Great Yarmouth Dog Training Club is a voluntary organisation that is set up to help its members to train their dogs.

The Club Committee recognises that it has a duty to ensure the well-being of its members during training and it will conduct itself in a way that is consistent with that duty. It will ensure that:

a).   There are adequate facilities, resources, and arrangements in place to provide a safe training environment.

b).   There are regular reviews of club rules and practices in this regard.

In return and given the number of members and dogs that attend the different classes, there are some basic rules that all members and their visitors must follow to ensure that training is conducted in an effective and safe manner.

All members must accept the following conditions of membership and support the Committee in the implementation of these rules.

 

Health & Safety

• Take reasonable care of your own, and other’s, health and safety whilst at the Club.

• Report any hazard or risk that could be a health and safety concern and any incident or accident whether personal injury was sustained or not.

• In the event of an emergency, leave the venue via the quickest and safest route and assemble at the appropriate fire point. Members to take account of any visitors that accompanied them.

• The Fire Exit to the hall is located where you enter the building. In the event of a fire please exit quietly and calmly with your dog. Congregate in the car park until we have checked that everyone has exited safely.

• Do not ask any non member to stand in for you at training, they are not insured.

• Wear clothing that is suitable for dog training, for example, stout shoes, trainers and walking boots are fine, but sandals and high-heeled shoes are not.

• First aid is available, discuss with your trainer if necessary.

• Toilets are available. Please leave them clean and tidy.

 

The Venue

Venues for dog training are very hard to find, we ask you to be respectful of the venue.

• Drive at walking pace upon entering the premises and park in an orderly manner.

• Enter the training area only when invited to do so by your instructor for the start of your lesson.

• Promptly leave the training area at the end of your lesson.

• Enter and leave the venue in a safe and responsible manner.

• Please clean up after your dog.

• Do not allow your dog to pee up doorways.

 

Dogs

• Dogs must be kept under control at all times. This includes coming into and leaving the venue and in the car park.

• Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times, unless under instruction by a trainer during a training session.

• Dogs are not allowed to run free at the venue unless instructed to by your trainer.

• Do not touch or approach any dog without the owner’s permission.

• Correct equipment, as advised by the Committee, must be used at training sessions.

• Training is done on a flat collar.

• Harnesses, slip leads and flexi leads are not permitted for training. A soft lead is advisable.

• If your dog is older (not a puppy) we can discuss with you if you feel you need to have any other equipment.

• Always wear flat shoes when training. It gives you balance, soft soles will not hurt your dog if you stand on them by accident.

• Wear comfortable clothing – preferably with pockets so you have somewhere to put your treats.

• All dogs must wear a correct I.D tag according to the law.

• No dog shall be admitted unless proof of initial vaccinations can be provided.

• Advise us of any history of aggression in your dog, particularly when registering a dog for the first time.

• You are responsible for clearing up any mess made by your dog.

• Unfortunately, our insurance does not cover us for XL Bully’s.

 

Dog Health & Illness

• No bitch in season will be admitted to training sessions for 21 days.

• Dogs showing signs of kennel cough, which is highly contagious, will not be admitted to training for at least 14 days.

• Never knowingly bring to training any dog that has been in contact with any form of illness.

•  In the event of your dog displaying any suspicious symptoms following a training class, immediately inform the club via Facebook messenger or email, in order that other members may be informed and suitable precautions taken.

• We may not be able to help you if your dog has psychological or severe behavioural problems that do not respond to basic obedience techniques. Our main concern is the safety of the people and dogs in the class, therefore anyone with an aggressive dog may be asked to muzzle it or leave the group. It is up to the owner to always keep their dogs under control. This includes coming into and leaving the hall and in the car park.

 

Dog Identification

• It is a legal requirement that your dog must wear a collar and I.D tag and must be microchipped.

• All I.D tags must contain the following information: your surname, first line of your address and post code.

• We recommend you have your telephone number on the tag.

• We recommend that you do NOT have your dogs name on the tag.

 

Training Times

• We reserve the right to change class days and times if necessary.

• We reserve the right to limit the number of dogs in the hall for safety reasons.

 

Absence

• We cannot extend the puppy course if you are absent for any reason (including seasons or neutering). However, we will do what we can to accommodate you.

• If you are absent for more than 2 weeks without contacting us, we will presume you will not be returning to training.

• If your dog suffers a serious illness or injury, please contact us and we may offer a deferred start date or an alternative course.

• We do not offer refunds.

 

Payment & Subscriptions

• The puppy course is 8 weeks, payable in advance. You will not secure your place on the course until we have received payment.

• Our beginner, advanced and competitive obedience training classes are charged monthly at £15, by standing order, payable on the first day of each month.

• The Annual Subscription is £10 per adult and £5 per child under 16 years.

• Only fully paid-up members and invited members of other clubs may train their dogs at training sessions.

• We do not offer refunds.

                     

Children

• Children may train a dog in class after an assessment by the class trainer.

• The minimum age is 10 years old, except at the discretion of the committee.

• Children would have to be mature enough to follow the teaching and understand the principles of training.

• Any child under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

 

Joint Training

• It may be that more than 1 family member wants to come to training. We ask that this is limited to 2 people due to the numbers in the hall.

• If 2 people want to train, then an additional fee would need to be paid for insurance purposes.

• When 2 people are attending only 1 person must be on the floor at a time with the dog. You would need to take it in turns to do the exercises.

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Our trainers and committee members are all volunteers, please treat them with respect.

We do not tolerate any form of aggressive behaviour, verbal or physical abuse.