This is a growing club with diverse interests. If you have a passion for doing fun stuff with your dog and sharing that time with others, this club is for you! Whether it is Nosework, Barnhunt, Rally, RH (ask us about this!) or IGP (formerly Schutzhund/IPO), we come together to help each other during club times.  During club, you should expect to help others by putting out hides, or spotting for someone in obedience, or maybe even laying a short track…you can also expect the same from others. Clubs only work when we all help each other and that is what Gold Country Working Dog Club is all about.

Want to check it out before joining? Just sign up here  if you are interested in IGP and here  if you are not interested in IGP, but interested in all the other things. Use the code “VISITOR” for either.  Your first visit is on us!  If it seems like a good fit, then join by clicking the “Join the Club” button below. Club meets 3x per week. You are not obligated to come to every club day, but if you are crazy like us, you just might! Because we know not all sports are compatible to be working at the same time, we have split up the club times into 2 types. We will call it the “Noisy time” (think IGP…barking dogs) and the quieter time (think Nosework, Barnhunt).  Honestly anyone can come to any time, but we do ask, if it is a designated Quiet type time, then don’t practice barking unless everyone is okay with it! If it is a Noisy type time, then the quiet sport people are welcome, but expect their to be animated potentially barking dogs that have the priority!

How much does club cost? It’s pretty darn nominal TBH! $50 per month is all we are talking, and we are talking about 2-3 club meetings per week included in the monthly fee.  Rather than paying a non-member price of $30 per session, we are talking $50 for ALL of it!  I mean working your dog and progressing to your goals! Can’t get any more value than that! Now, for the IGP (formerly Schutzhund/IPO), there is one more thing…you must also be a member of USCA (United Schutzhund Clubs of America). They are our parent club, so we can’t exist in the sport without them! You can sign up for your USCA member number here.

We are a group of people who love to play with our dogs and enjoy all the dog sports! We all pitch in at club to set up the days trainings and clean up afterwards!

Club fees are $50 monthly for unlimited access to the club times. People participating in the protections sports sessions must be a member of USCA (www.germanshepherddog.com as well as our club).

We have training on Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday. The club is focused on IGP (Schutzhund) and RH on Saturdays and Wednesday evening. The club is focused on obedience, RH, scentwork, barnhunt on Sunday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon (just prior to the IGP club training).

Club members will also have first shot at various seminar/classes that the club puts on as well as trial entries. Those are at additional costs than normal club training.

Club members have first option to volunteer at trials in exchange for entry fees.

Junior Handlers

We want to support kids participating in all the sports! Junior Handler Club dues are $10 per month. You can also ask us about Scholarships. Let’s get those kids doing things with their dogs! Junior Handlers must be under 18.

FAQ

1. Can I come even if I am not a club member? We typically suggest enrolling in a class to see if you like the facility and moving to club from there.  Yes, you can come straight to club but you will guest fees.
2. Can I expect instructions if I don’t know what to do in the sports? Yes, we will provide all the help that any club can provide in a group setting. There are some basic videos that help you understand our theories and we can coach in a group atmosphere.  In return we expect each club member to contribute at their level.  Feel free to watch others or ask questions. We learned most of our sports by watching others work and asking questions. But you can just come watch, learn, try, etc… you are not required to take a class. If you want 1-1 help, you can schedule private sessions through GCK9 if desired.
3. What can I expect from club? You should be able to expect to be a part of a dog sport community who loves playing with their dogs. This club is blessed to be hosted by GCK9 and they are working at keeping dog sports accessible to everyone and trying to do their part to help build a community of friends who come together to play with their dogs.
4. What are my responsibilities in the Club? Club is a volunteer activity…no one is getting paid. You should expect to volunteer to help set up, take down, help others, offer tips within your knowledge base, watch, listen, be supportive, help clean up! Do not expect people to clean up after you. If you leave a mess, expect fines to occur. If it happens often, you leave no choice but to raise fees to pay for people to clean up after you! Don’t expect to just come work your dog and run! Of course, that happens sometimes. But as a rule, expect to help others as they help you!
5. Who are Junior Members? Junior Handlers are kids who have not reached 1)18 and 2) graduated from high school. Junior Handlers must still fill out an application and pay the reduced monthly fee of $10. There are scholarships available if needed.  They may be subject to the same instructional fees for guest instructors as all other club members.
6. Is use of the pool included in membership? No, the pool is not a part of GCWDC membership. However, GCK9 has excellent membership options for low-cost use of the pool. Open dock times will almost always be scheduled at or near club time whenever possible.
7. I am a trainer at another facility that does these sports, does that mean I can’t join here? No, all people, trainers included are welcome to come together to enjoy these sports. Feel free to give people tips, help them as much as they may want, or if you prefer to just work your dogs, do that! This is a CLUB of likeminded people to come together and enjoy the sports together!