NEWSLETTER – FEBRUARY 2020

Welcome to our new members who joined us on Saturday! We hope you will enjoy your training with us!

CLUB ACTIVITY
Due to the amount of welcome rain, some of our classes were cancelled. We have taken a decision to withhold club fees for January’s training.

Our 56th AGM will be held on Saturday, 21st March at 3pm. Everyone is invited to join. We will end the afternoon with German fare and a large, lazy bon fire. Please don’t bring dogs for the event. There won’t be any training.

Chris gave us a very informative talk on snakes in February. Thank you, Chris, we are much wiser and more cautious!

Our LOVE YOUR DOG annual Valentine’s event proved to be a huge success!!! Everyone arrived dressed in something red and were given a red bandana, home-baked pup cakes, cupcakes and red juice. Thanks so much to Martin for the fabulous photos, which are on our Face Book page. Sam, Juan’Ri and Danielle – you are all stars!!!

Gypsy and Georgi outdid themselves at the sheepdog trial in Dullstroom with Gypsy Girl coming 1st and getting the prize for Best Dog over a 4-day trial. Georgi Girl also tried her best and came a satisfying 2nd. I’m so proud of these girls! I started shepherding 20 years ago and sheepdog trialling 13 years ago. Sadly, Nikkie, Cayley, Nibble and Roxy have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Shelby is now 14 years old and still working, and my only two trialling dogs are Gypsy and Georgi. I have ordered a Border collie puppy and hope to see her or him in September this year.

We will soon be working towards the Canine Good Citizen Test. Information has been emailed to you. Please read through it and discuss with your trainer. Many of our new members will try the Bronze and then a few will go for Silver and the coveted GOLD!!!

Thank you to our trainers who have put so much effort into this year’s many members! Juan’Ri has had to hit the ground running every Saturday with the massive intake of puppies. These puppies will soon be joining our 6-month and older group and within a few months will also try for the Canine Good Citizen Test, going for Bronze!

An interesting book written in 1960 by well-known author John Holmes, called THE FARMER’S DOG, (training for sheepdogs) contains interesting information, which we may not have time to explain to you on a Saturday afternoon. These principles still apply using good sounds and bad sounds, treats, etc.
“All training must, therefore, be based on the assumption that dogs do not reason, which we might call principle No. 1 – a principle, incidentally, which is accepted by practically all successful trainers of all classes of animal.
The second point to remember is that, no matter how much some owners would like them to, no dog ‘understands every word that is said to him’. It does not understand any words at all. It merely understands sounds and it is just as easy to teach a dog to lie down by saying ‘get up’ as by saying ‘lie down’.
The strongest and most lasting associations are created by terrifying experiences, very pleasant experiences and experiences that are happening over and over again, in that order. First experiences always create stronger and more lasting associations than do subsequent experiences. If, for instance, a pup gets kicked by a bullock the first time it sees one, it may never go near one again, but if it gets kicked after it has learned to work, then it will merely be more careful in future. For the purpose of training, we create the pleasant and unpleasant experiences by what is known as correction and reward. We cannot tell the dog what we want him to do as we could a human servant, but we can make it very pleasant for him to do what we want and equally unpleasant for him to do what we don’t want. Eventually he will learn right from wrong and you will be able to tell him what you want him to do.”
We have a brand new and improved website. Please get onto the website and make any suggestions you think are possible. We have received some excellent reviews on Google Review, a true testimonial to our commitment to our club and to dog training. We would love to see your reviews, please keep them rolling! Our Face Book page is always busy with club news, please SHARE!!!

COLOURED TAGS
All member’s dogs are issued with different coloured tags. Your dog must please wear the tag at each training session. If you lose your tag, please get a new one from the trainers at R30 each. BLUE = PUPPY, GREEN = FRIENDLY dog, YELLOW = NERVOUS dog, ORANGE = NO DOGS (not dog friendly), RED = CAUTION (do not touch the dog). Please be aware of the colour tags, as it is a very clear indication and warning to you and your dog to either befriend the dog or stay a respectful distance away.

Summer causes parasites like ticks, fleas and flies to predate. Please take the necessary precautions like dipping, collars and sprays. There are new products on the market, and you can keep up to date with the latest information brochures, which we keep in the club house.

We train with treats and comfortable waist treat bags are available from Ruben for sale on Saturdays. They are R110 each and the small treat bag is R90 – there is limited stock.

