“And the people stayed home. And read books and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply.
Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.
And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.
And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.”
Kitty O’ Meara
CLUB ACTIVITY
Summer’s here and if it wasn’t for our beautiful trees and red shell pools, we’d be melting during our training.
Welcome to all our new members and happy training to all club members. You have taken the first step to training your lifelong canine companion, which, as a trained companion, will be a constant joy in your life!
Mr Walter Binder, President of the Pretoria Shepherd Dog Club, passed away on the 22nd December 2020 after a short illness. He joined our club in July 1974 and became Chairman on the 25th February 1976. His 35-year marathon term ended in March 2011. Mr Binder had a passion for the GSD. He bought his first GSD in 1965 and bred his first litter under the kennel name “von Werdenfels”. He went on to breed an extremely hardy, intelligent, strong working line of mostly sable-coloured GSDs. In 1976 Mr Binder started negotiations with the City Council of Pretoria for the grounds we presently train on, and in June 1978 he signed a contract with the Council to rent our training grounds. Mr Walter Binder was known for his forthright manner, honest opinions, and integrity. He was a devoted family man. Walter Binder left a legacy and will be dearly missed.
Our 58th AGM will be held on Saturday, 13thst March at 3 pm. Everyone is invited to join. We will end the afternoon with German fare and a large, lazy bonfire at Gloria’s Lapa. Puppy Club will have their lesson at 10 am, but there won’t be any training during the afternoon.
On a happy note, Tania Quarmby participated in a sheepdog trial in Dullstroom during February and had an extremely successful run with Gypsy Girl who came first and Georgi Girl who came fourth. Josh, Tania’s newest puppy, has started short training sessions and will be ready to enter sheepdog competitions when he is about two years of age.
Our LOVE YOUR DOG Valentine’s Day event proved to be a huge success!!! Everyone arrived dressed in RED and was given a red bandana, brownies, chocolate lollies, and red juice. A big thank you to Juan’Ri and Samantha for arranging the event, Este for her delicious brownies, and Annatjie for baking the chocolate lollies. A big thank you to Martin Potgieter of Bonsai Photography for taking beautiful photos, which will be available soon.
Being a dog training instructor is not easy, especially when we have to say farewell to one of our doggy members. It was with extreme sadness that we said our last farewell to Ruschka, who lost her battle to Degenerative Myelopathy. This is a debilitating genetic disorder. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stoney and Samantha at this sad time.
Ruschka was an intelligent dog who won Best Obedience Bitch in 2016 and 2017. She came first in our dog jumping competition in 2016 and 2018 and she earned the coveted GOLD distinction as a Canine Good Citizen. Ruschka had all the commendable qualities we look for in a working German Shepherd dog.
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/degenerative-myelopathy-in-dogs
Some of you may have noticed a brand-new jump on the grounds. It is not often that we are approached by someone who WANTS to do something for our club, so when Neil approached me to offer his service as a carpenter, I (firstly almost fell over with shock), then upon recovery asked him to duplicate one of our decrepit old jumps, which he happily did. Thank you so much, Neil, one of our newer members. I should add that Neil is an old scouter, hence his commitment to do community service. 😊
John Cox joined our club in 2015 before relocating a couple of years later to Jeffreys Bay. We were privileged to experience him as a dog training instructor of 55 years. He wrote several articles, which are on our website, viz.
John Cox: Dog Training Background
Dog Handlers, Trainers and Instructors
Puppy Training
Putting One’s Best Foot Forward
Training Dogs by Correspondence
Anthropomorphism and Intelligence
Food Refusal
Poison Proofing
Heelwork
The Retrieve
The Send-away and Redirection
Stays
The Theory of Dog Training
Which is the Best Training Method
How Long Does it Take? (to train a dog)
2021 FEES
We are pleased to inform you our fees have remained the same. There is no increase in fees!
Little education on the worm spirocerca-lupi is done on the public in South Africa. This is an extremely dangerous worm that is often responsible for many fatalities. Please read the articles to familiarize yourself with this problem.
https://www.greensidevet.co.za/spirocerca-lupi-dogs/
http://www.sava.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Understanding-spirocercosis.pdf
https://www.greensidevet.co.za/worm-not-know-spirocerca-lupi/
Summer causes parasites like ticks, fleas, and flies to predate. Please take the necessary precautions like dipping, tick, and flea collars, and parasite sprays. There are new products on the market, and you can keep up to date with the latest information brochures, which we keep in the clubhouse.
We train with treats and comfortable branded waist treat bags are available from Ruben for sale on Saturdays. They are R110 each and the small treat bag is R90 – there is limited stock.
