Riverina dog trainer Barry McDonald and his best mate Tatiana have risen to the top of their game with the eight-year-old border collie being named an obedience grand champion.
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It’s the culmination of almost three decades of work with top dogs at Kyeamba Kennel and Training Club, but at one stage Mr McDonald didn’t think he’d live to see it happen.
Champion dog trainer Barry McDonald didn’t think he’d live long enough to train a grand champion like Tatiana.
At 80 years old, Mr McDonald can’t run around like he used to, but the bond between these best mates is so strong, Tatiana can’t help but do as she’s told. Whether she’s getting a scratch behind the ear or running through an agility course, the dog seems happy to follow her master’s orders.
To get the title, Tatiana had to not only rise through the ranks to obedience champion, but then score more than 185 out of 200 from three different judges at five separate events – a feat only 32 other dogs have ever achieved.
However, when Mr McDonald first walked through the gates at Kyemba, he never set out to train champion dogs.
A hip injury had ended Mr McDonald’s years playing tennis and he got a kelpie-cross named Patch as a pet from a farmer. Patch was a good dog and when he heard about obedience training, Mr McDonald thought he’d give it a go.
Within a few years, Patch developed into a great agility dog and was a national finalist five years in a row.
“I’m as proud of that as anything,” Mr McDonald said. “He got 2nd and 3rd, but never could win.”
After Patch came Voodoo, then Brownie and Mr McDonald’s skills grew. His dogs achieved a number of firsts for Kyeamba, but his greatest achievement would come from an unlikely source.
Tatiana was someone else’s dog when Mr McDonald first met her. Geraldine Grant worked long shifts and asked the veteran trainer to spend some time with her border collie.
For a couple of years he trained Tatiana part-time, but when Ms Grant had to downsize to a unit, she asked Mr McDonald to adopt the future grand champion.
“Geraldine was pretty chuffed when she heard Tatiana had won,” Mr McDonald said.
“We all went out to dinner to celebrate. It’s been a long journey, but I’ve made a lot of friends along the way.”
Stephen Mudd
Stephen Mudd is a journalist for Fairfax Media west of the great divide. He loves music, dogs and travel.
Stephen Mudd is a journalist for Fairfax Media west of the great divide. He loves music, dogs and travel.
