BRUSH FARM DOG TRAINING CLUBTraining Grounds Location:

Brush Farm Park, Corner of Marsden Road & Lawson Street EastwoodMailing Address: 18 Railway Street, Baulkham Hills, 2153

Clubhouse Phone: 9858 5281 (From 1pm Sundays)Website: www.brushfarm.com.au

Facebook: www.facebook.com/brushfarmdogtraining

Cover dogs: Pippin, Rory, Georgia and Cooper

BRUSH FARM DOG TRAINING CLUB INC.Established 1967. Affiliated RNSWCC (Dogs NSW) 1969

WHAT WE DO •Brush Farm Dog Training Club is a non-profit organisation run by a dedicated team of volunteers, committed

to serving the local community and promoting responsible dog ownership. We teach people to train their dog to be socialised and obedient, and promote participation in canine obedience sports.

•Each year our club delivers over 300 hours of training classes, trains over 500 dogs, & runs three trials, attracting over 250 competitors from across Sydney

•Training provides a benefit to both dog owners and the wider community - dogs that have participated in obedience training are less likely to be surrendered to pounds and animal shelters due to behavioural problems or aggression than dogs with no training.

•Attending training for just one hour each Sunday afternoon at Brush Farm Park will give you the skills to train your dog to be a happy, well behaved member of your family.

MEMBER INFORMATION •Sunday training times: - (Please arrive half an hour early to allow time for vetting)

2:00pm – 3:00pm - Puppies, Brown, Green & White classes 3:30pm – 4:30pm - Yellow & Red classes

•New member registration – every Sunday from 1PM (without your dog) •For sale at the Clubhouse - collars, leads, halters, dumbbells, bum-bags, polo shirts, caps, snacks and

drinks – EFTPOS available. •Training is rarely cancelled due to rain or extreme heat (35o C and above) – more often than not we are

lucky with the weather! If in doubt, please call the Clubhouse after 1.00 pm to check if classes are on— phone 9858 5281. Puppy class is always on rain hail or shine as it can be held indoors.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEES •Payable in February each year, and covering all training fees for the full calendar year:

Adult members $90 Pensioner members $75 Junior (under 18) members $75 Dual/family members $100 (one dog) $120 (two dogs) EFTPOS available

GET INVOLVED •General Meetings are held bi-monthly at Brush Farm Club House, Eastwood at 8.00 pm. All members are

welcome to come and have a say in our Club’s affairs. Supper is served after the meeting. •Our Club is run by volunteers - please see Noel, Heidi or your instructor if you would like to assist by helping

set up the training equipment, serving in the canteen, working on our website, training to become an instructor, or assisting with a myriad of other jobs that makes the club run !!!

•Steward at club trials – Approximately 20 people are needed on each trial day to set up equipment, marshal competitors, record results, staff the kitchen, and pack up. See Noel to join the Steward Squad.

Club Office Bearers President: Noel Reilly 9639 4291 Chief Instructor: Heidi Richardson 9801 8797 Treasurer: John Clifton Secretary: Linda Allen Vice Presidents: Anne Affleck, Anna Steinberg Dep. Chief Instructors: Greig Edwards, Danielle Leong Trial Secretary: Anna Steinberg Registrar: Karen Forsyth, Ivy Sherry Canine Examiners: Bill Short, Colin Richardson Equipment Officer: John CliftonEditor ‘The Barker’: Natalie Leong

Patrons: Steve and Vicki Austin; The Mayor of Ryde

Committee Bill Short, Angela Munge, Greig Edwards, Colin Richardson, Karen Lamb, Janelle Woodward, Anne Martin, Danielle Leong, Alan Luc, Ivy Sherry, June Johansson

InstructorsAnne Affleck, Geoff Craine, Vivien Dunkerly, Greig Edwards, Peter Hewitt, Danielle Leong, David Marcellino, Anne Martin, Noel Reilly, Heidi Richardson, Anna Steinberg, Colin Richardson, Janelle Woodward, Natalie Leong, Kylie Williams, Alan Luc, June Johansson, Tania Cochrane

CLUB NEWS

Christmas Raffle Donation to QLD Flood Relief

Thank you to all who bought tickets to the Christmas Party Raffle and to everyone who provided prizes!

The Brush Farm DTC Committee agreed to add to our raffle earnings to make a $1000 donation to the Townsville Flood Relief to help those affected by the devastating floods in Queensland earlier this year.

