Gladstone Dog Obedience Club

22/06/2026

Tricks Class called. It misses your dog.

Maybe it’s the cooler weather or maybe you’re staying home because ‘your dogs knows “it”’ or maybe you’re waiting until they know more before you come….but…

Tricks isn't just about teaching your dog to spin in circles and high-five your nan (although we absolutely support both). It's one of the best ways to build the skills that matter everywhere else:
🐾 confidence and optimism
🐾 focus around distractions
🐾 body awareness and coordination
🐾 problem-solving skills
🐾 reinforcement history with YOU
🐾 better timing and mechanics for handlers
🐾 a dog who thinks learning with you is the greatest game on earth

Plus, it's an hour where everyone understands why you have liver treats in every jacket pocket and dog hair as a permanent accessory.

Whether you're polishing advanced skills, teaching your dog to tidy up their toys, or just trying to convince them that using their brain is a fun hobby, there's something for every team!

So dust off the treat pouch. Drag the crate out of the boot. Find that long lead that's somehow tied itself into a decorative knot.

Come play because your dog doesn't care if the trick is perfect. They care that they get to do cool stuff with their favourite person!

See you at Tricks Class. 🐾

21/06/2026

Tomorrow night - June General Meeting!

📣 Attention GDOC Members: this is your official invite to the next General Meeting 📣.

🗓 Monday 22 June 2026
🕡 6:30pm
📍 GDOC Clubhouse, William Miskin Park

Some of what’s on the agenda?
🐾 August & September trial preparations
🐾 2026 third quarter course and workshop schedule
🐾 Grant funding project preparations

Here's the thing: if you've ever said, "Someone should organise..." or "Wouldn't it be great if the club..." - congratulations, you are someone. 😉

These meetings aren't just about reports and bullet points. They're how we shape the future of our club, support our volunteers, dream up new opportunities for members and dogs, and make sure GDOC continues to be the kind of community we're proud to be part of.

You don't need special expertise. You don't need to have all the answers. You just need to care enough to pull up a chair and add your voice to the conversation.

All members are invited and we’d love to see you there!

18/06/2026

New dogs. Night class. Questionable weather. Dogs suddenly much closer to other dogs than they remember signing up for.
And yet… look at them. Choosing their humans, finding focus and showing off the skills they've been building week after week. 🐾✨
Turns out confidence isn't built in perfect conditions. It's built one distraction at a time.
We're very proud of this Obedience Foundations crew. 👏

15/06/2026

📣 It’s that time of week - Tricks Class 📣

And, good news: tricks class is for everyone!
Baby tricksters. Seasoned show-offs. Dogs who can put their toys away. Dogs who think "sit" is a negotiation. Multi-level teams are welcome, and there'll be something to challenge every brain and every set of paws.

Why come along?
✨ Build confidence
✨ Improve focus around distractions
✨ Strengthen your reinforcement skills
✨ Develop body awareness
✨ Deepen your relationship through play
✨ Hang out with people who also carry suspicious amounts of treats in their pockets

What to bring:
🐾 Loads of soft, high-value treats
🐾 A toy your dog loves
🐾 Crate or mat for downtime
🐾 Water for you and your dog
🐾 A lead (and long line if you have one)
🐾 A sense of humour, because at some point someone will accidentally reward interpretive dance instead of the planned behaviour.

See you there!

14/06/2026

📣 Attention GDOC Members: this is your official invite to the next General Meeting 📣.

🗓 Monday 22 June 2026
🕡 6:30pm
📍 GDOC Clubhouse, William Miskin Park

Some of what’s on the agenda?
🐾 August & September trial preparations
🐾 2026 third quarter course and workshop schedule
🐾 Grant funding project preparations

Here's the thing: if you've ever said, "Someone should organise..." or "Wouldn't it be great if the club..." - congratulations, you are someone. 😉

These meetings aren't just about reports and bullet points. They're how we shape the future of our club, support our volunteers, dream up new opportunities for members and dogs, and make sure GDOC continues to be the kind of community we're proud to be part of.

You don't need special expertise. You don't need to have all the answers. You just need to care enough to pull up a chair and add your voice to the conversation.

All members are invited and we’d love to see you there!

13/06/2026

📣 Casual Attendance Agility Class is ready for take-off. Or at the very least, some enthusiastic zooming with occasional steering. 🐾💨

Agility isn't just about getting from Point A to Point B while your dog auditions for the Fast & Furious. It's about building teamwork, confidence, communication and the ability to make good decisions at speed. (For both ends of the leash.)

