Therapy dogs, and Trick dogs, and CGCs, Oh my!

It feels like I haven’t posted in a while, but we have so many fun updates to share!  The collies have been very busy, they have been working their paws off earning new titles! Sophie and Addison received their certificates from the Collie Club of America, for their herding instinct titles, HIC!  And I just found a trainer who is going to teach us how to herd sheep so Addi can compete at herding trials! (And I got to meet her sheep!)  I’m so excited to give it a try, and watch as my collies learn how to do something they were originally bred to do!

Scarlett just completed enough Therapy visits to earn her THDA, Therapy Dog Advanced title from the American Kennel Club (AKC).  Addison just earned her THDN, Therapy Dog Novice title from the AKC, and she just received her Canine Good Citizen certificate in the mail for that new title.  Ryder, Scarlett and Sophie all earned their Versatility Companion, or VC title, from the American Working Collie Association.  The AWCA is a great organization, and I will be writing a post to tell you about them later in the week.

And for fun, Addison and Kori, earned their TKN, Trick Dog Novice Title, from AKC!  Kori is my 12 year old senior and also Addi’s Grandma!  My friends asked me to help them complete the test for the TKN title on their collie, Kelsea.  I decided as long as I was setting up the tricks for Kelsea, I may as well have Kori and Addi do the test too.  

Kelsea, my friend’s collie girl

Kori, my sweet, 12 year old collie girl

And last, but not least, Sophie earned the last two legs for her Barnhunt title, RATN this past Sunday!  Pending approval from the AKC and AWCA, she is now Marchello’s Heaven Sent, THD, CGC, RATN, TKN, FDC, HIC, VC! I am so proud of my collies, they have proven the versatility of the breed yet again!

I also wanted to share that my daughter’s collie, Sorsha, also did some impressive winning last weekend.  At her first Barnhunt trial, she earned her first leg for the RATN, and went High In Trial! (Did I mention it was her first time?!?)

There are new titles that we should complete before the end of the year, so I will post updates as we earn them!  I absolutely love working with my collies and helping them earn these titles so they get the recognition they deserve.  I can’t wait to see what they do next!