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HAY RIVER
Bev Tybring and her collie, Selkie, have learned a few tricks during their past few years together.

That may have been what earned them two third and one second-place ranking in the obedience category at the Red Deer and District Kennel Club dog show on Easter weekend, an all-breed confirmation dog show.

Owner and pet have been training since Selkie was six months old, but Tybring decided to take things a step further. Now, Tybring is reading more about training and preparing to enter upcoming shows in Grande Prairie, Alta., and eventually Edmonton.

"I was training her from the book but wasn't quite happy with the results," she said. "You can train a dog after that six months, but I think it's about setting a good foundation. Once you have that, those habits are harder to break. Once they have the commands it's just a matter of building stamina."

Tybring wanted to take her full-sized, long-hair, 60-pound collie to the next level. She took Selkie to a trainer in Edmonton last summer to improve on a few things, and from there, made the decision to enter into the Edmonton dog show.

"It's really strict and there's a whole etiquette that comes with it," said Tybring, "It's a huge learning curve for me. I've had huskies, mix crosses and always did a little bit of training with them. I've had a collie-cross and I like their temperament. They're very calm and gentle."

Selkie is classified as a companion in the dog training world because she has earned placements in the obedience portion of the Alberta dog show: heeling on-leash and off-leash, and staying for up to two-minutes, a feat for short attention spans. Tybring said she is hoping to soon incorporate tricks into their routine. This might mean upping their training more than the prescribed five hours per week.

"We have a few more things we need to learn," said Tybring. "We're taking it one step at a time."

She's also interested in training for agility, but the duo aren't ready to jump through hoops in -30 C winters.

Tybring said anyone hoping to increase their pet's training will reap the rewards.

"It just takes practise," said Tybring. "It's fun. When you have a level of trust you can really enjoy your dog. It's very challenging, there are a lot of rules, but I can relate to her in a different way."

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