Whether you're polishing foundations, proofing skills, or just enjoying the chaos of learning something new together, this class gives you:
✨ Better handler timing
✨ Increased focus and impulse control
✨ Confidence in new environments
✨ Stronger connection with your dog
✨ A chance to laugh with people who understand why you have dog treats in every jacket pocket you own!

What to bring:
🐾 A crate
🐾 Lots of soft, high-value treats
🐾 A favourite toy if your dog loves to play
🐾 Water for you and your dog
🐾 A lead
🐾 Running shoes
🐾 A sense of humour and realistic expectations that nobody becomes an agility superstar overnight.

See you at class. Treat pouch loaded. 🌟

10/06/2026

🌧️ Graduation night served up showers, soggy shoes and a strong temptation to stay on the couch... but our Obedience Foundations graduates showed up anyway. And we're so glad they did.

Despite the weather, teams took to the field to show off the skills they've been building over the course: focus around distractions, loose lead walking, recalls, stays, engagement, and most importantly, the growing partnership between dog and human. 🐾

What we love most isn't the finished exercises - it's watching dogs become more confident, handlers become more observant, and both learn how to communicate a little more clearly each week.

Every moment of connection, every choice to check in with their human instead of investigating a suspicious blade of grass is built one training session at a time.

Congratulations to all our graduates. You've put in the work, braved the weather, and laid some fantastic foundations for whatever comes next.

We can't wait to welcome these teams into Tricks Classes, where the learning continues through games, creativity, body awareness, problem-solving and plenty of laughs along the way.

Because training isn't just about having a well-behaved dog - it's about building a dog who loves learning with you. 🎓🐕❤️

09/06/2026

📣 Belated brag post incoming… 📣

A couple of weekends ago, a couple of our GDOC teams packed up the crates, treats, caffeine and questionable life choices and headed to Rockhampton to fly the club flag across agility and tricks.

And they did us proud. 🐾

Spock came home with:
Intermediate Tricks: Qualifying score (Q)
Masters Jumping: 🥇& Q and his title 🥳
Open Agility: 🥇 & 🥇not qualifying (NQ)
Excellent Agility: 🥇 (NQ) & DQ

Rasta came home with:
Starter Tricks: 🥈; 2xQ and his title 🥳

If you've ever wondered what these sports actually involve:
🐾 Agility is a fast-paced obstacle course where dogs navigate jumps, tunnels, contacts and weave poles while their handlers attempt to remember where they're supposed to be going and communicate that information before the dog develops a better plan.

🐾 Tricks is exactly what it sounds like - spins, pivots, backing up, targeting, paws up, retrieves and more. Dogs perform trained behaviours from a skills list, showcasing confidence, creativity and teamwork.

Titles, qualifications, ribbons and placings are wonderful, but we're equally proud of the countless training sessions, early mornings, road trips, problem-solving, resilience and teamwork that happen behind the scenes.

Congratulations to our competitors, thank you for representing the club so well and for reminding us that success in dog sports is rarely a straight line - but it is usually a very fun one. 💙🐾

08/06/2026

📣 This week's menu:
🎓 Obedience Foundations Graduation
🤹 Tricks Class

One group gets to celebrate what they've learned over the course. The other gets to discover that teaching a dog to put toys away is somehow more complicated than filing your taxes.

Graduation isn't about perfection. It's about celebrating all the tiny wins that add up to a dog who can think, learn, and work with you in the middle of real life.

And Tricks? Tricks is where training sneaks in wearing a fake moustache. Better engagement, body awareness, problem-solving skills, confidence, reinforcement mechanics... all disguised as fun.

Bring:
🐾 High-value soft treats (more than you think)
🐾 A non-squeaky toy
🐾 Crate (for Tricks)
🐾 Lead and collar
🐾 Water
🐾 A willingness to laugh when your dog offers absolutely every behaviour except the one you asked for

Whether you're graduating, spectating, or adding another layer to your training, come join us!

06/06/2026

🎉 Sunday Playday Reminder 🎉

Session 5 for our Obedience Foundations crew!
Bring:
🐾 lots of soft, high value treats
🐾 flat collar and lead
🐾 a non-squeaky toy
🐾 your sense of humour

Also on: casual Agility class!
Perfect for building confidence at both ends of the leash 🤩
Bring:
🐕 a crate
🐕 high value rewards (food and toy)
🐕 readiness to have a go
Casual attendance welcome for teams who meet prerequisites.