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Looking for basic training for your dog?
Our first class for 2025 begins January 9.
See information below.

 

What is MVOTC?

Mississinewa Valley Obedience training club exists for the purpose of helping you to train your dog. We were founded in 1979, and have been serving the Grant County area ever since. 

We work to help you learn alongside your dog. MVOTC believes that in training the owner, we're helping the team! You'll appreciate your dog even more when he behaves well!

 

If you are wanting to train your dog, whether for competition or just to have a better dog, please contact us.  We will tell you if we can help.  

 

2025 Upcoming Events

See our Classes page for more details.  

Class Schedule for 2025     

              Session 1: Jan 9 - Feb 20      Session 2: Feb 27 – Apr 10                                         Session 3: April 24 - June 5          Session 4: June 12 - July 31                            Session 5: Aug 7 - Sept 18     Session 6: Sept 25 - Nov 6                  

 

Our classes are 7-week sessions.  They start with registration and a fun night of learning and demos. Your attendance at all classes is essential to receiving your certification at the end of the class session.​To register, please see our classes page to print your registration forms  and bring them filled out to registration night. You'll also need a copy of your up to date shot records and payment (check made out to MVOTC or cash).   Sometimes, classes fill quickly!  Do NOT bring your dog for the first week of the session.  We will enjoy a fun night of learning and dog demonstrations. 

 

*Please note that for the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy certification attendance is required at all classes (the 7 weeks) to receive certification from AKC.​​​

 

 

Member Meetings for 2024

 

Our member meetings are at 7:30 the 3rd Thursday of every month. We encourage all members to be at these meetings to learn more about what is happening with our club and to help be a part of growth and change.​

1/16    2/21    3/20    4/?    5/15    6/19    7/16    8/21   9/18   10/16   11/20  12/?​

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Member Highlight

Debby Jourdan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello! I am Debby Jourdan and have been a member of MVOTC almost 12 years.  But I became more active about three years ago, when I retired from teaching.   I became Correspondence Secretary, and I also became an AKC CGC Approved Evaluator and have taught both Basic and AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy classes.

My current dogs are full-blooded Border Collies Fe and Beau, and Border Collie mix puppy McGee.  Mac was our first inside dog and passed away from cancer recently.  I helped train him, but he earned all his CGC and therapy titles with Steve.  Fe is a stock dog that is most comfortable at home working outside.  Beau is a wonderful dog, but we had to work through some Border Collie issues with him before we could do other things with him.  He has just earned two legs in Rally Novice, and I hope to compete with him in scent work soon. Beau is the dog that has taught me so much about working successfully with more difficult dogs, and I am very proud of his accomplishments.  Of course, it helped when I learned that he was bred to be a cattle dog in Oklahoma!  McGee is an adorable, quick-learning puppy who will be smaller than the other two and will excel in therapy work.  Generally, he is quiet, but occasionally the “yapper” genes come through.

 

I find studying how people and dogs learn fascinating.  Just as I did with students, I love working with puppies and seeing what all they can learn when given the right opportunities.  In MVOTC, veteran members have taught me so much.  Each one has a slightly different approach to working with dogs, and that has made learning from them even more helpful.  When I teach, I bring what I know about how people learn and combine it with how we train dogs in our club.  Our motto is, “We train you to train your dog,” and I feel that it is just as important to know how people learn as it is how dogs learn if we want dog owners to be successful.

MVOTC is an obedience club that encourages people to compete in obedience sports, and I appreciate that.  However, my husband and I have a love for rescue and therapy work and have joined Clancy’s Dream, a Border Collie rescue.  Each day, I learn new techniques for helping rescue dogs to do well, and I have learned that it takes patience, time, and lots of positive reinforcement to get good results.  

 

My advice for new members and dog owners is to know your breed and to be committed to working with your dog the way that it needs to be worked with.  It is so important to consider your lifestyle and the time that you have available for a dog when deciding which, if any, dog is right for your home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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