Prestwick & District Dog Training Club

We are a dog training club based on the outskirts of Ayr. Our training covers obedience, agility and flyball.

WHAT IS AGILITY?

Dog agility is something akin to Badminton horse trials, without the hooves! Whilst a modest level of fitness is taken for granted one does not have to be a Linford Christie or Sally Gunnel to take part in this sport.

The aim of the sport is to guide your dog through a series of obstacles within a course time. The skill levels involved range from good obedience control for Starter Agility through to advanced commands at senior level. Opinion varies on the best way of training your dog for agility. Prestwick & District DTC uses motivational methods to encourage both handler and dog to achieve these aims. If the dog enjoys what it is doing it will want to learn more and the more a dog learns, the more it can learn. In general it is recognised that it takes about two years to train the dog and four or five years to train the handler!

WHAT IS FLYBALL?

Flyball is a relay race with four dogs on a team. The course consists of a start/finish line, four hurdles spaced 10 feet apart, a box and a backboard. The first hurdle is 6 feet from the start/finish line and the box is 15 feet from the last hurdle. The backboard is placed 7 feet upwards behind the box. The dogs jump the hurdles and step on the spring loaded box that shoots out a tennis ball. The dog catches the ball and then returns over the 4 hurdles; when the dog crosses the start/finish line the next dog goes. The first team to have all 4 dogs run without errors wins the heat. Each heat consists of 2 teams in a knockout race.

Prestwick and District started as a small club training in the Masonic Hall in Prestwick in the early 1960's. From there, the club moved to Prestwick Town Hall and then to the Scout Hall. In 1966 the club applied for 'Registration of Title' with The Kennel Club in London. Three titles were put forward, Prestwick and District Dog Training Club, South West Scotland Dog Training Club and Doon Valley Dog Training Club. On the 25th January 1967 the club received Kennel Club registration as 'Prestwick and District Dog Training Club'.

Over the years the club has trained in a number of venues since the days of Prestwick Masonic Hall. Most have been venues in Ayr, where we currently still train.

From small beginnings our club has become well known throughout the dog world, mainly by running an annual open Obedience show every Summer, and in June 2007 the club was awarded Championship Status which allows us to run a Championship Obedience show alongside our open Obedience show.

An Agility section was formed in 2002, with the first Open Agility show being held in June 2003. We now have a flourishing Agility section and continue to host a two day Open Agility show in the Summer.

By 2005 the club had started a Flyball Section. Over the years this has gone from strength to strength, competing at Crufts 2008, hosting numerous training, fun days and demonstrations. The club has also, since 2009 been hosting a Crufts Flyball Qualifier attracting teams from all over Britain.

Tags: Dog Trainer,Recreation & Fitness,Non-Profit Organization