Jersey Junior Dog Handlers

Obedience

This discipline is the main one that the club offers. We teach the dog (and most importantly the handler) to use certain commands in exercises such as Recall, Stays, and Heelwork in a variety of exercises. We cater from pet to competitive level.

Good Citizen Dog Scheme

The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme is the largest dog training scheme in the UK and aims to promote responsible dog ownership alongside teaching your dog obedience. Starting from Puppy Foundation, up to Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.

Junior Handling/Ringcraft

Anyone who has a pedigree dog can take part at dog shows where the conformation of the dog is judged. Judges assess if they are correctly made and how well they move to the Kennel Club's breed standard and place accordingly. Owners can also test their skills in the 'Handling' section where they must complete certain patterns to show the dog off to it's best.

Junior Handlers can qualify for the Junior Handling Association Semi-Finals at the following shows held in the Channel Islands:
Jersey: March/April Winter Ch Show, June Spring Ch Show, August Summer Ch Show
Guernsey: May Spring Open Show, September Autumn Open Show, October Winter Open Show.

To qualify you must come 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in your age group of either 6-11 years or 12-16 years.

The Semi-Finals are held at the following shows: BUBA (December), UK Toy (March), National Terrier (April), National Working & Pastoral (July), Houndshow (August), and National Gundog (August). All of these shows are held on a Saturday and are held at Three Counties Showground, Malvern or Bingley Hall, Stafford.

The Final is held at Discover Dogs in London at the end of each year.

Flyball

Flyball is a team sport in which dogs race each other to complete the course. A team of four dogs lines up in their own lane facing a course of 51 feet. Each lane consists of 4 jumps and a spring-loaded flyball box at the end which ejects the tennis ball. Each dog on the team must cover all the jumps, trigger the box and return to their handler with the tennis ball before the next dog can go - all while another team races beside them.

Flyball equipment is kindly sponsored by New Era Veterinary Hospital.

Rally

Rally Obedience is not as strict as competitive obedience in that the dog can walk to heel on a loose lead and the positioning of the sits are less strict. Handler and dog teams navigate a course of numbered exercises without instruction from a judge such as Sit-Down-Sit, Sit-Walk around dog and Figure of Eight. There are increasing levels of difficulty and a variety of exercises that can be combined into different combinations.

A Must to Bring to Training:

Even the most well trained dog can have an occasional accident. Please make sure that you have with you on training nights the following: pooh bags, kitchen roll & a non-bleaching spray to clean up should your dog be caught short.

Treats/Toys for Training:

Small pieces or cheese, cooked chicken or cooked sausage are tasty treats for training. Avoid large pieces which take a long time to eat or hard dry biscuits which are difficult to eat quickly. If you don’t want to train with treats you can use small toys instead, even if your dog is a large dog, a small toy is better to use. Avoid toys with a squeaker, balls are not a good idea to train with as it is teaching the dog it is more fun to play away from you by throwing the ball, when we are trying to teach the dog that it is fun to play & be with you.