About Badger Kennel Club

A member club with a training center

Badger Kennel Club calls itself "Dane County's Only All Breed AKC Club" and is, in its own words, "an American Kennel Club (AKC) sanctioned non-profit organization dedicated to purebred dogs." Mixed breeds are welcome anyway: "We welcome purebred dogs as well as mixed breeds in our training classes and performance competitions." The training center is "located at 5925 Haase Road, DeForest, WI (just outside of Madison)."

Method

The classes page states the method and the limits: "Badger Kennel Club uses positive reinforcement training methods in its training programs. We strive to use the most humane, up-to-date rewards-based training methods available. Many of our training methods are based on those used by Ian Dunbar, Susan Garrett, Anne Braue, Super Trainers, and Puppy Culture. Badger Kennel Club does not endorse nor utilize techniques such as hitting, alpha rolling a dog, or other methods that can cause undue stress or harm to a dog."

The class list

This is the widest curriculum in the metro, published with prerequisites. Puppy classes are split by age – Puppy Basic for 8 to 16 weeks, AKC STAR Puppy for 4 to 12 months, and Adolescent Journey for 6 to 18 months. Beginning Family Dog takes dogs 6 months and up with no experience necessary. Canine Good Citizen runs through CGC, AKC Community Canine and AKC Urban CGC, which the club describes as showcasing "dogs that are calm, well-trained, and confident in real-world public settings" while "navigating traffic, crowds, noise, and other everyday distractions." Obedience runs Beginner, Competition Novice Skills, and Open and Utility Skills, with AKC title prerequisites on the upper levels. Rally goes from Rally 1 through Rally 3. Agility starts with Intro to Puppy Agility and Agility Basics and continues to Levels 1 and 2, with a prerequisite of CGC or "well-mannered dog with reliable recall." Conformation, Flyball, Therapy Dog, AKC Fit Dog, Tricks at three levels and Scent Work complete the list. A class flow chart is published for newcomers, and gift certificates are available.

Beyond classes

The club hosts its own events – "All-breed Obedience & Rally Trials," a "BKC Agility Trial," a "Conformation B-Match Dog Show," Fast CAT, pre-trial run-throughs and the Wisconsin Dog Fair. Its stated community work includes "low cost microchip clinics and donations of books to public libraries," plus a Legislative Liaison committee that "keeps members up-to-date on legal issues related to dog ownership." The about page says "The Badger Kennel Club members own over 65 different breeds of dogs" and that "Our instructors are dedicated to dogs and many have decades of experience."