General Meeting 19th June

Our next General Meeting is on Wednesday 19th June. All members are welcome to attend and have a say in the running of our Club. The meeting is at 8pm in the Clubhouse.

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Handlers Day 26th May

The first Handlers Day of 2019 is on Sunday May 26th. This is an opportunity for handlers in White Class and above to receive some individual feedback and partake in some friendly competition!

Remember that Red and Yellow Class attend at 2pm on this day, with Experienced Handlers and Trialling teams at 11am.

The Pawfessionals are looking for a dog walker to join our team on a casual basis with an immediate start. After a period of ‘on the job’ training accompanying our lead dog walker on various walks at different locations, the position would then be based around a flexible weekly roster with an average of 2 - 3 walks per day.

The Pawfessionals are looking for the following in a successful candidate: • Experience working with dogs preferred, must be calm and

confident with dogs of all sizes and breeds. • An ability to work independently in a physically active role. • Someone who is professional, reliable, responsible, committed,

hardworking and flexible with excellent communication skills. • Have a current NSW driver’s license with a clean driving record. • Have their own mobile phone capable of taking photographs,

the ability to send these photographs at the end of each day for social media use.

• Available Monday - Friday / 5 days per week for various and flexible hours but generally between 8.30 – 3pm / 3 – 6 hours per day.

Please apply with a short email introducing yourself and attached resume to demonstrate your suitability for the role via david@thepawfessionals.com.au . Any questions regarding the role can also be emailed to this address.

HELPFUL INFORMATION

PROMOTIONS

PUPPY CLASS GRADUATES

Steven & Rathi Ng & COOPER (Labradoodle) Jackie Young & SNOWY (Labrador x) Roslyn Thomas & MACK (West Highland Terrier) John & Katie Sampson & CHANEL (French Bulldog) Harrison Nguyen & HALLE (Swedish Valhund) Michael Miziarski & BAILEY (Cavoodle) Marisa Kiethanom & NISKA (Australian Shepherd) Sandra & Stephen Wainwright & SHERMAN (French Bulldog) Jayden Chan & GOLDI (Labrador) Rebecca Cheong & Rocky Chau & TAKA (Staffy) Lisa Murnane & LEXI (Rottweiler) Alex Cai & JAZZEE (Keeshond) Julie Hann & WILLOW (Staffy) Jane Wheeler & MONTY (Schnauzer) Joshua Hanlon & DJANGO (Collie x Poodle) Lynsey Hui & Kerrie Thomas & CHARLIE (Maltese x) Julijana Terzioska & MURPHY (Maltese x) Francine Freia & ROSIE (Cavalier x)

BROWN to GREEN

Megan Hudson & DAHLI (Border Collie x) Justin Chau & JASPER (Toy Poodle) Alvi Juske & ROCKET (Kelpie x) Kalyani Avula & HAPPY (Maltese x) Joshua Choi & GEORGE (Beagle) Stephen Dixon & CINNAMON (Labrador) Robert Gillespie & ALBY (Staffy) Alex Allen & BIA (German Shepherd) Jieming Maxwell & BELLA (Border Collie) Matt Burleigh & ROBBIE (Labrador) Lee McRae & PANDA (Border Collie x) Hayden Doria & ARCHIE (Schnauzer x Poodle) Cherry Clark & COCO (Jack Russell Terrier) Josephine Smith & PEPPA (Maltese x Poodle) Nicole Hamill & RANGO (Beagle x Cavalier) Saskia Evans & MILLIE (Poodle x) Sam Bates & LILLY (Boxer) Lisa Grayfoor & JET (Spaniel x Labrador) Collin Robert & MARSHALL (Jack Russell Terrier) Krizia Cham & SCOOBY (Sharpei x) Joyce Chow & HEHE (Labrador) Ken Pang & CODGER (Corgi) Kaylene Zaouk & MOLLY (Poodle x)

