When was the club founded:
From the beginning as the Christies Beach branch of the German Shepherd Dog Club of SA the need for an all breeds club was very apparent. On 12th July 1966 a Committee of nine held their first meeting and the SDKODC was established..

What does the club do:
Southern Districts Kennel & Obedience Dog Club (SDK&ODC) is entirely run by volunteers, we will teach you to train your dog to become an obedient, well-mannered, happy, appreciated and accepted member of your family and an animal that is easily acceptable in the wider community.

We will teach you how to have your dog:

• Walk quietly by your side without tugging on the lead
• Sit quietly whilst being patted
• Behave in the company of other dogs
• Come promptly when called
• Obey your commands immediately

Dog training is continual. There are no semesters, and you and your dog may begin training at any time between the first Sunday in February and the last Sunday in November.

A NEW MEMBER’S CLASS IS CONDUCTED EVERY SUNDAY AND WEDNESDAY.
Remember though, we do not train your dog, we teach you to train your dog.

You train at your own speed. How fast your dog learns will depend entirely on how much effort you put into training your dog. Your Instructor will appraise your dog’s progress every six weeks and if you have worked well with your dog and are following the instructor’s directions, your dog will “go up a grade” (this is termed “Graduation”) until they graduate from Grade 4 with a TRAINED DOG CERTIFICATE.

You may train ANY dog of ANY age. It is never too late to start training a dog, although the younger a dog is, the easier it is to train. Cross-bred dogs are just as welcome as thoroughbred dogs but we do have a club rule that children under the age of twelve will not be allowed to train or handle a dog whilst on the clubs premises.
We also encourage handlers who have gained their Trained Dog Certificate, to join our trialling disciplines. We train Obedience, Rally, Agility, Tricks & Scenting up to trialling standard. We have a Social Grade 5 which is not for trialling purposes, but gives handlers and their dogs who do not wish to trial. the opportunity to continue to enjoy training and some fun activities each Sunday morning. We also encourage Show handlers to join our Show Class.

Interesting information about the club:
We have been operating now for nearly 60 years and have approximately 1200 members and are proud to say a lot of them come back with a new dog many times. We have a great team of volunteers both as Instructors, Committee members and volunteers in administration and canteen. We are the largest club in the Southern area.