they have.

We stay out of politics in the organization we belong to. We have a great time and a growing membership and host many foreign Schutzhund enthusiasts. Most people in this club (and in my opinion in most clubs) participate because they love their dogs and want to have fun. They also want to achieve some level of competency, but for all of us in this club Schutzhund is a sport and a hobby, not something we hang our self-esteem or self-worth on. That alone helps keep everyone's perspective different from many clubs. All members of my club have lives and, to the extent appropriate, we also help each other as time and necessity dictates. We are an open and friendly club to anyone who wants to train their dog and has basic common sense and manners.  

We just heard from a friend from another state who moved to another state recently who told us about how she went to a club and NO ONE other than the training director bothered to say hello to her and welcome her. In our club that would not happen and everyone would have said hello and introduced themselves, even if we knew we would never see the person again.

Good clubs are worth their weight in gold. 

The two clubs that come to mind is: South County (Cali) and South Metro Atlanta

Both of these club in my opinion are very successful South County has a huge past history and they are still going strong. South Metro Atlanta is what's happening now. They both have several members that compete on the national and world stage, they both have put on great national event, and they both have member that just want to have fun by putting titles on dogs. I think if I had to pick between the two it would lend in the direction of South Metro Atlanta because they always seem to keep a national champion out there (UScA Or WDA) some time they have both champions, and their web-site is the Bomb!

Thank you Hodie, Vomlutz and Realman for your input.

Can I assume that the ultimate goal for all schutzhund club is to achieve as high as possible with their training of their dogs.  If this is true, is there a philosophy culture shared amongst all members of the club.

Getting along with all the members is vitally important and there is no denial that some may even develop a closer relationship over time.  I totally agree with that statement Hodie and also with Vomlutz, that any sort of negativity on a personal level should be best avoided.  Mutual respect and dediction for learning should be key for a successful make-up of a club.

What intrigues me most when I ask this question is whether there is a formulated structure for learning and training within the club.  Presumingly, the Head Trainer/ Training Director is actively involved (or otherwise appointed handlers/ trainers) in order to report on the progress of the individuals.  Should one ask for assistance?  Should there be regular meetings or discussion for development for the individual members?  Is there any other constructive approach?

Does this sounds regimented???

Realman, thanks I will check the recommended website and see if I learn anything.  Do the top handlers of the two clubs mentioned happily help out.  Or do you have to be at their level to be involved?

I think that a good CLUB  helps educate the members by having good trials, good seminars. Keeping the members motivated, challenged is important. You cannot rely on the training coordinator alone, there are many philosophies out there, many opinions, many experiences that when a Club only relies on the people they have in their Club , that is where it can go bad  and boring.  Clubs have to bring  trainers,competitors from outside to throw different ways of doing training and you also get an opinion of where your training is or should be or if your dog is the type that will take you far in the sport.Our Club is fun, it lacks structure most of the time, but we keep going.I have made great friends from our Club ,I have learned A LOT from the Club but most I have made such a great bond with my dogs that , at the end that is what I take home..

Vomlutz aka Debbie,

Only just checked out your website.  Brilliant, your page "About Us" basically sums up most of what I wanted to know.  I liked the way you have built in your ethos which makes it clear and easy for new members to understand/ expect when they join your club.

I think having a dedicated website which is not only informative but regularly updated is a good sign.  Thanks.

 poseidon,

I think there likely are several methods, or lack thereof, to make a club successful. Sure, we all want to title our dogs, but if we fail something, no one gets really out of sorts. We go work harder. We have been blessed to have some excellent helpers we bring in, some terrific seminar presenters and in a few weeks with have a man who works sometimes with the Czech national team coming to do our helper work for two months. He is an excellent trainer in his own right and we will train daily.

I generally try to lead and assist, simply because I have more experience than most in our club. But, the bottom line is that someone must first understand the task at hand, how to break it down and, how one solves a given challenge may, in fact, be different. In other words, we do not ascribe to a single way of doing things, except we believe, in general, in positive motivation, appropriate corrections when the dog knows the work, and minimal forcing. If one way to solve a problem does not work, we think and come up with something else. For example, we have a dog in the club who had little motivation for the dumbbells, but with a little creative thinking, we got him going and he is doing very well now.

We also study film and yes, we talk alot during training about what is going on and how to do certain things and what is working and not working. I try to teach all members of the group as much as I possibly can about all aspects of behavior, temperament, health, structure and yet, still have a good time. People don't do this, for the most part, because they must. They do so because they want to do it and find it pleasurable. That does not mean there might not be some frustration now and then, because there often is. Then we sit back and have a coke or lemonade or some treat and try to figure out a way to do it so that none of us is frustrated.

Good luck.

wolfen68,

Your suggestion for a proactive club is super.  Organising seminars and workshops is without a doubt very encouraging for its members.  I suppose the real issue on this matter will be the $$$$%££££.

Hodie.

There seem to be a real sense of commitment and understanding from you as TD which is in itself a prerequisite for a successful schutzhund club.  I like your general description, it is exactly if not better than I have imagined.

Good helpers and trainers are like golddust over here in UK. 

I had visited a number of clubs particularly in the Netherlands and they are very proactive in the sport.  There have regular events both formal and informal and always fun at the end of a serious work.

I need all the luck I can for my training.  Thank you.