The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme Annual Awards 2023

Wakefield DTC - Kennel Club Registered Club Category

Based in West Yorkshire. Wakefield Dog Training Club was founded in 1958. Have been hosting the GCDTs since 1998. It is affiliated to the Kennel Club and its primary aim is to make dog training available and affordable to everyone.

The club is a voluntary organisation run by a committee, which relies on the skills and dedication of many people. The revenue created from Wakefield Dog Training Club, from training fees and pro-active fundraising and of course subscriptions, goes entirely towards the provision and maintenance of the club and its building and all the equipment. The Club promotes all four levels of the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Training scheme and supports junior membership and development. Training classes also provided in a variety of dog sports, Agility, Working Trials, Fly Ball, KC Rally, Competitive Obedience and Heelwork to Music. Many of the Instructors compete successfully in these competitions and are Kennel Club approved judges.

The Club instructors are supportive and help to get the best out of each dog and handler. Classes are always fun and educational.

Enfield Chace DTC - Kennel Club Registered Club Category

Based in Middlesex. Enfield Chace DTC was founded in 1972.  Have been hosting the GCDTs since 1992.  Have awarded over 1200 Good Citizen certificates. This small club in terms of members but still provides variation of classes, all following good practice and dog ownership as laid down in the Good Citizen Training Scheme.

The club has just celebrated its 50 years anniversary, 1972-2022 and had been offering Good Citizen training and hosting testing sessions since it was established in 1992.  The Club Chairman, Carole Finlay, was a trainer at the club in 1992 and is still there today, taking regular classes. This Club is well known it’s standards of training and continues to teach the GCDTs Scheme at all levels.

In 2022 there were 110 puppies who joined the club and participated in the Puppy Foundation level, with 100 passes certificates being awarded.   At the Bronze Award level there were 38 participants with 20 passing the Bronze test. All new puppies’ owners are given the club’s Welcome Puppy Pack and homework sheets too.

The club meets every week for 3 ½ hours and hosts 2 Puppy Foundation classes, one Bronze class and bespoke workshops and Members Classes.   There are 45-50 dogs attending throughout the evening.  The club recently introduced short workshops, each with a different theme and have proved effective to those who have just finished the Puppy Foundation Course and are thinking about Bronze. The club receive a lot of enquiries regarding older puppies and rescue dogs, which don’t fit into our Puppy Foundation or Bronze classes. The Workshops give the trainers time to assess the dogs and recommend a future training package.

During Covid, the club rented some outside space for Lockdown puppy training. This proved extremely popular, and the club have kept this additional venue and continued to offer a regular puppy class on a different night.

The Club is a non-profit making club which is run entirely by volunteers.  The Club has a team of excellent dog trainers who all give their time, expertise, and knowledge freely, plus our wonderful class assistants and the Committee/Admin Team, which is mostly made up from past members. Classes are always fully booked with waiting lists and the club do everything they can to find the correct training package for the older, rehomed/rescue dogs.

The club is well known in the community as a voluntary club, and can offer our courses at affordable prices, giving new dog owners the opportunity of training their puppies and dogs to a high standard, whilst learning responsible dog ownership. Any profits they make go to dog-based charities. Since Covid, they have supported The Cinnamon Trust, Dogs for Good & Medical Detection Dogs. The club has its website and Facebook page for club members. The club prides itself in good practice, promoting responsible dog ownership and promoting the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme at every opportunity.

Bridport DTS - Kennel Club Registered Club Category

Based in Dorset- Bridport Dog Training Society was founded in 1958. Bridport Dog Training Society a not-for-profit dog training club. The club work extremely hard to continually improve the service they offer and to promote responsible dog ownership. Their purpose is to train dogs to be well behaved and socially acceptable members of society.

The Club’s Instructors have over the past few years attended courses external courses to ensure they continue to reaching a good level of training. They keep up to date with the dog training industry and their own continued professional development so that they can pass on their knowledge to others.

The club’s Instructors are friendly, helpful and making training classes fun.  Instructors give up their time for free every Monday evening to teach classes from puppy through to advanced levels. They have many dogs and handlers who attend initially, enjoy the classes then stay on through all the levels. New puppies courses start every 4 weeks and they hold regular Good Citizen Testing sessions for   Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. Over the years they have improved the relationship between dogs and their owners and given hundreds of puppies the best start in life.

Evesham and District Dog Training Club- KCGCDTS Listed Status Organisation

Based in Worcestershire. Evesham and District Dog Training Club provides training for all ages, in groups and 1-1 lessons, home visits, online courses and workshop days. Regular KC Good Citizen test days, with successes celebrated on the club’s Facebook group page. Due to the knowledge, support, encouragement and expertise provided by the instructors at this club, members achieve more than they thought possible when first enrolling for lessons. Lessons are supported by a WhatsApp group that provides answers to members training questions and gives access to informative, helpful videos. 

Chews Dog Training- KCGCDTS Listed Status Organisation

Based in London. Chews Dog Training is a busy, not for profit dog training club, based at Chingford Mount.  They run 11 group classes across three evenings a week and four daytime classes, with 146 dogs currently taking part in the KC Good Citizen Scheme at all levels, from Puppy Foundation through to Gold. The Club’s overall membership is more than 300. Since the resumption of training after covid, the Club has achieved 3 Gold Awards, 21 Silver Awards, 22 Bronze Awards and 92 Puppy Foundation passes. The club also run classes for those that have completed their Gold Award, where we have introduced a scent training and basic agility exercise. During this year, in conjunction with Animal Aiders, the club ran 2 Canine First Aid Courses, with a combined attendance of 58 people, who now have the skills to help in emergencies with their own and other’s dogs.  The club have also organised and hosted two ‘Doggy Days’, promoting the Kennel Club, ourselves and other local dog services (behaviourists, training, grooming, walking, photography, gifts etc.) Chews have been supportive of fundraising and are proud of their achievements, particularly for the Cinnamon Trust. Charity activities organised in 2022 included running a dog show for the Copped Hall restoration project, Jubilee Celebration event, Easter raffles, Christmas Parties and Quiz Nights.  Totals raised in 2022 were £3044 which was donated to the Cinnamon Trust. This brings the club’s total donation overall to £27,476. A further £1745 has been donated for other charities, including the London Air Ambulance.

