Welcome to Horsham Dog Obedience Club 

Membership registrations will be open from mid-late February each year for a start at the end of February or early March. You can sign up at any stage throughout the year once memberships open. Membership registrations for each year will close in November as we break for Christmas/New Years. 

Your membership will start as soon as you have completed the online registration forms and you have emailed a copy (photo or scan) of your dogs current vaccination certificates to hdoc@live.com.au. Proof of vaccination certificates must be emailed, we will not accept sighted copies at club.

All memberships expire at the end of November once we have had our Christmas break-up party.

All returning members must fill out a new application form at the start of each year.

Classes run most Sunday's between end of February / start of March and November. We do not train on public holiday weekends, if the weather is to exceed 34deg, or if our volunteer instructors will be away.

• During the warmer months: Beginners start at 9:00am and run for half hour. Classes 1-4 start at 9:45am and go for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• During the cooler months: Beginners start at 9:30am and run for half hour. Classes 1-4 start at 10:15am and go for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

You will be advised in your welcome email of specific class start times applicable. We will also update our members only Facebook page.

We ask all members to arrive 10 minutes prior to class starting so you can sign in before the class starts. We ask classes 1-4 not to arrive more than 10 minutes before their class to allow beginners to leave the oval to prevent too many dogs gathering in the entrance at the same time.

Full Year Membership:

Individual handler: $90 

Dual handler: $110.

Half Year Membership:

Available from mid June onwards only.

Individual: $60 

Dual: $80.

Final Term:

Available from the 2nd weekend in September onwards only:

Individual: $45 

Dual: $55.

Please note: We do not offer partial membership terms outside of the timeframes listed above. There is also a 5.5% surcharge to all memberships to cover Race Roster service fees and payment processing fees.

Please refer to our TRAINING page for an overview of our class structure and teaching methods.

Please refer to our CLASSES page for specific excercises covered in each level.

All new members will start in beginners class regardless of dogs age or prior experience. You will progress up the levels as the basic requirements for each class are met.

We accept all dogs of all levels over the age of 12 weeks. All dogs must be up-to-date with their vaccinations (minimum of C5 which includes kennel cough, and age appropriate boosters for puppies.) Most puppies are covered by 12 weeks of age, however please check with your vet before attending.

We do not offer puppy classes specifically, but we do accomodate dogs of all ages from 12 weeks onwards that are up-to-date with their vaccinations (minimum of C5 which includes kennel cough, and age appropriate boosters for puppies). All new members will start in our beginners class regardless of dogs age and prior experience and graduate to higher levels as the basic obedience skills have been mastered. The majority of our beginners class is made up of puppies, but older dogs are more than wecome too.

For beginners and class 1 members, we will usually cover the same basic skills every week. Therefore you can attend as many or as little classes as you are able to without missing anything. 

The main goals for repeat attendance is the ability to increase duration of a specific skill within a distracting environment (and with all the dogs, people and smells on the oval - it is a very distracting environment), it allows more time for you to seek instructor guidance if required, and gives you more opportunites to learn the training techniques so you can impliment them into your everyday activities outside of club.

Usually once a month, our instructors will do an assessment at the end of class and graduate any eligble dog/handler teams to the next level. If you can not attend on the day assessments are done and feel like you are ready to go up a level, our instructors will be happy to assess you individually after your next class. See our CLASSES page for requirements needed to pass each level. 

At a minimum, all dogs must have a current C5 vaccination certificate (or equivilent) which includes kennel cough and all age appropriate boosters for puppies. Most puppies are covered by 12 weeks of age, however please check with your vet before attending. Returning members must show current vaccination certificates every year. Proof of vaccination (photo or scan of certificate) will only be accepted via email submission to hdoc@live.com.au

Although we work each class level in groups, we do not allow any dogs to interact during class time and all members must give other dog/handler teams space while training. If you are unsure about joining, you are welcome to come along to any class WITHOUT YOUR DOG to spectate prior to signing up. Due to safety and insurance purposes, we can not allow any dogs on field during class time unless they are registered members.

We do not allow dogs to interact during class time, and encourage all members to work at a distance that is comfortable for you and your dog. We have high-vis vests available for any members who would like additional space, these vests tell other members to give you lots of space. Our volunteer instructors are available to chat further about your needs before and after class times if needed. 

Please note, our instructors are not behaviour experts. We can however give you a list of dog trainers (not affiliated with HDOC) who may be able to assist if you need any special / advanced care. 

If you are unsure about joining, you are welcome to come along to any class WITHOUT YOUR DOG to spectate prior to signing up. Our volunteer instructors will be availble before and after class to answer any questions you may have. Due to safety and insurance purposes, we can not allow any dogs on field during class time unless they are registered members.

All vaccinated dogs over 12 weeks are welcome to register as members, however Bitches in season and sick/injured dogs are not allowed on the training grounds.

Our Pawty-Paw page is a private Facebook group for our registered members only. We use this group to post notifications regarding class changes, reminders for upcoming events or workshops, and to share tips and advise. You will be sent an invitation link to join the Pawty-Paw page after registering as a member.