Iver Heath Fields Dog Club: Www.Ihfdc.Com

The club is non-profit making and is run as a community project to encourage dog owners to train and socialise their pet. We have a large membership of dogs of all sizes, ages and abilities.

Dog Obedience, Behaviour & Agility training takes place on the “Cut Square” on the field adjacent to the Pinewood Green entrance and lessons are held every Saturday morning from 09: 15 throughout the year and again on Wednesday mornings at 10: 15. Weekend sessions are about 60 minutes duration but that is dependant on the weather!
Agility training compliments the obedience training and finishes the lessons off with a bit of fun, although completing the circuit has become somewhat competitive between the current members!
We have a variety of dogs already in training varying in sizes, shapes, age and fitness so don’t worry about yours. These lessons involve the owners doing plenty of walking themselves so you’ll get fitter as well!
We have a break midway through the session, which gives us time to discuss any issues your dog may have and a general chat as it gets very warm when you’re attempting to keep up with your dog! ! There’s plenty of water for the dogs too! !
Wednesdays last about 60 minutes and is mainly Obedience and Behaviour training with just a couple of jumps and a tunnel for the newer dogs to practice on.
The club was started in 2009 on a voluntary basis, the Parish Council giving us permission to use the fields provided we only charged fees to cover our expenses. This is how it has been since the outset but because of the expense of the equipment we now have, it has become essential to make an initial charge of £20: 00 for the first 7 lessons. Thereafter a fee of £3: 00 per lesson or £20: 00 for 7 is charged. The club is run as a community project, to encourage dog owners to socialise their dogs and have fun.
We train our dogs by reward, as endorsed by the A. P. D. T. (Association of Pet Dog Trainers ) so all new members are asked to bring a good supply of your dogs “favourite treat”, but only in small pieces. If you’re not sure what your dog really likes try uncooked frankfurter sausages cut into very thin slices - you’ll get about 50 slices from one sausage and these will easily last a session. This will not affect your dogs weight as it is continually working for the treat. Buy yourself a treat bag from the pet shop so as the supply is ready at hand when you start a session. Reward training is all about treating immediately you get a good response, so it is important you have the treats ready at all times.
New members are always welcome. Why not come along to a session and see for yourself. Our starter course is run over eight lessons and we prefer to have a maximum of 8 dogs per trainer per lesson. Having more restricts the attention instructors are able to give to members.
Owners should also realise that training your dog for one or two sessions a week will not be the answer to their problems. Obedience training is ongoing. Skills gained during lessons should be reinforced at home and when walking your pet. Much as we like you to keep coming and training with us, continual practice throughout the week will quickly result in a well behaved dog. There will always be more to learn and more advanced training for you to accomplish as a handler. Remember, your dog is only as good as its owner! !