About Us

Hi my name is Katie Burns. I have had dogs all my life starting with a red cocker spaniel called Meg. Once I was old enough I got interested in dog training and by this point we were onto our third dog Poppy who is a working cocker spaniel.
Poppy was a very active puppy and also a very naughty puppy so we ended up joining Wilmslow dog club and started doing flyball and agility with her.

We were then well and truly hooked with both and I have competed with Poppy at both since 1999.

In 2002 I was asked if I would be interested in helping with the beginner/puppy class with the lady who was then currently running the course and following her lead and learning lots along the way, I helped to train all breeds and ages of dogs making, showing owners how to train their dogs.

In 2004 a friend and I set up the Carry on's flyball team and we regularly compete and spend times with both our dogs and our friends.

In 2006 the lady who ran the puppy training course decided to retire so I took over the course and although it has not changed much over the years we have managed to train lots of puppies of all shapes and sizes and have managed to solve a lot of doggy problems along the way.

My Dogs
I currently own two dogs Bayley and Bonnie, but I also help train both my mums and sisters dogs Poppy, Holly, Merry and Mille (all cocker spaniels)

Bayley is a 10 year old working cocker spaniel who I rescued at the age of 5. A flyball contact mentioned that his owner was having problems with him and asked whether I would be interested. I made the mistake of looking at his pedigree and he turned out to be full brother to Poppy so we had to have him!
Bayley was hard work but taught me a lot as a dog trainer. He had become very dominant with his old owner and had bitten on numerous occasions and only because I agreed to have him was he not put down.
After working out what the route of the biting was, we managed to rehabilitate him and he is a lovely dog now, apart from the odd temper tantrum!

Bonnie is a 2 year old cross breed who I rescued in November after seeing her in private homings on dog pages. She is a staffie x whippet (we think) and she came from a house with 6 children and she didn't get much exercise.
After initially meeting this crazy bundle of nerves I fell in love with her and bought her home. It has taken her a while to build up her trust but she is a very talented dog and is enjoying both flyball training as well as agility and obedience, a true all rounder.

Rachel Ward. I am a 32 year old experienced flyballer, trainer and BFA Judge, having started in flyball 6 years ago with one of the best known dogs in the BFA, Storm, who was a handful of a border collie but was obsessed by tennis balls even before he was big enough to pick one up! I currently have 2 dogs who compete in open flyball Storm, who is a Platinum Award Dog, aged 6, and Diesel who is soon to be an Ice Blue Moon Award dog at the age of 4. Also a young dog Jinx who is beginning her career.

I raced with the Live Wires for 5 years as their Top Team Lead Dog, attending 3 National Championships and gaining 5th at the European Championships in 2007. I have also been lucky enough to qualify and compete at Crufts in the Main Arena with the Warrington Wizards Flyball Team. My team mates including my friends the now famous Kate & Gin from Britains Got Talent.

After life in the fast lane my husband and I decided that having a young daughter who needed us to spend time with her and having achieved everything I could have dreamed of I joined the Carry Ons team at the end of 2007 (which is Captained by Katie above), and have helped them to achieve their fastest ever times. I am now having fun with a more relaxed flyball outlook and my dogs can prolong their careers no longer racing hard every weekend. It is very important that my dogs are pets more than anything and although Storm is only 6 he was a 14" height dog until the rules changed and has raced at his maximum height all his life, recording times of 4.24 seconds, and Diesel at 4.39 in individual competitions. I am proud to say he has lost very little form over the years. Flyball is a high impact sport and many dogs do not have long careers, so my advice to anybody would be to be sensible and have fun, but most of all listen to your dog. It's a team sport so have fun.

On a personal note I come from a family of 'dog folk', my best friend was a whippet as a child called Moss who was so good I used to lunge him like a horse and take him round the local clear rounds, my first dog was a Bassett Hound, followed my a cross breed. My family bred and raced whippets.

I also teach problem dogs on a private basis which I very much enjoy, I believe every dog has a personality and it's my job to find it and understand them. I help with basic obedience with some of the dogs at the local dogs home when time permits which is very rewarding indeed.

A well trained dog is a happy dog and therefore maintains a happy owner!!

E-Mail: Enquiries@helpmypup.co.uk

Tel: 07858 104965 / 07717 754364