Established 1960
Classes
General
Students must register on-line via the schedule posted under Current Classes. No walk-ins or verbal reservations. To register for a particular class, click or tap the highlighted link, then at the next page click REGISTER. If you don't see a highlighted class code, or the link takes you to a page without a REGISTER button and with a message saying Registration is closed, it means registration for that class has not yet opened. Check the opening dates listed at the top of the schedule page, and try again later.
If the link takes you a page with a JOIN WAITLIST button (instead of a REGISTER button), it means the class is full. We do sometimes get cancellations, so click JOIN WAITLIST if you want to be notified of any last-minute openings. The waitlist request pertains only to the current class; it will not carry over to a future class. Do not send payment for a position on the waitlist.
Your Account
The first time you register for a class, the system will create an account for you with your e-mail address serving as your username. The account stores your contact information (we do not collect any financial information). You will have to jump through a few hoops when the account is first created (prove you are not a robot, agree to a Terms & Conditions statement), and the system will assign you a password. From then on, whenever you register for a class you will log in using that same e-mail address and password.
Need to change the e-mail address or other contact info we have on file for you? Log in to your account (the Help page explains how), click the View profile link, then click Edit profile.
(back to top)Communicating with Us
Confirmations, invoices, and other announcements about your registration will be e-mailed to the address you provide.
Text-message notifications not available.
To ensure that our e-mails reach your inbox, not your spam folder, please:
Double-check that you have given us your correct e-mail address. Type carefully!
Add these addresses to your whitelist/approved-senders list:
SOTCRegistrar@gmail.com (for personal communications with the Registrar)
admin@sotc.info (source of automated messages sent by the system)
Payment
Payment may be done either on-line (by credit card) or off-line (by check/money order sent through U.S. mail).
To pay by credit card, select the PAY ONLINE option once you get to the Review and confirm page. Credit card payments are processed through PayPal (you do not need to have or use a personal PayPal account).
To pay by check/money order, select the INVOICE ME option once you get to the Review and confirm page. An invoice will be e-mailed to you. Please pay within 7 days. Make checks payable to SOTC and mail to the address given on the invoice.
Please don't mail cash!
A $20 fee will be charged for returned (bounced) checks or credit-card chargebacks.
Cancellations & Refunds
You may cancel your registration up until the first day of class for a full refund or credit. To cancel a registration thereafter, contact the Registrar. Requests for refunds after the first class meeting will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
We reserve the right to cancel a class that does not generate enough interest and will issue a full refund or credit for that class upon its cancellation.
Classes are not held after 7pm on the Club's monthly General Membership meeting nights. Meetings are usually held on the 2nd Monday of odd-numbered months (January, March, etc.) and the 2nd Tuesday of even-numbered months (February, April, etc.) The schedule is posted on the Meetings page. If your class ends before 7pm on a meeting night, it will likely be held. Students are welcome to attend meetings.
Individual classes may be canceled/postponed in the event of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Class cancellation/postponement policies will be provided at your first class.
What about makeup classes? If we cancel a scheduled class meeting (owing to bad weather or other circumstances), we will make every effort to schedule a makeup. If it isn't possible for us to hold all the class meetings we promised you, we will issue prorated refunds or credits. However, if you miss a class for reasons of your own, we cannot offer a makeup, refund, or credit for the meeting you missed.
Priority & Permission Codes
SOTC is a volunteer organization. As a thank-you to the members who do the work of the club, registration operates on a priority basis, not a first-come/first-served basis.
- Registration opens first for SOTC instructors, then for other members, next for non-member current students (those who have taken a class with us within the last two sessions), and finally for non-member new students (those who have never taken a class with us, or have not done so within the last two sessions).
- For non-members, registration for Puppy, Pre-Basic, and Basic opens first; registration for other classes opens later.
- For Puppy, Pre-Basic, and Basic, current students may register ahead of new students by means of a time-limited permission code. That code expires the day registration open for new students.
- To register for any class other than Puppy, Pre-Basic, or Basic, non-members will need a permission code. To obtain a code, contact the Registrar (and indicate what class it's for; different classes have different codes). Codes are made available to current students first, new students later.
Vaccinations
As part of the registration process, all students must attest that their dogs have received age-appropriate vaccinations (either initial puppy vaccines or adult boosters).
- To enroll in Puppy classes, dogs must have received at least the first DAP shot and the first worming at least 7 days before the start of class.
- Dogs enrolled in other classes should have been vaccinated in accord with the guidelines outlined on the American Animal Hospital Association website. New York State law requires that dogs over 4 months of age be vaccinated for rabies.
In addition, students enrolled in Puppy, Pre-Basic or Basic must show proof of the dog's age-appropriate vaccination at the first class meeting. Acceptable forms of proof :
- A veterinarian's certificate or invoice that includes the date of vaccination and duration of the vaccine (1 year, 3 years), or the date(s) on which re-vaccination is due.
- For puppies whose initial vaccines were administered by the breeder, a photocopy of the vaccine vial or the breeder-supplied puppy health card.
- For adult dogs with a known history of initial vaccination, titers (quantitative antibody testing reports) may substitute for proof of boosters.
- For dogs with a medically necessary exemption from certain vaccines, provide a letter from your veterinarian.
Special Situations
Contingencies
If your registration is contingent on (say) passing a run-through or class graduation that hasn't occurred yet, don't wait! Go ahead and register now, but choose the INVOICE ME option (rather than PAY ONLINE), and tell the Registrar about the situation. Payment can wait until you have had the run-through or passed the graduation.
Junior Handlers (under age 18)
- Children attending classes with their families must be at least 4 years of age.
- Children registering for any class as the primary trainer of the dog must be at least 10 years of age (and may be asked to attend a run-through with the Training Director the first time they register).
Dogs with Multiple Owners
- For Puppy classes, the entire family is welcome (and encouraged!) to attend and participate in the training.
- For classes other than Puppy, we ask that just ONE person handle the dog in class, and that the same person handle the dog from week to week. Other family members may watch from outside the ring.
Owners with Multiple Dogs
- For entry-level obedience classes (Puppy, Pre-Basic, Basic), students with multiple dogs are strongly encouraged to enroll them in separate classes. They may enroll a second dog in the same class only if (1) they have received permission from both the instructor and the Training Director and (2) have another person available to handle the second dog.
- For classes other than Puppy, Pre-Basic, or Basic, a student may enroll a second dog in the same class only if the class has not filled by the end of the priority registration period.
- In no case may a student register more than two dogs in the same class.