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Here are some very general tips of how to use Heelwork to Music training shows to benefit your dog’s performance in competition. I recommend you listen to the advice of your trainer, who will know you and your dog best. 1. Make sure your rewards (food or toy) are hidden somewhere on you. It should appear to your dog that this is a normal competition where you will not have food/toy on you. If you go into the ring with… Read more: How to use Training Shows to Benefit your Dog’s Performance in Competition.

Strike did his sixth ever HTM competition yesterday and won Advanced Freestyle and got his Crufts semi final qualifier!! Absolutely love my boy! Peach also had her first ever try in the ring with no rewards and got a 4th in a big Novice Freestyle class bless her! Then I had to go home after these two because I felt soooo poorly, so poor Tempo didn’t get chance to do her routine. 😞 My Trickstars students did absolutely AMAZING and… Read more: Tadworth Heelwork to Music Competitions

Had a fantastic couple of days away at Forest Oak Farm for their HTM training show, and then the first HTM competition of the new season with Crufts qualifiers – thank you to Carole and Michelle and all the helpers for a fantastic time. It really is one of the nicest HTM show venues there is! I think I’ve peaked and it can only go downhill from here 🤣 because I had the, most likely unrepeatable, best day of my… Read more: Forest Oak Farm April 2023

We had thought that the Surrey HTM shows were our last opportunity to qualify for Crufts, due to me working on the weekend of every other show. What we hadn’t realised was that I was working on the Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday at the end of August, and the Forest Oak Farm HTM show with Advanced Crufts Qualifier classes was on the SATURDAY. So, like absolutely crazy people, we drove all the way to the Forest of Dean (West… Read more: Trip and Foxy Qualify for Crufts!

I have found it really, really difficult to get to many premier (Crufts qualifier) Heelwork to Music competitions this year, due to rarely having a weekend where I am not working. This makes it really difficult when you are hoping for a Crufts qualification under the new rules – highest placed person who hasn’t already qualified goes straight to Crufts. Under the old rules, the top 2 who hadn’t already qualified would then go to the semi final in January… Read more: Tadworth Heelwork to Music Competitions

SO happy to be back! I have performed at Heckington Show (the biggest village show in England) since 2013, and we had missed 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, so it was just wonderful to be back! I perform at the BBC Radio Lincolnshire Concert Marquee and as it is local to my training, I always invite along teams of my fabulous students to perform with their lovely dogs, and show that any breed of dog can enjoy trick… Read more: Heckington Show 2022

My Grantham training students, Kate Russell with Hank (Springer cross Poodle) and Lucy Hardisty with Ruby (Springer Spaniel) both made their debuts at a proper Kennel Club Heelwork to Music competition for the first time at this show, and both of them placed well in a very large Starters Freestyle class! Kate and Hank taking 5th and Lucy and Ruby taking 6th. I have to give special mention to Lucy with Ruby as it is the absolute best I have… Read more: Strictly Canine Heelwork to Music Competition

We had a lovely day at Forest Oak Farm HTM competition. I was so pleased with my boys! I feel like their only hindrance was me – in both routines I had their props in the wrong places so I messed up our spacing and timing (I’ve done these routines enough times to know better – no idea what my brain was doing!). Trip placed 3rd in the Advanced Freestyle Crufts Qualifier class (his bit of yipping taking him from… Read more: Forest Oak Farm HTM Competition

I had the pleasure of working on the Dogs Trust and Mini partnership advert for Charlotte Wilde Film and TV Animals. My dogs Trip and Foxy were selected, as well as Doodle (Jack Russell) and Leo (Golden Retriever) who I train and handle. It was such a great, fun shoot day with lovely colleagues and the dogs all worked together so well!

It’s been a funny couple of years for Heelwork to Music competitions! Due to the pandemic, and Heelwork to Music competitions being held entirely indoors, there haven’t been any at all for a very long time. Strike is over 3 years old now, and just as he would have been old enough to compete, along came the pandemic. It feels strange that at his age, he is still such an inexperienced dog when it comes to competitions! We entered the… Read more: Strike wins Novice Freestyle