The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme (GCDS) Special Pre Beginner Obedience Stakes Northern Semi Finals took place on Sunday 1^st November 2009 in Alva, Scotland.  Twenty three competitors took part in a closely fought competition hoping to gain one of just ten places at DFS Crufts 2010.

There were two semi finals that took place: Category A for Border Collies and Working Sheepdogs and Category B for ABCs (Anything But a Collie). The five highest placed dogs and handlers from each semi final will now be invited to take part in the grand final which will be held at DFS Crufts on Saturday 13^th March 2010 at the NEC, Birmingham.

Winner of Category A was YKC member, Kate Nicholas and her Border Collie, Ice. Kate is already known to the British public as she was a finalist in Britain’s Got Talent television show last year with her other dog, Gin. Category B was won by Sarah Yates and her Golden Retriever, Maverick.

The judge for the day was Ms Ellen Herries from Dumfries who had the hard task of assessing the competitor’s dog obedience skills and awarding the top five places in each category a place in the grand final.

The Special Pre Beginner Obedience Stakes were created in 2005, to encourage prospective exhibitors who have passed their GCDS Bronze Award to take part in obedience competition. The exercises included in the test are a combination of the current GCDS exercises and the Pre-Beginner Obedience test. Building on the basic training skills learnt through the Good Citizen Dog Scheme, the Stakes help to bridge the gap between basic training and entering higher levels of competition.

Bill Hardaway, Kennel Club Vice Chairman, said: “The Special Pre Beginner Stakes have been a positive initiative for responsible dog owners. They have bridged the gap between basic training and obedience competition. It was lovely to see a wide variety of breeds and handlers from across the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland taking part and enjoying the competition.”

For more information on the GCDS Special Pre Beginner Stakes, please contact the Kennel Club on 020 7518 1011 or email gcds@thekennelclub.org.uk.

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