The club train at a local church hall and due to an ageing congregation have volunteered to take over the maintenance of the gardens. The club members and their dogs are regularly invited to church services. The club has also supported 2 students taking their Duke of Edinburgh Awards and currently support 5 workplace students from Capel Manor College.

Perth Dog Training Club- KCGCDTS Listed Status Organisation

Based in Perth, Scotland. The club provide informative puppy classes for new and experienced owners alike. There is then the opportunity to progress through the Good Citizen Award levels and the club hosts classes for each level.  Owners stay with the club for many years and bring new pups to the club, meaning they attend several classes with different dogs. The club follows up on each of its classes providing support and advice to owners. The club also provided 1-2-1 sessions for dogs that do not cope well in a class environment. The Club has a friendly and welcoming approach and is always on hand to support its members with training support.

The club runs recall, focus, loose lead, and gundog training, also first aid courses. The club venue is let free to a number of dog-related groups, e.g., dog walkers & groomers. Help with dog-walking groups is also provided.

The club participates in promoting work for Bravehound and helps train dogs and find good dogs for them. Through several fundraising initiatives, in 2022, the club raised £600, which was donated to this worthy cause.

The club works with the local council to be provide 1-2-1 training for owners who have received a Dog Control Order. This type of training helps to provide a more proactive approach in supporting an owner whose dog is reactive or who has been reported due to a dog incident.

Several Canine First Aid courses have been hosted by the club. The club premises have been used at no charge to help support other local worthy dog related initiatives. Perth DTC encourages new instructors and invests in their development, and training for the future. 

Stewart Newman - Royal Canin Dedicated Person Award

Stewart Newman is an Instructor at Nuneaton DTC.  He  is very dedicated to the Good Citizen and spends many hours organising tests and information for Nuneaton DTC.  He has helped numerous people to pass their Good Citizen Bronze, Silver and Gold awards.  A lesson with him goes on as long as you need it, whether you need a 30 minute lesson or 2 hours.  Nothing is too much trouble. Club members say he is always cheerful, always respectful and loves to improve the handlers with their dogs. His knowledge of the scheme is extensive and his teaching manner is relaxed and makes lessons fun. He has acted as steward to the vast majority of Good Citizen tests during these 18 years and is now a Good Citizen Approved  A1 level Examiner.

In 2019 he became the clubs KCGSDS Co-ordinator. Prior to him taking up this position tests were run on an ad hoc basis with only one examiner. Since Stewart took over his flexible approach has meant that the club now have a pool of 8 Examiners, consisting 5 Gold and 3 Silver. With the tests taking place approx. every 9 weeks he ensures that candidates have been signed off as ready to take their test, which has resulted in a higher pass rate. In 2022 he organised 32 tests, with 64 Bronze, 19 Silver and 14 Gold passes. 

Stewart has worked tirelessly to help members achieve their Good Citizen awards and thoroughly deserves this recognition. He has attained Gold level with two of his own dogs and currently has a third in training. He spends many hours promoting it and educating people of its purpose as well as being the lead hands on scheme instructor. 

Amanda McCormack - Royal Canin Dedicated Person Award

Amanda McCormack is an Instructor for Curlabull Canine Training. She volunteers at for 5 Good Citizen training sessions each week in addition to her day job working in the care sector.

Amanda helps train at all levels and  4 of her collies have their gold awards. Her students say that her experience is invaluable, and her encouragement is contagious so that new handlers do not give up and keep trying until they succeed.  Her most recent success has been a foreign rescue which was afraid of the world, who after 6 weeks of training is jumping for joy to see people and dogs. Amanda also helps junior members too.

Amanda also examines GCDTs tests and is a KC A list Good Citizen examiner at Bronze Award level and examined over 20 dogs on one day at a summer event in 2022. She supports the scheme in other ways and has organised, trained and coordinated a huge Good Citizen Display in the main ring at the North East Dog Festival. There are 14 handlers and over 20 dogs in the demonstration team which highlighted how the dogs begin and progress in real life. This display was both entertaining and educational and much interest was shown both ringside and  at the later on with people attending dog training sessions. This display helped to raise over £80 for RNIB.  The festival was so pleased with this display they have asked Amanda to organise this again.

Another of Amanda’s talents was to organise the club’s dog Christmas party which raised £200 for charity. She has also overcome her own ill health, suffering from Covid which has affected her lungs and other health issues with her circulation, to still volunteer week in week out, even when she is not so well. She also kept the Good citizen classes running, when the lead trainer was having knee replacement surgery, twice during the year.

Shirley Bowlas - Royal Canin Dedicated Person Award

Shirley Bowlas is a dedicated volunteer Instructor at Newton Heath Dog Training Club in Manchester. She organizes and teaches Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme Classes at all levels from Puppy Foundation to Gold Award and onwards to competition. Shirley provides exceptional support to other Club Instructors, and is quick to identify new members’ individual needs, advising and signposting them to additional resources as required, using her extensive knowledge and skills. Shirley is dedicated to promoting the key GCDTS messages on responsible dog ownership and often does so in the wider community as well as at NHDTC