I found a local club in my area, has five and after next week, maybe six members. What are the club sizes on average? I forgot to ask about club fees, what's a reasonable amount? What sort of abuse can the NFG expect? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

my most "local" (2-hour drive) club has about 40 members, consequently their dues are pretty cheap.

40 active members (that show up at least once a week?) or 40 on paper?

40 on paper i guess, bt they dont work that many dogs per week

The club I belong to in CA (no, we do not commute) has two full pages of members with small type. One of, if not the largest clubs in SCH USA. Still, a lot do show up for training, especially on the weekend. Very organized for a large group of people.

I have seen from 5-20, on average.

So it's a safe bet I'll become a club officer in no time at all <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> or be the one who cleans the bite suit, how does one clean a bite suit? you take it to the dry cleaners? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

We have about 20 members at our club. I go twice a week and about half are regulars. I see most of them in a time span of a month. You can watch the dogs and determine who the regulars are.

The club that I currently belong to has 14 members on paper, with anywhere from 8 to 12 members showing up on training days - but we're a pretty dedicated bunch.


I belonged to GASA for years in Atlanta, and I was the secretary for a few years running, so I pretty much knew our total membership, and we averaged around 50 members. However, if we had more then eight show up at any single training session, it was a miracle. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Even for trials and seminars we never had more than 18 members show up, and there were 20 some members that I never meet at all over the course of several years. I'd only see their names on mailed-in votes at meetings and on mailing list.
*shrug*
That sort of thing certainly isn't gonna happen in any club that I have a say in, that's for sure.

You likely won't see a bite suit at a SchH club at all. You'll find those at Ring Sport, PSA, and ASR clubs. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

For dues, I've paid between $75 to $175 per year in different clubs. That usually doesn't include the yearly membership in whatever parent organization that your club is chartered under, such as DVG or SchH USA.
But your real investment to a good club will be in time. There's a lot of work that goes into running a good club, and the best clubs have active, contributing members.
I wish for you a good SchH experience and I hope you belong to a "newbie" friendly club!

He seemed friendly enough on the phone, I told him I didn't have any experience and a white BYB GSD. He didn't seem concerned, I betcha he's got a club member willing to sell me a good pup <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> I'm sure an extra hand to help setup and takedown equipment is appreciated. I was an officer at a local muzzleloader club but had to give it up because of the job schedule. this club meets on my days off. so I lucked out there. I'll let you guys know how it works out <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

That's why I like the club out in CA - no one would push a dog on you from them. You just needed to support the club by training and helping out at the trials if you were not entered, mostly for member support. These are the same people that kept an eye on my dog (not from them or any club member) when he was staying with friends in Germany and I was working in Holland for a year.


I have seen that way too much - either a dog from their breeding or a dog that they found for you that they have in their kennel.