Humble Beginnings
Heartland Dog Training And Education Foundation (HDTEF) has a rich club history that has spanned over 75 years. What began as a casual weekly get-together turned into an organization that spent decades in the pursuit of dog obedience training. HDTEF provides a valuable service to both humans and the dogs that love them.
How Heartland Dog Training And Education Foundation Began
In 1948, Mr. C. Howard Yates and a small group of friends began to rent a room from the Des Plaines Park District where they could get together to train their dogs. The room was located in the Rand Park Field House, which is how the club got its name. Training sessions were held on Tuesday evenings, and training took place from September to June. (The facility could not be used for dog training during the summer because of other park district activities.) The club continues to follow the same training schedule.
Rand Park's first sanctioned match was held in the Fall of 1949; the second in the Spring of 1950. The club's first licensed obedience trial was held in December of 1950. Rand Park has held a trial every year since. The first trials were held at the Rand Park Field House; entry was limited.
Through the years, as the club grew, larger trials were held at various venues. From 1977 through 1981 Rand Park's trials drew record numbers of entries.