Erin Taggart & BANJO (Airedale Terrier) Carole Field & MAX (Staffy x) Kendal Cooke & BARNABY (Bichon x) Christine Jones & REMUS (Staffy x) Cong Xu & SNOWY (Labrador) John Klein & WALTER (Beagle) Tracey Haddock & BILLY (Cavoodle) Melanie Shearer & DUKE (Labrador) Susan Momcilovic & ONYX (Kelpie x) Pol Miles-McCann & DECKER (GSP x Great Dane) Ray MIles-McCann & HERCULES (Pointer x Mastiff) Raymond Leung & POPCORN (Corgi) Sarah Smith & ELPHIE (Labrador) Karen Irving & HAMILTON (Cairn Terrier) Kristen Dargis & DELPHI (Cavoodle) Mark Simons & RUBY (Golden Retriever) Michael Miziarski & BAILEY (Cavoodle) Lisa Wells & LUNA (Border Collies) Stuart Maxwell & BELLA (Border Collie) Caroline Thomas & MACK (West Highland Terrier) Virre Roberts & JONAH (Jack Russell Terrier) Tony Zhang & HONEY (Labrador) Lin Shu & GAGA (Labrador)

GREEN to WHITE William Kwok & BISON (Miniature Poodle)

WHITE to YELLOW Annie Pan & BISON (Miniature Poodle)

TRIAL RESULTS

There have been so many great trial results so far this year! Keep up the great work everyone!

Remember to let us know of your dog’s achievements on our Facebook page or email brushfarmbarker@gmail.com with your results.

(Even if your brag is not competition-related, please let us know of anything dog-related that you are proud of. We welcome all news!)

Greig Edwards and his Border Collie Cindy (Etherial Clean Heart) scored 186/200 and came 2nd in the CD ring at the Brush Farm Trial on 24th March. They also won the Jack Goldstein Memorial Perpetual Trophy for attaining the highest score for a Brush Farm entry.

On the 24th April at the Mid-week Metro Trial, Greig and Cindy finished off her CD title in style with a 1st place. Congratulations!

Natalie Leong and her English Springer Spaniel Pippin (Glastonpark Lachie) scored 97/100 and came 3rd in Rally Advanced at the March Brush Farm Trial.

Well done to June Johansson and her Beagle Eva (Leanya Steel Magnolias) for obtaining their Rally O Novice title at the Northern Suburbs trial on 28th April.

Heidi Richardson and Cooper gained a Rally O Novice pass at the Brush Farm Trial and gained their Rally O Novice title with a score of 95/100 and a 3rd placing at the Northern Suburbs trial on 28th April. Great job!

Also at the Northern Suburbs trial, Noelle Deshon and Ned achieved 2nd place in Rally O Excellent.

Alan Luc and Hopper and Richard Watkins and Zoe have also had recent qualifications.

MARCH TRIAL REPORT

This day requires a ton of effort from our army of volunteers - from our Trial Secretary Karen who organised all the judges and entries, to our set-up crew who get up at the crack of dawn, to our catering team, and of course, all of our enthusiastic stewards.

We are so appreciative of everyone who helps out, particularly those who have to put in long hours! To every one of our club members who volunteered to steward for the first time, we hope you enjoyed yourselves and learned something useful.

We had a lovely and talented panel of judges - Miss Kaye Arkins, Miss Heather Martyn, Ms Maryanne Fazekas, Mrs Maria Wheeler, Mr Ron Probert, Dr Claire Wade, Ms Antoinette Rebstein and Mrs Veeni Craig - and we thank them for standing out in the sun and humidity all day!

And finally, well done to all the competitors who showed up and had fun with their amazing dogs.

If you would like to be a part of our next trial, it takes place on Sunday 25th August. We would love to see some new stewards helping out! We go through everything you need to know before the trial day and you will be working with more experienced stewards so it’s something that anyone can have a go at! Have a chat to an instructor if you have any questions.

On Sunday 24th March, Brush Farm conducted its 75th Obedience, Rally O & RATG trial. The weather was hot and humid, but thankfully the rain stayed away!

This is a wonderful occasion to see competitors from around NSW work with their dogs across various levels of obedience.

It was fantastic to see so many Brush Farm club members with their dogs. Remember if your dog is in Yellow or Red Class, you probably have the skills necessary for CCD or Rally O Novice, so have a chat to your instructor if you have any questions about trialling!

CANINE SCIENCEGuilty Dogs & Play

Scientific research on dogs has increased exponentially over the past two decades. We are learning more about what makes dogs such fantastic companions to humans, why they behave the way they do, and what might be going on in that brain of theirs.  

