How to start a new SchH club? - Page 1

Has anyone here ever started their own club from the ground up and how did you start?  I have a good field for training that will fit 6 blinds, so I have the facility.....Just need the people to come and a decoy!

Any decoy's in the Tulsa/Claremore OKlahoma area?

Vickie
PowerHaus

I am in a club that I am a co-founder of.  We also had the advantage of a great facility (we have a large training building that is heated/cooled and has a "real" bathroom), a smaller outdoor ring usually used for agility or conformation, and a full sized SchH field which we now have permanent blinds, the jump, the a-frame, a tie-out, and a trailer with our supplies.  It was over a year before we really got going.  No one really knew what we were doing and we did not have a helper so for a year we were more like a group that got together for obedience or to socialize or dogs and socialize ourselves.  Dozens of people came and went.  Finally we had two guys come along that are still with us and do the helper work.  Everyone has jumped on board with the WDA, not that we insist on alligiance to one organization but by being a member club we can host trials and seminars.  We joined the WDA in January, had our affiliation trial last weekend, and are already hosting the national training seminar in Sept.  Most of the people we have now are not the original people and those of us who are are training different dogs or got a dog/new dog since we started getting together.  I agree that getting a good training helper is critial, at least it was for us since most of us have not done SchH before.  We had a few members drive around and find a nice place to track, they got permission from the land owner so we have some awsome tracking grounds.  As for getting people to come....I think our number one thing has been the web site.  That's where so many people first look - the Internet.  I get all the inquiries and last summer I was getting 2-3 new people a week.  Of course for every 10 people that come out, you might get one that's actually interested and sticks around long enough to join.  We have a new person who's been coming out and is a good fit with our group; she was one that we got through the web site and e-mailing me.  We found our current helper/training director this way too.  I got an e-mail from a guy who wanted to come out and "bring a friend", now they are the helpers (the "friend" is our TD) and never left.

Awwww, Bazza!  That is the nicest thing to hear!  Thank you for lifting my spirits today as I have had a pretty disappointing day.

Vickie
PowerHaus

Oklahoma Working Dog Association
Larry Pinkston
22010 W. Coyote Trl.
San Springs, OK 74063
Phone: 918-810-5685
Email: larry.pinkston@yahoo.com
Website: www.ok-wda.org

Good club, good people!- they have even titled their OWN dogs.

Doglady,

Thanks, I am familiar with the OWDA club.  I am considering starting my own club or hiring a helper to come in and work some dogs for me since my club likes you to bring only 2 dogs.....and I understand their point of view as well.  I have a client that has multiple young dogs that she wants started and I can only  take so many to club.

I am getting permanent blinds and lights this week.

Vickie
PowerHaus

How many dogs are you personally training at once?

I have started two clubs.

Select the parent organization of your choice, then request a new club packet from that org. Better still, request a packet from more than one org., then compare the requirements & bylaws so you can choose the one which best suits your group (and your budget).

Then call Sportsmen's Insurance and secure club insurance (figure about $600.)

You will be required to host an affiliation trial, with either an FCI recognised judge or a regional director, or even perhaps (by special arrangment) a long-time active member in the sport, familiar with trial procedure and paperwork.

Good luck! We need as many people involved int he sport as possible in this country if our sport is to survive.

S