It turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks.
Whether you have a three-year-old border collie with behavioural issues or a 16-week-old Labrador who’s ready to start training, the Shepparton and District Obedience Dog Club accommodates dogs big and small.
Since 1974, the club has been teaching owners how to manage their dog’s behaviour through obedience training classes that run every Sunday morning.
The training sessions are run by experienced volunteers, who are keen to share their knowledge with other dog owners.
With professional support from within and outside the organisation, the club also offers training classes such as scent work, agility, jumping, rally obedience, tricks and tracking.
Vice-president and owner of two border collies Helen Vernon has been with the club for just over 12 years.
She said the professional help had allowed the club to provide a wider variety of sessions.
“A lot of people like the scent work and we're taught the same way as they teach the professionals,” she said.
“One of the girls that did one of our first scent work (sessions) instructing with us had a bomb detection dog. That's the standard to which we're being taught from.
“Another person who comes down and helps us is a girl who lectures at one of the universities in Melbourne on animal behaviour. We do have some quite high input into how instructors are taught on how to go about instructing the people that come along.”
Mrs Vernon knows first-hand the frustrating process involved with a training a dog, but says with strong guidance alongside care and patience, it is possible.
“You need to treat it kindly at all times and if you get frustrated with it, walk away and forget about the training and go back later because if you get cross with the dog, it doesn't understand why you're getting cross with it,” she said.
“The most important thing is to feed your dog little bits of food when you're training. Feed your dog every time it does something right, not when it does something wrong — just ignore bad behaviour and reward positive behaviour.”
If you’re interested in attending a training session, the class meets every Sunday morning at the Chas Johnson Reserve on Packham St.
The beginners class starts at 9am and people are encouraged to come along between 8:30am and 8:45am to sign up for membership.
Owners need to be double vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccination and dogs need to be up to date with their vaccinations as well. Vaccination certificates need to be shown on arrival.
Bring along small soft treats such as cut up sausage or cheese that the dog can swallow quickly, as the food will be used to provide positive reinforcement throughout the lesson.
The club is also looking for more trainers, so if you’re interested in volunteering as a trainer or want more information about the Shepparton and District Obedience Dog Club, visit its website or Facebook page or give Helen Vernon a call on 0418 141 741.