Hi there everyone, I joined this site about 2 weeks ago, but have only just gotten round to posting.

My name is Vron and I live in Birmingham UK.

I have 2 GSD's Tara and Harley, 1 cat Purdey and we have numerous tropical fish.

I am married with 6 grown up children, and 6 grandchildren.

My hobbies are the dogs and dog training, and I run my own small dog training club, that is aimed at the pet owning public.

I go training regularly with my dogs. Or I go to clubs by myself, to watch and learn from other peoples techniques.

I find that you can learn such a lot from watching others.

Vron, Tara & Harley. (The black beastie)

"The more people I meet, the more I like my Dogs"

Hi Vron
Enjoy the Board :D

Hello Vron and welcome :)

ttfn :)

Hiya Vron
Welcome and enjoy posting

hello
just to say hello and welcome

Hi Vron
Welcome to the board. Hope you get as addicted a sI am (its terrible....I always seem to be on it!)

Your dog training club sounds brilliant, something I would like to do one day, how did you manage to get into it, did you set it up from scratch?
steph and millie
x

Hi Steph n millie, dont take this the wrong way but didn't you leave the board a while ago? If i have the wrong person then sorry, but if i am correct welcome back yourself i take it all is forgiven :)

Hi charlie.
I was off for about a week :) not by choice though :( ..I didnt ditch you all :)
Anyway, Im back...sorry...we're back! :P
Take care
steph and Millie
x

Hi Steph & Millie, thanks for the welcome, I belong to several dog forums, but only found this one last month.

How club came about, this is a very long, long story.

Setting up the club in its present format, was a natural progression from my hobby of training my own dogs at various clubs, and taking classes at the same clubs. (I first started training in 1979 at a local dog club as a beginner with my GSD, and then trained and qualified as an instructor in 1981).

To start with, in 1985 a former friend was starting a new club and asked me to help her take the classes. I then became her partner, but in reality I had no say in the running of the club.
Unfortunately due to ill health, she decided that she no longer wanted to run the club. I offered to continue to run the club, until such times that she wanted to return, but for some unknown reason, things became very strained between us, and she wanted nothing more to do with the club or me, personally I think she hoped the club would fold without her.

So I continued the club until we formally split up.

In Dec 1987 I formally took the club over. I then set it up from the beginning in its present format.

Initially most of the members were lost due to the location (rough area), but with hard work and the help of another good friend/member, we re-built the club, and then decided to change the venue in 1993.
Sadly, she had to leave, as she was moving away from the area.

So once again I ran the club alone, until another friend came, and asked if he could help me with the classes. We were very happy at this venue for nearly 8 yrs until 2001.

Then we were forced to close for 4 months because of the foot and mouth outbreak in Feb 2001, and were then no longer welcome back at the venue.

So again a very old friend and l set out looking for a new venue, which she found for us, this venue is certainly the best of all, a nice hall for indoor training, a football pitch for outdoors training, and a tennis courts/five aside football court, thats floodlit that we can use now and then. This was in June 2001.

Unfortunately my new trainer could no longer help out at the new venue, due to his own personal commitments. So once again I was on my own, trying to re-build the club up again after the foot and mouth outbreak.

I like to keep the classes small, maybe 8 or 10 to a class. I teach basic obedience to the pet owning public, with a later advanced class, that want to do a more formal type of training.

Heelwork on and off the lead, novice and A recalls, play and formal retrieves, stand, sit and down stays, and also starting to learn positions on the move, scent and sendaways in the future.

I am still without a permanent trainer other than myself, but my dog club will not lay down and die, not if I can help it.

I am very lucky that I have 2 very good friends who keep me going with lots of encouragement, advice, and who help me out all they can with their support and transport.

Well I think that club is due for a further re-vamp and a possible change in format, but it is still in its blueprint stage, lots to think about and to arrange.

So watch this space.

I know this post is long, so wont bore you all anymore.

Vron, Tara & Harley. (The black beastie)

"The more people I meet, the more I like my Dogs"

Welcome to the Forum Vron :)

hi vron, hope you enjoy the forum :)