ABOUT US
Who we are
The ACT Companion Dog Club is a not-for-profit volunteer-based organisation with skilled and experienced instructors who contribute their time because they love dogs and love helping people transform their dogs into the best companions they can be.
We provide Behaviour Training and dog sports classes in Agility, Dances With Dogs, Flyball, Obedience Trialling, Rally, Tracking and Tricks from February to November each year. We host regular trials and race meets to enable our dog sports participants to test their skills in a competitive environment. We also conduct a community-oriented Dogs-As-Therapy program that visits aged-care residences.
To be part of the Club’s activities you will need to become a member.
NEED TO KNOW
Our training philosophy
All of our Behaviour Training and dog sports classes are taught using rewards-based, force-free training methods that are informed by contemporary canine behavioural science. We recognise that dogs are cognitive and sentient beings and that their welfare is paramount. Our guiding ethos of ‘do no harm’ means that our training approach respects each dog’s needs and builds their confidence.
We will help you identify what you want your dog to do and how to set it up for success so that you can reward desirable and appropriate behaviour. Training this way helps you have fun with your dog, and helps create a strong bond between you and your dog based on mutual trust.
Food is a highly reinforcing reward for many dogs; however, each dog is unique and it is important to determine what it finds rewarding.
Apart from food (and there are many different types of food) rewards include toys, play and games that tap into the dog’s natural instincts as well as touch and praise. We encourage the use of a wide range of rewards to help you and your dog engage with each other.
We use a range of humane training techniques in our classes including luring, shaping, targeting, eliciting and capturing behaviours. We encourage the use of a clicker or marker word when training new behaviours to enhance your dog’s ability to learn.
Read our Training Ethos for more information about our training principles, practices and training aids.
Apart from food (and there are many different types of food) rewards include toys, play and games that tap into the dog’s natural instincts as well as touch and praise. We encourage the use of a wide range of rewards to help you and your dog engage with each other.
We use a range of humane training techniques in our classes including luring, shaping, targeting, eliciting and capturing behaviours. We encourage the use of a clicker or marker word when training new behaviours to enhance your dog’s ability to learn.
Read our Training Ethos for more information about our training principles, practices and training aids.
CALENDAR
What’s coming up?
NEWSLETTER
The Good Companion
The Club’s magazine ‘The Good Companion’ is produced four times a year to coincide with each of the Club’s training terms. It covers all activities supported by the Club including Club news, training tips, sports results, photographs and details of upcoming events.