13/06/2025
ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Hannah! I own working kelpies and Australian Cattle Dogs and compete in various venues, including cattle, yard dog, 3 sheep and ANKC herding trials.
I am an ANKC herding judge and have also trialled dogs in high level obedience, rally and agility competitions.
I was an early adopter of the methods of Lynn Leach (CAN) for training herding dogs (since 2007) and have worked closely with Trudy and Dave Viklund (USA) since then, building on my skill base. I have worked with a variety of breeds at all levels of training.
My methods are based on the teachings of Lynn, Trudy and Dave, as well as animal behaviour and learning principles. If you have trained with someone else and have your own training methods, I am happy to accommodate, if those methods are more suitable for your individual dog. A trainer never stops learning and I am always interested in new ideas and different ways of achieving results.
The aim of herding is for the dog and handler to work in partnership to move stock in as efficient and low stress a way as possible – both for stock and for the dog. My methods are designed to assist you to develop a solid working relationship with your dog, with the end result that you tell the dog what you want done and it is the dog’s responsibility to do it. That is, after all, why we use dogs to move stock!
These methods are suitable for any type of stock work, whether for work, competition or as a mental outlet for suburban working dogs as they focus on:
• Shaping and encouraging instinct
• Building the dog’s confidence
• Developing an efficient working style to ensure a low stress approach to stock work
• Balancing the dog’s strengths and weaknesses and developing skill sets
• Building a partnership between you and the dog based on clear communication
• Establishing and maintaining respect between dog and handler.
