About Manitowoc County Kennel Club

What it is

The Manitowoc County Kennel Club runs from a "Manitowoc Clubhouse Grounds" at "40 Albert Drive Manitowoc, WI 54220," with separate "Valders Field Grounds" at "4508 Quarry Road Valders, WI 54245." Its site is organized by discipline – obedience, rally, agility, conformation, FastCAT, hunt and field, tracking and AKC scent work – and it runs on members and volunteers, with class fees quoted separately for non-members.

The obedience ladder

Classes are age- and experience-gated. "Puppy Obedience Class I" is recommended for puppies 2 to 5 months old and "focuses on basic obedience, manners, and early socialization for your puppy," introducing controlled leash walking, recall, sit and down while the instructor helps with "common behavior problems such as barking, mouthing and jumping." "Puppy Obedience Class II" (5 to 8 months) teaches attention first, which the club calls "a prerequisite to every other behavior in obedience training." "Beginner Obedience I" is for dogs over 8 months "with NO previous formal training"; "Beginner Obedience II" builds on it with "Attention amongst distractions, more formal heeling, straight sits & downs, and longer stays." Above those sits "Beginner Novice / Pre-Novice / Novice," where "Formal heeling and competitive obedience exercises are introduced." Rally and a tricks class round out the floor work, and the club "provides testing for dogs that have completed our Beginners class" for the AKC Canine Good Citizen, a program it notes was "developed by the American Kennel Club in 1989."

Agility

Agility has its own four-step sequence – Intro, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced – each requiring the one before it, and each requiring a dog "1+ years of age with prior obedience training." The intro class "will start on-leash and transition to off leash"; later levels add contact equipment, weave poles, distance handling and full course work. Agility classes are published at "$80 per class," in "45 minutes sessions for 6 weeks."

House rules worth knowing before you enroll

Obedience classes are also "6 weeks and are approximately 45 minutes long," with "A one time fee discount of $10 … given for adopted dogs or dogs attending a second consecutive session." Proof of vaccination and a negative stool check are required at registration. The club is explicit about two limits: "Dogs showing aggression in class will be refunded their fee and be referred to an Animal Behaviorist," and "Wolf hybrids are not accepted in any class." Handlers must be at least 12 years of age, retractable leashes are not allowed, and "Chain link or prong collars are not permitted for training, only flat buckle or martingale design."

Before you book

The club refers aggression cases to an Animal Behaviorist rather than taking them. Ask whether private lessons are available.