About Olean Kennel Club

The Olean Kennel Club is an American Kennel Club all-breed and performance club, and for a large part of Cattaraugus and Allegany counties it is the only place to enroll in a conventional dog training class. It describes itself as an active all-breed club with members primarily in the Olean, New York and Bradford, Pennsylvania areas, and says its purpose is to promote the public's knowledge, appreciation and care of dogs, purebred and mixed breed alike.

The class ladder

The club's own class list runs: AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, AKC Canine Good Citizen, Obedience, Rally Obedience, Agility and Trick Training. That is the standard progression – a puppy class, then basic obedience, then a test that certifies good manners in public, then the sports – and having all of it in one place matters here, because the alternative for most of these towns is a long drive. Registration is handled online, with a printable class registration sheet for anyone who would rather not; the club asks that it be brought to the first class along with vaccination records.

Trials and sport

Alongside the classes the club runs events: AKC Scentwork trials and agility trials appear on its own pages. For an owner whose dog has taken to nose work or agility in class, that means the next step – entering an actual trial – is available locally rather than in Buffalo or Rochester.

Membership and meetings

Monthly meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month and the club says both its membership and its meetings are open to everyone, particularly anyone who wants to help promote responsible dog ownership in the Cattaraugus and Allegany counties of New York, or the McKean, Potter, Elk, Cameron and Warren counties of Pennsylvania. That catchment description is worth reading twice: this is a club that has always drawn from both sides of the state line.

What to expect

Because it is a volunteer club rather than a business, classes run in terms rather than on demand, and the schedule is what it is – check the current class page before planning around it. There is no board and train, no in-home service and no behavior consulting here; for a dog with a serious behavior problem this is the wrong door. For a normal dog that needs manners, a title, or something to do, it is the most useful address in the county.