Our medical aiders are Sam and Chris, in case of any emergency.

PUPPY CLASSES
We have Puppy Club for pups between the ages of 3 months to 6 months on a Saturday afternoon. Socializing your puppies from a young age can be the best show of love, which you, their human parent, can give!

CLUB EVENTS
14th March – St Patrick’s Day celebration with our dogs
15th March – maintenance day
21st March – 56th AGM
4th April – new intake of dogs
19th April – Canine Good Citizen Test
2nd May – new intake of dogs
3rd May – Walk and braai at Mr Binder’s farm
6th June – new intake of dogs
20th June – Dog Quiz and potjie
4th July – new intake of dogs
18th July – Annual obedience dog show
July – Annual club potjie competition – tba
1st August – new intake of dogs
16th August – sheepdog demonstration
5th September – new intake of dogs
September – Canine Good Citizen’s Test – tba
3rd October – new intake of dogs
7th November – new intake of dogs
28th November – Dog jumping competition, trophy hand-out and year-end braai
December – club closed

INTERESTING WEBSITES

Dominance and Dog Training


WEBSITE
Thank you to everyone who has sent testimonials – they’re on the website! This is a powerful and easy way of advertising your club, so please make full use of it – www.pretoriashepherddogclub.co.za. Our Face Book page also has some interesting photos and information!

MAINTENANCE
A maintenance date has been made for Sunday, 15th March. We will attack the paper thorns and do a bit of maintenance on the day. We haven’t had a maintenance day in years!

PRETORIA DOG RESCUE
Samantha and her team do a lot of wonderful work with Pretoria Dog Rescue. It is a worthy cause to support. Please put the word out that they have many, many dogs up for adoption. Check out their Face Book page for more information. Dogs bought from Pretoria Dog Rescue qualify for one month’s free training.

SPCA AND WETNOSE
Dogs bought from SPCA or Wetnose qualify for one month’s free training (excluding R330.00 club membership fee). Just bring along your receipt of purchase. The SPCA Newsletter has put out a request for more volunteers, so if you have any spare time, please consider donating it to a worthy cause. Please contact Celestie Mathews who is a volunteer at the SPCA. She has some wonderful fundraising ideas. Celestie also has a volunteer Whatsapp group that you can belong to, where she advertises the SPCA’s wish lists – 082 825 8442.

ANIMAL CHARITY
Our adopted animal charity is the South African Veterinary Association’s community project called Community Veterinary Clinics (CVC). They look after the primary healthcare of dogs and cats in disadvantaged communities, and offer vaccinations, de-worming, dipping and sterilization at a reduced fee. Please get involved in their MySchool card project – http://www.communityvet.co.za/

SATURDAY – gates open at 1.30pm
OBEDIENCE – new intake the first Saturday of every month at 2pm
Beginners – please arrive at 1.30pm and visit our Treasurer, Ruben in the club house – please bring a 1.2m cotton leash, slip collar and throw toy or dumbbell.
Obedience training – R220.00 per month, payable 3-monthly in advance. PLEASE BOOK WITH US BEFOREHAND. This is not a course, but ongoing training.
PUPPY CLUB – 3pm – 4.30pm- Annual club membership – R320.00
R900.00 for the 6-week course – Puppies are welcome to join every week!
This class is for puppies between the ages of 3 months and 6 months. The puppies must have had their 2nd vaccination and been de-wormed. Appropriate tick and flea control must be administered before participating. Please bring your vaccination books. The members will have a lecture in the club house and thereafter learn the basics in puppy obedience, e.g. retrieve, heelwork, sit, down and stand. And of course, lots of socializing. Bring along a 1.2m cotton leash, slip collar or collar and throw toy. If the dogs advance well before the age of 6 months, they can join Beginner training. PLEASE BOOK WITH US BEFOREHAND.

CONTACT
Secretary – Beverly – 083 272 1014
Chairperson and Chief Trainer – Tania – 082 430 1456
Treasurer – Ruben Muller – rubenmuller1959@gmail.com

Kind regards

TANIA QUARMBY
CHAIRPERSON
PRETORIA SHEPHERD DOG CLUB
www.pretoriashepherddogclub.co.za
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WE’RE NOT IN IT FOR THE INCOME, WE’RE IN IT FOR THE OUTCOME