In this episode I am talking with Kat Farrants from the UK about her successes with her Australian Shepherds in high levels of competition. We spend our time talking about dog sports and mindset and all things Aussie competition. It's a great conversation and I am sure you will enjoy more stories about the working Australian Shepherd. 

Kat Farrants has owned Aussies for 25 years, and bred for 20 years. She started in obedience with Shanti, her homebred Aussie, at pre-beginners, and in just 4 years, we were working Championship Class, and were the highest placed female Aussie in the crufts Obedience Championships. Her journey with Shanti was meteoritic. She quickly made Shanti’s daughter, Gracie the third female Aussie Obedience Champion in history. Gracie is the only living Aussie Obedience Champion, and the only Aussie working Championship Class. For context, Kat has now competed at the Crufts Obedience Championships Five times, and in four of those times, she was the ONLY competitor of females to not have collies.

This year, Gracie’s been sick, so isn’t at the Crufts Obedience Championships, and there are NO DOGS OTHER THAN COLLIES competing! UK obedience is a super tough tough sport, and champions are very few and far between. It’s been amazing to have the first homebred female Aussie Champions and first Mother and Daughter champions.

Gracie now competes in IGP (Schutzhund) and is the only Aussie to qualify IGP3 in the UK in history, and she has competed at National level in IGP. We are working towards the qualifiers for the world championships, where she is competing against Malis and GSD’s and is aiming to be the first Aussie worldwide to compete at the IGP World Championships. Kat occasionally breeds, under the Solarwind affix, and she runs the Mindset for Dog Sports Membership, she is known as the Dog Sports Coach. The secret to Kat’s success? Is it’s all in the mind (and with Aussies this is the most important thing of all!)

Find Kat's videos and websites below:

https://www.youtube.com/@Dogsportcoachkat

https://www.thedogsportcoach.co.uk/

 

Connect with Jacqueline Tinker:

Lessons, trained dogs, occasional puppies, clinics, and trials

Phone number: 817-948-8825

www.stockdogtrainer.com

www.intinctiveaussie.com

www.workingaussiesource.com