The Guilty Dog Study: Do dogs know when they do something "bad"?   We've all seen the videos online of "guilty" dogs after they have done something "wrong". Lots of people use this to explain that "See! He knows he's done the wrong thing!". Maybe you have seen this phenomenon in your own dogs. But here's the thing: the behaviour that you are seeing - big, mournful eyes, ears back, tail wagging, perhaps a submissive grin - may not mean what you think it means.   A wonderful research study (Horowitz, 2009) looked at the "guilty dog" scenario by setting up several experimental conditions. The basic setting was that the owner and dog were in a room with a tasty treat. The owner then tells the dog not to eat the treat and leaves the dog alone in the room with the treat. The experimental conditions varied in the following ways: • The dog ate the treat, the owner was told the dog ate

the treat • The dog ate the treat, but the researcher replaced the

treat and the owner was told that the dog did not eat the treat

• The dog did not eat the treat and the owner was told that the dog did not eat the treat

• The dog did not eat the treat, but the researcher removed the treat and told the owner that the dog did eat the treat

 

Here's what was found. Dogs looked guilty when their owners thought they had eaten the treat, regardless of whether the dog had partaken in the forbidden activity or not. Dogs who had not eaten the treat (but whose owners were told that they had) looked more "guilty" than those dogs who had actually eaten the treat (but whose owners were told that there dog was perfectly behaved).

This tells us that a "guilty look" is much more likely to be a dog's response to their owner's behaviour, rather than a result of their apparent misdeeds. Think about what people do when their dog does something "bad" - they probably stand over the dog, they may stare right at their dog, they may use a low tone of voice "what did you do?", or a loud, scary voice, they may gesticulate wildly.

All of the features of a dog's guilty look correspond to general dog body language relating to appeasement. The guilty look is a classic way for a dog, when faced with something a bit threatening, to say "I'm harmless, don't mind me, I'm not a threat". But it is probably not a way for the dog to say "Sorry, I did a bad thing".

This is important to keep in mind WHENEVER we interpret our dog's behaviour and body language. Take a step back and think about what might actually be going on in your dog's head. I don't often like to compare dogs to wolves, but I think it can be more helpful to ascribe wolfy interpretations to dog behaviour than human-driven ones!

The Importance of Play

The relationship between you and your dog is a key factor in your successful training relationship. That relationship should be based on kindness and trust. Dogs are naturally playful creatures and play is an incredibly beneficial way to build that special bond between humans and canines. But how do we go about this and how can we use play when it comes to dog training?

What are we talking about when we say “play” with your dog? We are referring to friendly, mutually enjoyable, interactive play. This can look different to everyone. You should be smiling and laughing and your dog should be relaxed and happily wagging their tail. Dogs typically enjoy bouncing around and chasing/following, gentle pushes and nudges, butt/chest scratches, spins, getting down on the ground… Try different things and see what works for you. If you have a dog that loves tugging, this is a great thing to use as well!  

There's a lot of research in relation to the hormone oxytocin, which is associated with social bonding and attachment. Oxytocin has been shown to be a factor in both dogs and humans after social interactions. For example, one experiment (Nagasawa, Kikusui, Onaka & Ohta, 2009) found that oxytocin levels were higher for owners whose dogs looked at them for longer periods during a social interaction. This suggests that getting your dog to look at you will make you feel good!   Another experiment (MacLean, Gesquiere, Gee Levy, Martin & Carter, 2017) looked at the dog side of the equation and found that after just ten minutes of friendly interaction with a human, dogs were found to have significantly higher levels of oxytocin in their blood and saliva, compared to dogs who did not interact with a human.  

But is all this oxytocin helpful to our training? Well one study (Oliva, Rault, Appleton & Lill, 2015) found that dogs that were given a dose of oxytocin performed better on tasks related to following human social cues (such as pointing or looking at something). This suggests that enhancing the dog-human bond will make it easier for us to communicate effectively with our dogs.   In addition, you can use that bond to help your dog out in stressful situations. Another study (Shiverdecker, Schiml & Hennessy, 2012) looked at dogs in a shelter environment and found that three forms of human interaction (exposure to a passive human, petting, or play) all lowered dogs blood cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone associated with stress.   You might wonder how effectively we can play with dogs? It turns out we can actually use some of the signals dogs use themselves. One study (Rooney, Bradshaw & Robinson, 2001) found that when humans attempted to perform certain dog play behaviours (such as 'bow' and 'lunge'), there was an increase in play between humans and dogs. This demonstrates that we can use our interpretation of dog body language to communicate effectively with dogs in a playful context.   Perhaps most helpful to all of us dog trainers is this study (Affenzeller, Palme & Zulch, 2017), which found that dogs who engaged in a playful activity after completing a training session were able to learn tasks more quickly. In other words, play between humans and dogs helps dogs learn. So make sure you have plenty of play breaks in your own training!

