Breeding dogs a way of life

Dog trialling is something of a man's world, but Anna Holland ventured in to it.

"I used to get nervous though, and it passed on to the dogs. I just didn't have the right temperament for it, even though the dogs were very good," she says. It wasn't just the nerves it is very much the domain of men. With just a handful of women trialling dogs, it can be rather lonely.
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Starting as a shepherd at 17, her passion for dogs began in earnest when she was given her first dog, a heading pup named Rod.

"A gift from a boyfriend, which made it extra special" she laughs.

"Dear old Rod, he was a very natural, easy-to-work dog and some years later I decided to mate him with my young heading bitch, Pat." The resulting litter grew to be fine working dogs, one of which was Bill. "He was not only natural but very clever and I used Gary Brennan's methods to train him. Gary Brennan was probably one of the best heading dog triallists that this country has ever had and he showed me his method of training dogs."

This training entailed teaching dogs a vast range of commands.

"You have the commands to do whatever you want to do it helps both the dog and handler. Rights, lefts, stop, steady in fact everything. I was sold on that type of training from then on."

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