COLOURED TAGS
All member’s dogs are issued with different coloured tags. Your dog must please wear the tag at each training session. If you lose your tag, please get a new one from the trainers at R30 each. BLUE = PUPPY, GREEN = FRIENDLY dog, YELLOW = NERVOUS dog, ORANGE = NO DOGS (not dog friendly), RED = CAUTION (do not touch the dog). Please be aware of the colour of the tags, as it is a clear indication and warning to you and your dog to either befriend the dog or stay a respectful distance away.
Preparing for dog club: We know how busy everyone is, but the last thing you want to do is RUSH to the dog club. Your dog will be rattled, and you will probably waste an entire lesson being jittery and shouting at your poor, innocent dog. So, get yourself a bag or basket, fill it with your training equipment like collar/working check chain, leash, dumbbell/throw toy, treats and treat bag (sold at the club). Just lift and leave! Don’t forget your dog, hehe! Gates open at 1.30 pm.
Our medical aiders are Sam and Chris.
PUPPY CLASSES
We have Puppy Club for pups between the ages of 3 months to 6 months on a Saturday afternoon. Socializing your puppies from a young age can be the best show of love, which you, their human parent can give! Your trainer is Juan’Ri and she will lovingly guide you towards training a happy puppy!
CLUB EVENTS
6th March – new intake
13th March – AGM
INTERESTING WEBSITES
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/grief/coping-with-losing-a-pet.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3014775/
https://caninecoaching.co.uk/what-is-spatial-awareness/
INTERESTING BOOKS
Dogscaping – Creating the Perfect Backyard and Garden for You – Tom Barthel
Understanding the Silent Communication of Dogs – Rosie Lowry
Mental Exercise for Dogs – Sina Eschenweber (also in Kindle)
WEBSITE AND GOOGLE REVIEW
Thank you to everyone who has sent testimonials – they’re on the website and Google Review! This is a powerful and easy way of advertising your club, so please make full use of it – www.pretoriashepherddogclub.co.za. Our FaceBook page also has some interesting photos and information!
MAINTENANCE
Fortunately, we have had no problems to report.
PRETORIA DOG RESCUE
Ruben and Marissa have committed to offering their spare time with Pretoria Dog Rescue. It is a worthy cause to support. Please put the word out that they have many, many dogs up for adoption. Check out their FaceBook page for more information. Dogs bought from Pretoria Dog Rescue qualify for one month’s free training.
SPCA AND WETNOSE
Dogs bought from SPCA or Wetnose qualify for one month’s free training (excluding the R320.00 club membership fee). Just bring along your receipt of purchase. The SPCA Newsletter has put out a request for more volunteers, so if you have any spare time, please consider donating it to a worthy cause. Please contact Celestie Mathews who is a volunteer at the SPCA. She has some wonderful fundraising ideas. Celestie also has a volunteer Whatsapp group that you can belong to, where she advertises the SPCA’s wish lists – 082 825 8442.
ANIMAL CHARITY
Our adopted animal charity is the South African Veterinary Association’s community project called Community Veterinary Clinics (CVC). They look after the primary healthcare of dogs and cats in disadvantaged communities and offer vaccinations, de-worming, dipping, and sterilization at a reduced fee. Please get involved in their MySchool card project – http://www.communityvet.co.za/
SATURDAY – gates open at 1.30 pm
OBEDIENCE – new intake the first Saturday of every month at 2 pm
Beginners – please arrive at 1.30 pm and visit our Treasurer, Ruben in the clubhouse – please bring a 1.2m cotton leash, slip collar, and throw toy or dumbbell.
Obedience training – R220.00 per month, payable 3-monthly in advance. PLEASE BOOK WITH US BEFOREHAND. This is not a course, but ongoing training.
PUPPY CLUB – 3 pm – 4.30 pm- Annual club membership – R320.00
R900.00 for the 6-week course – Puppies are welcome to join every week!
This class is for puppies between the ages of 3 months and 6 months. The puppies must have had their 2nd vaccination and been de-wormed. Appropriate tick and flea control must be administered before participating. Please bring your vaccination books. The members will have a lecture in the clubhouse and thereafter learn the basics in puppy obedience, e.g. retrieve, heelwork, sit, down, and stand. And of course, lots of socializing. Bring along a 1.2m cotton leash, slip collar, or collar and throw toy. If the dogs advance well before the age of 6 months, they can join Beginner training. PLEASE BOOK WITH US BEFOREHAND.
CONTACT
Secretary – Beverly – 083 272 1014
Chairperson and Chief Trainer – Tania – 082 430 1456
Treasurer – Ruben Muller – rubenmuller1959@gmail.com
Kind regards
TANIA QUARMBY
CHAIRPERSON
PRETORIA SHEPHERD DOG CLUB
082 430 1456
www.pretoriashepherddogclub.co.za
Check us on Face Book!
WE’RE NOT IN IT FOR THE INCOME, WE’RE IN IT FOR THE OUTCOME