CANINE SCIENCEGuilty Dogs & Play

AGGRESSION TIPSMichael Shikashio

So what can pet owners do instead?!   1. Don’t take a puppy who is fearful or shy around other dogs to the dog park. It’s kind of like taking a shy librarian to a biker bar. An alternative would be to pair the dog with suitable, social playmates that can gently bring out play (preferably under the guidance of a professional and preferably one-on-one).    2. Don’t chase a dog who just stole something. Doing so can inadvertently “add value” to the item, and cause the dog to use aggression to “keep the highly coveted object.” Swiping the object out of the dog’s mouth and punishing them can make them more defensive. Instead, manage the items so the dog can’t practice stealing them; teach the dog to bring those items to you for tasty treats (retrieve) in the event they get a hold of them; and teach the dog to voluntarily leave the items alone in the first place. If they get a hold of something dangerous (pill bottle, kitchen knife, your Uncle’s pot brownies), then it’s understandable to dive in and risk getting bitten. But if you do preventative training, you significantly reduce the potential for a bite.   3. Tight leashes are awfully restrictive. They can add frustration, remove flight options, and create confrontational body postures. While I’m not a fan of on-leash greetings, they will happen in life, so keeping the leash loose (and the greetings really short) will help to prevent problems from occurring.   4. The last time the waiter tried to take my plate away when there were a few fries still left on it, I almost took his hand off. Taking a dog’s food or toys away while they are enjoying them is quite similar. Instead, dropping higher value treats nearby on occasion will work in the same fashion as the waiter popping the hot fudge sundae right next to my plate of fries.    5. Guess who gets bitten the most? That’s right - kids! Kids can do awfully weird things to dogs sometimes, so it is vital we supervise them and teach them how to properly interact with dogs.  FamilyPaws.com, LivingWithKidsAndDogs.com, and The FamilyDog.com all are chock full of information on how to keep kids safe!   DISCLAIMER: If your dog is already displaying aggressive behaviours in these contexts, seek out the guidance of a professional who is experienced in aggression cases using positive reinforcement, desensitisation and counterconditioning, or differential reinforcement. (Those are the keywords you can use to look for the right pro!)

The following is from professional dog trainer Michael Shikashio, who specialises in dog aggression cases. You can find out more about him at www.aggressivedog.com.

I threw this short list together based on the recent string of cases that I have been working over the last few months where these factors were involved. These are all very common contributing factors that can set dogs up for failure or result in an aggressive response.   

Living With A Blind Dog   Crosby is my 8-year-old black Labrador. Due to an untreatable eye condition, he started losing his sight at around 3 years of age and he became fully blind by the time he was 5. Which meant that he had time to adjust to his diminishing vision, and I had time to prepare for living with a blind dog!

When I tell people that Crosby is totally blind, I often receive a response along the lines of "Oh! Poor thing!", which is perfectly understandable. It is a sad thing when an animal is disabled in some way - we all want our dogs to be happy and healthy.   However, I am not making people aware of his blindness for sympathy but for practical reasons. It is normally more along the lines of: "Be careful, he's blind so he may run into you or jump into your face when you say hello" or "Please keep your dog away from mine as he is blind and unknown dogs in his space are very concerning to him."   The truth is that Crosby lives an awesome life compared to many dogs and he is, as far as I can tell, an extremely happy dog! I do think that blind dogs have it a lot easier than blind humans since dogs have such an amazing superhero scenting ability. You can be sure that blindness does not slow Crosby down at all in finding ANY  available food (or food-adjacent items, he is not picky!).   Crosby has an array of tricks that he knows, including: • Sit up pretty and wave • Pick up toys and put them away in a bucket • Play dead • Pick up each of his paws on cue (front and back!) • Walk backwards up a flight of stairs   He can do heeling on my left AND right sides. He knows all his obedience stuff and if you watched us go around a Rally O course, you probably wouldn't have a clue that he is completely blind.   He is trained in the dog sport of scent detection (nosework) so he can find three target odours (Birch, Anise and Clove) in a range of scenarios and locations.  

