If you truly want to succeed at something, dive in, put in the work and let the results come later.
That could be the mantra of a group of dog lovers who have been coming together to train and show their dogs, and in the process, have evolved to become one of the top dog-handling facilities in Canada.
The Sydenham Valley Dog Training Club in Wallaceburg is home to no fewer than 17 dogs listed among the top 10 in Canada last year in their respective categories.
Club president Del Lunn said the group was founded in 1980 and has succeeded for so long because its members found much more than they may have been looking for.
Lunn, who also operates Goldunn Dog Training Centre in Wallaceburg, says the club has 26 members from across Southwestern Ontario centres, including St. Jacobs, Windsor and St. Thomas.
“We have a saying; that we’re involved in dog-showing, not dog-winning,” he said. “Every one of us has failed, but we stand with each other and move on.”
Dogs from the club take part in Canadian Kennel Club-sanctioned events in both rally and obedience categories, demonstrating their training, and are judged according to breed, group and overall levels, accumulating points in each show.
“You have to realize that at the end of the day, you and your dog are judged as a team,” Lunn said. “A well-trained dog is the result of about 60 per cent training and 40 per cent the animal’s interest. All dogs are individuals and they all have days where they just go goofy or spazzy. They’re dogs. It happens.”
Ann Staddon of Dutton has been a member for more than a decade and spends many weekends on the road showing her Portuguese water dog, Molly. Staddon spends many weekends on the road at shows and jokes that “we tell our children their inheritance is going to the dogs.”
“We don’t talk about the money,” said her husband, Bill, smiling.
Ann Staddon and Jean Fisher of Chatham have become close friends over the years with Staddon joking that her devotion to dog training and showing is “all Jean’s fault.
“I started training my dogs with Del and I really started liking it,” she said. “I’ve been to many shows with Jean and she’s been a great friend and has helped me.”
Staddon ‘s dog Molly placed first in the Canadian Kennel Club categories of All Breed Rally, Breed Rally and Group Rally in 2024. Molly won the breed and group categories the year before.
Fisher currently has a poodle named Jiggs, who won top honours in Breed Obedience and Non-Sporting Group Obedience in 2023 and 2024.
Both women said the club goes far beyond their pets. “It’s a great social community,” Fisher said. “We have Christmas dinners, we have pizza parties and we’ve even had sessions in pajamas.”
“It’s not about the ribbons, it’s about relationships,” said Staddon.
Both women credit Lunn and his wife, Bev, with the club’s longevity.
“They love what they do, and it shows,” Jean said. “They make this fun.”
Del Lun has been training dogs for decades and has been an accredited judge in Canada and internationally for some 30 years. His dogs have won more than 120 ribbons in competition.
“I’ve been to Hawaii, and across Canada and the United States,” he said. “I’ve been able to make friends all over because of this. I still get a thrill out of seeing dogs from our club do well in shows. It just keeps the juices flowing, especially when we get young people involved.”
