TAKE THE LEAD DOG TRAINING CLUB

The training bug all started with Horses, I was riding ponies from the age of 5.

As all my wishes for my parents to buy me a pony fell on deaf ears, I saved up my pocket money and bought my first pony when I was 15 years old.  My dad will proudly tell you that he never had to put his hand in his pocket for the ponies; I worked hard at keeping them with any pocket money I could earn.  The horses went when I got married.

I have been married to Mick for over 30 years, and that’s when my dog ownership days also began!!! (Must be a moral there somewhere)

I started dog training classes at Longton & District DTC in April 1976 with our first dog a mongrel from the local dogs home (Sable). We soon progressed from one dog to two, when a working Sheepdog we named Gypsy joined our household originally for Mick to train. That didn’t reign long, so I took over the training.

I started competing at Obedience shows in late 1977.

I won my first Beginners competition in April 1978 with Gypsy.

We went on to become Test C only. However the win in Test C eluded us, and Gypsy was retired from Obedience at the age of 7½. when Arthritis of the spine and severe hip dysplasia was diagnosed. She died a year later with a brain tumour.

I had several Collies over the years until one day I saw my first Belgian Shepherd. I fell in love with this breed, but it was a couple of years before I got my first one, a Tervueren, ‘Sublime Dreamer’ (Flame)

Flame introduced me to the Breed side of dogs. She was a wonderful companion, winning Best in Show at Open shows, plus winning her way into Championship Test C in Obedience. We also had a dabble in Agility in the mid eighties, but as there was no club near to where I live, and you needs loads of equipment, I slid back into obedience and there I stayed until 2001.

In 1989 a Groenendael we named Joker came into my life, he was a rescue dog, who was a good specimen so I took him on and he became Champion Out Of The Gloom. He won 21 CC’s plus 9 RCC’s and BOB at Crufts in 1991. He also won his way into Test C in Obedience. Through him I now have my own breed line of Groenendael, a Champion Granddaughter who also does well in the agility ring and now her son who is doing very well in the breed ring plus the Agility one too.

I became a dog trainer in 1980 at another dog club, then back at Longton. When Longton folded we formed a school at Normacot, then Blurton, then onto St Mary’s in Bucknall before coming to Northwood Parish hall 3 years ago.  Finding and keeping halls is a major problem, with all the anti-dog feeling! We hope to be here for a while yet.

I joined North Staffs Dog Training Society in 1976 with an unruly Labrador/Golden Retriever cross named Sandy. We both completed our basic 6 week course, and came 2nd in class on the final night. I decided to stay on with Sandy, along with Shep, my Border Collie. We  all progressed through the classes and then into the Show Class for obedience competition.

In 1978 I was asked to assist the Trainer of the Pet Class, after the original Trainers retired. I was given the sole responsibility for the Pet Class in 1979 and have been training dogs ever since.

In 1979 a Trainer with our club asked me if I would take on a Collie bitch (Phillrich Jenny Wisp) he had bred who was not fitting in in her obedience home. I was unsure about this, but after taking advice from a friend decided to give it a whirl. What a baptism of fire!!! She did everything at 100 mph. With careful retraining and help from my friend, we soon got her sorted out and began competing again. She won her way through to Test C, attaining many places, even a win, but the win losing under 10 points to qualify us for the Championship classes (as it was at that time) always eluded us.

Shortly after I had Wisp, Sandy unfortunately became ill and soon was paralysed and was diagnosed as having osteo-arthritis of the spine. She was given sleep to prevent further suffering.

I was also Secretary and Show Secretary of NSDTS for 16 years until I left the club in 1991 - after the last obedience show I ran for the club. The club folded two years later!

I competed and judged in obedience classes up until around 2001, when I decided to retire and hang up my pencil and clipboard.

I had always loved German Shepherd Dogs and Border Collies and in 1984 acquired my first pedigree dog, a German Shepherd whom I called Solo.  I started to show him in breed classes at open and championship shows.

I acquired my first Border Collie (Jess) in 1988 and started to show her. Several Border Collies later, I now have Wispa (who is 14 years old) who was to become a Show Champion - Sh. Ch. Wizaland Whispering Frost at Jenwisp. Wispa also gained 2nd place at Crufts this year (2007) in a Veteran Class which had 31 entries and also won the Veteran Bitch Class at Blackpool Championship show in 2007. She was also 3rd in Veteran Bitch at Crufts 2008 in a class of 32. She won Veteran Bitch at the Border Collie Club Championship Show in 2008, just after Crufts.

I also have Wizaland Ebony Kaos at Jenwisp (Kaos) who was born in November 2001, who is also qualified for Crufts for life.

My latest addition (another Border Collie) is Jade (Wizaland Ebony Jade) who is now 5 years old. In November 2007 she qualified for Crufts 2008 by winning Post Graduate Bitch at North West Border Collie Club Championship Show. She was placed 2nd in Post Graduate Bitch at Crufts 2008 in a class of 18. All in all, in 2008 we only did 8 Championship Shows and she was placed in qualifying places in 7 of them. Unfortunately, we have done very few shows since that time and Jade has not qualified for Crufts since.

In the midst of all this I also took on Willie (yes, another Border Collie) who had been returned to his breeder after a relationship break-up. He is not shown as he has been neutered, and stays at home to "guard" the house.

I am a fully qualified Instructor of the Academy of Dog Training and Behaviour and am the Honorary Treasurer ofthe ADTB.

Martin, being the shy and retiring chap he is (), has asked me to do his Profile.

Martin started with St. Mary’s Dog Training Club in 1999 with his Border Collie puppy, Poppy. They progressed through the classes to the top class where they did very well. He dabbled a bit in breed showing and did some agility training. When he had gone as far as he wanted, Martin left. Well, he just stopped coming really. I think work had a lot to do with it.

Martin is married to Melanie and they have a little boy called Miles.

In 2003 Martin returned to the Club with another Border Collie puppy called Star.  Later in the year Star was entered in her first breed show at Darlington, where she qualified for Crufts.

Martin and Star continued to come to club and eventually progressed to the top class. They also continued to go to breed shows, with Star ultimately gaining her Stud Book Number, which means that she is qualified for Crufts for life.

At the beginning of 2004, when the Club had to move, we started up classes initially in another hall on a Friday evening, (as well as in Northwood Parish Hall), and we asked Martin if he could come to help with the puppy class and course, which he did. However, Friday evenings did not prove to be very popular and so we decided not to continue.

Martin, however, continued to assist us with the course at Northwood, as well as working Star in the top class.

In the meantime, he has bred a litter off Star and (when he has the time) he also brings her daughter, Ria, to classes.

Martin has a very good relationship with dogs, especially puppies.  He is often to be seen crawling on the floor with a puppy trying to get it to play with a toy. On the other hand, he stands no nonsense from any dog. He’s also very good at winding other people’s dogs up (and people, come to think of it).