benefits of membership in the QCDOC

To become a member, you must first attend one six-week long session of classes. Then, you need to fill in an application form and bring it, in person, to one of our meetings. Our meetings are held on the 3rd Thursday of each month, at 7 pm at the clubhouse. At that meeting, you will be asked to introduce yourself to the club and tell about yourself and your dog(s).  

Membership fees are a combination of the $35 yearly family membership fee and a $145 yearly training fee. If you become a member in October, the total cost is $180 for your family and all your dogs. If you join at another time, the training fee can be prorated to reflect the amount of time you have to take classes until our new membership year begins.

QCDOC Membership Benefits

1. As a member, you and your dog have the right to attend any training class that is offered at no cost, until September 30th. We start a new membership year on October 1st.  All we ask is that you register online so that the instructor knows to expect you, and we ask that you NOT attend the first week of class of any beginner class, (because the first class is so crazy, and you already know the basics)

2. As a member, you and your spouse / significant other have the right to attend any social event.  We usually have a Halloween party, and a Christmas party.  We also schedule in a BINGO night from time to time (no regular schedule). We have also had taco nights, and other fun things from time to time. We also sometimes offer painting nights.  No cost for the parties. A slight cost for the painting night.

3. As a member, you have the right to attend any barn hunt, doggie game night, scent work class, fun match that is offered.  None of these are scheduled on a regular basis, but they are just offered as we have volunteers to lead them.  There is no cost for the scent work (or nose work) class, or the doggie game night, but there may be a small fee for the barn hunts. We also occasionally offer a "play date" night for dogs...with a large dog time and a small dog time, for them to just come in, run around together, and play together. No fees for that.

4. As a member, you have the right to come and man the "booth" with us at any summer festival we participate in, and at the "Mutt Strut" fundraiser for the dog shelter in the fall. It's lots of fun.  We sometimes put on demos at those events too, and you are welcome. We try to reach the public and educate them about the benefits of being a responsible dog owner, and dog training. Other opportunities to interact with the public as part of our dog club come up from time to time. We encourage all members to participate as they are able. 

5. As a member, you can walk with us in the St. Patrick's Day parade!

6. As a member, you can attend an information night about becoming a therapy team. Those are offered periodically on the website.  Our president, Linda Brown, is an official certifier for dog/human teams for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. She will also bring you through the process for free if you are interested. 

7. As a member, you can vote on issues at meetings.

8. As a member, you can use the clubhouse or outdoor facilities to practice training your dog.  See a board member if you want access inside the clubhouse (there is a code on the door).  A board member or trainer would have to let you in at a time that is convenient for you both. You can use the outdoor facilities whenever you want to. 

9. As a member, you can purchase and wear our club shirt.

10. As a member, you can use our club "business card" to share about the club with friends, neighbors, etc.

11. Our club puts on an obedience competition every year in the Amana Colonies, on Labor Day Weekend. This is called a “Trial”. We organize the “Obedience” and the “Rally” competitions at a variety of levels, we hire the judges, purchase the ribbons, register it all with the AKC, and we run the show for 2 days. As a member, you are welcome to come and watch, just to learn what these competitions are all about, and we’d welcome you as a worker, too. We would train you to do what needs to be done. Nothing is hard or very complex, and a day or two of seeing these competitions is a wonderful way to learn what it is all about. 

12. As a member, you are welcome to check out our small “library” of books, magazines and videos on dog training. You can check books out as you like and use the honor system about returning them to their places.

13. As a member, you are welcome to help yourself to water or soda from the refrigerator in the clubhouse and pay for it using the honor system.

Members hear about what is being offered by emails or by checking the members section of the webpage. 

Members should therefore check their emails, and occasionally check the website, to be aware of what is going on. We ask members to attend the meetings as they are able. We encourage everyone to come to the “spring clean-up” and other “work days” or social events, to get to know us, and we'll get to know them. 

The more you participate, the more you'll get a benefit! Welcome again to the QCDOC!