The Iron Island Working Dog Club was founded in 2016 with the purpose of training to compete in APPDA. The American Protection & Patrol Dog Association (APPDA) Program is designed to consistently and fairly test and evaluate the defense, fight, hunt drive, courage, endurance and the strength of character of each dog. 

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Since the time of its inception, Iron Island has expanded to include members who compete in a variety of different protection sports, such as IGP (formerly Schutzhund) and PSA. In addition, many members also compete in other dog sport venues, such as obedience, rally, dock diving, and conformation, to name a few.

 

Iron Island has members from both the Buffalo and Rochester areas, as well as in between. We pride ourselves on striving for excellence in our relationships with our dogs. Accomplishing this takes a community approach with every club member playing a part. Teamwork is essential not only to training, but to the success of each dog-handler team. There is a role for each and every member to play within the club. Through both failures and successes, ups and downs, our team sticks together and supports one another. We truly become like family.

 

Our training approach is as wide and varied as each dog’s unique needs. However, the core values are built upon a relationship of mutual respect between the dog and handler. Our goal is to tap into the dog’s innate drives and use those intrinsic motivations to shape the behaviors we desire. This means finding what motivates your dog and adequately rewarding the behavior you want to develop, while maintaining a high standard of obedience. Members are always seeking to improve their bond with their dog. Training should be a rewarding experience for both dog and handler.

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