He has lots of practice with cooperative care (positively-trained animal husbandry). Last year when he had one eye removed, he was able to have his stitches taken out easily whilst he calmly maintained a chin rest to my hand (and if you know how much crazy energy this dog has, you know this is a real accomplishment!).   He loves playing fetch with his squeaky ball. He follows the bounce sounds and tries to catch it. If he misses it, he then sniffs out the location of the ball.   Sniffy walks are his favourite thing. I have to be his guide person so we had to learn a way of communicating on a walk. He knows "CAREFUL!" means slow down and move out of the way of an obstacle. He knows when I cue him to walk up or down steps.   Around the house, he is totally comfortable. He knows the layout of the house. If we move furniture around, it takes him about a week to get used to it but he is very adaptable. He has learned the layout of other family member's houses when we visit.   He loves playing with our new kitten, Odie. Odie quickly worked out that Crosby can't see him and they play hide and seek games together. When they wrestle around, Crosby is so gentle… it's amazing to watch!   Crosby is the dog that made me catch the "training bug". He has challenged me and surprised me and made me a better dog trainer. When I think about what "dog training" is all about, I think about the relationship I have with Crosby and how all this training we do together makes both of our lives whole. We have a communication system that works, and we have so much companionship and trust between us. His blindness is just one thing about him… but it doesn't define him and his amazing capabilities. He really is the bestest dog (but don't tell my other dogs that I said that).

DANIELLE’S DOGGY DIARYby Danielle Leong (Instructor)

REMINDERS

2019 CALENDAR

FEBRUARY Sunday 3rd Training - First for the year Sunday 10th Training / Puppy Class Starts Sunday 17th Training Wednesday 20th General Meeting Sunday 24th Training

MARCH Sunday 3rd Training Sunday 10th Training / Puppy Class Starts Sunday 17th Training Wednesday 20th Committee Meeting Sunday 24th Obedience / Rally Trial - NO TRAINING Sunday 31st Training

APRIL Sunday 7th Training Sunday 14th Training Wednesday 17th General Meeting Sunday 21st Easter Weekend

- NO TRAINING Sunday 28th Training / Puppy Class Starts

MAY Sunday 5th Training Sunday 12th Training Wednesday 15th Committee Meeting Sunday 19th Training Sunday 26th Handlers’ Day 1

JUNE Sunday 2nd Training Sunday 9th Queen’s Birthday Weekend - NO TRAINING Sunday 16th Training / Puppy Class Starts Wednesday 19th General Meeting Sunday 23rd Training Sunday 30th Training

JULY Sunday 7th Training Sunday 14th Training Wednesday 17th Committee Meeting Sunday 21st Handlers’ Day 2 / Puppy Class Starts Sunday 28th Training

AUGUST Sunday 4th Training Sunday 11th Training Sunday 18th Training Wednesday 21st Annual General Meeting Sunday 25th Obedience / Rally Trial - NO TRAINING

SEPTEMBER Sunday 1st Training / Puppy Class Starts Sunday 8th Training Sunday 15th Training Wednesday 18th General meeting Sunday 22nd Handlers’ Day 3 Sunday 29th Training

OCTOBER Sunday 6th Labour Day Weekend - NO TRAINING Sunday 13th Training Wednesday 16th Committee Meeting Sunday 20th Training / Puppy Class Starts Sunday 27th Double Rally O Trial

- NO TRAINING

NOVEMBER Sunday 3rd Training Sunday 10th Training Sunday 17th Training Wednesday 20th General Meeting Sunday 24th Training - Last for the year

DECEMBER Sunday 1st - Dog’s Christmas Party

• Please pick up after your dog. Pooper-scoopers, bags & bins are provided.

• Keep away from dogs tethered in the roped off area. Please remind your children that these dogs MUST be left alone when their owners are not present

• Dogs wearing Green Collars are aggressive to other dogs. Dogs wearing Orange Collars are not yet friendly towards people. Please give these dogs the space they need.

• Please do not leave your children unsupervised. Children running on the field can frighten and excite some dogs.

• All handlers must wear enclosed shoes. Handlers with inappropriate footwear will be asked to leave the grounds.

• Please keep your dog on a lead unless an instructor tells you otherwise.

• Dogs that have run off during off-lead exercises must be worked on a long lead, available for sale from the Clubhouse

• Senior class members are requested to ensure all club equipment is packed away before letting their dogs off-lead to play - a pack of exuberant dogs charging around the field poses a significant safety risk to volunteers still at work.