The Sevenoaks & District Dog Training Society has been in existence for over 50 years! It all began in mid 1963 when four friends, experienced dog handlers, met to discuss the need for a dog training club in the Sevenoaks area. By autumn of that year Sevenoaks & District Dog Training Society was born! The response to the advertisement “is anyone interested” was overwhelming. Fifty owners (and their dogs!) attended the first General Meeting and within a few weeks training had begun.
The Society applied for Kennel Club registration and the necessary rules were set out. In the first year the founder members formed a Committee with an elected Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary plus up to four other Committee Members. We also have a club President.
In the early days the original four became the instructors and the Society was grateful to guest instructors from other clubs who widened the vision of training. Our instructing team grew steadily and at present we have a number of experienced and qualified instructors and behaviourists.
All the instructors are keen to further their theoretical and practical knowledge, so helping to keep the club forward thinking in all aspects of dog training. The club actively encourages this and has an annual instructor training budget set aside for just this.
For twenty years the Society ran a mid-week Open Obedience Show and have also organised a number of agility shows. In more recent years the club has organised the annual PDSA Companion Obedience Dog Show in Norman Park, Bromley and has run a series of successful Agility Winter Training Weekends.
The club is keen to participate in various community activities and in the past these have including agility training displays, Sevenoaks District Council environmental campaigns, Veterinary Open Days etc. We also run The Association of Pet Dog Trainers Good Companion Awards at our training hall in Brasted, near Sevenoaks, Kent.