Jacky Ruddock- judge (and owner since April 2019)
I have always been fascinated by animals; my two main passions being dogs and tapirs! Over the last 30 years I have trained my own and other people’s dogs for T.V work, Obedience, Agility and TD Rally®. Having retired from teaching, I spend a lot of time working 1:1 with specific behavioural issues. I particularly enjoy the challenge of working in a positive manner with reactive dogs. I am a Kennel Club Accredited Instructor(CD).
Over the last few years I have been actively involved in Tapir Conservation and I am a member of The Tapir Specialist Group. I have spent time in Peru training a tapir living on an ecological project and have recently been involved in a research project in The Pantanal.
I am passionate about Talking Dogs® Rally and love meeting like-minded people who enjoy having fun with their pet dogs in a non-pressured environment.
Tanya Butler
Tanya Butler – in her own words……
I have competed in Obedience, Flyball, Talking Dogs (TD) Rally and Kennel Club (KC) Rally as well as training my little working cocker spaniel, Flick, as a Search and Rescue Dog. I now breed and hope to show my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Meggie, as well as working my border collie, Viva, in Obedience. I am a KC and TD Rally judge. I have experience in teaching pet dog owners in basic obedience, competition Obedience, KC and TD Rally, Scentwork, Search and Tracking as well as gundogs.
Rhia Butler
Rhia Butler – in her own words….
I have been instructing dog training classes and canine behavioural training for ten years. I trained my first dog, Barney, when I was just six years old. I currently have three dogs of my own: a border collie called Chaos; a little rescue lurcher called Eevee, and a rescue Pomeranian called Luxio. I am a Talking Dogs Rally judge and compete when able; I also have experience in competing and training Obedience, Agility, Flyball, Scentwork, Canicross and Tricks. From a very young age I knew I wanted to work with animals; I fully intended to become a veterinary surgeon but my passion for dogs and all things canine quickly became my obsession….. the way they think, problem-solve, their social and familial interactions completely fascinate me and I am constantly amazed by them. Every dog that I work with teaches me something new, as no two dogs are the same. True, I’ve probably come across pretty much the whole gamut of behavioural issues that dogs present, but each has its own particular idiosyncrasies that make each case unique and I love every single one of them….
Susan Coulstock
Susan Coulstock-in her own words…
I first got interested in dogs and training through my mum’s involvement with a dog training club when I was a child. In 1990 I took an active role in home training and Breed Showing our own dogs. I soon realised, even having done at well at breed shows including Crufts, that I really enjoyed Obedience training more and that Breed Showing bored me. I therefore took the obedience route and started working my dogs, eventually learning to train other people and their dogs.
In around 2011 some of our class members had been to a TD Rally training day and encouraged us to take a look. Both Mum and I fell in love with the sport and took it on in the early days. I since took other routes and the TD training took a side seat. I picked TD Rally up again with Jacky last year and decided to take a more active role; running vital training sessions and becoming a judge.
I currently own and work two Shetland Sheepdogs called Ricky and Luke.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the trials in 2022!
Jayne ( J C ) Crowther
Jayne Crowther- in her own words
I began training my own dogs in TDR® some 10 years ago when both my Maltese, Jasper, and I had outgrown the training that was on offer locally. I wanted to be part of something that would enable me to keep training Jasper in a fun way whilst building his confidence. I was also looking for a training challenge and a method of honing life skills.
When Snoopy came into my life as an 8 week old Cockerpoo, it was natural that he would become involved in TDR® and he began in Puppy Class; quickly gaining a Puppy Title and an Award of Excellence. Snoopy and I worked steadily through the levels and we gained our Level 3 Championship in 2022 and gained 2 Aces at Level 3 Plus. After losing Snoopy suddenly at the beginning of the year, a good friend gave me Miley an 8 year old deaf tri-colour CKCS and we are figuring out how to rally together!
I am truly honoured to be appointed as a TDR® judge as it means that I can give something back to the sport that has enriched my life with my dogs.
It does sound ‘cheesy’ but TDR® is a genuine extended ‘family’ for me and my dogs. I look forward to watching you all working your amazing companions in Live and Online trials and hopefully enabling you to reach your potential in the sport that I love so dearly.
Jacky Burden
Jacky Burden- in her own words
I have always loved dogs & thoroughly enjoy their company & adventures. I am not a dog trainer although my background is in training & assessing. I run a local community dog rally group & am also very involved in dog rescue.
I competed for the first time in Talking Dogs Rally® in 2014, with my lab x pointer rescue, Marley, when he was about 9 yrs old. We learnt together & I love the teamwork & communication that TDR encourages & the friendships that are fostered by TDR. In September 2018, Marley achieved his Level 3 Championship, aged 13 yrs & continued competing in TDR Trials, with great joy & enthusiasm, until 15 yrs old.
I currently compete in TDR® with our dog, Amber, a street/pound dog from Cyprus, who recently gained her Level 3+ Championship. We also compete in Scentwork/Nosework, KC Rally Online & do a bit of agility & tracking for fun.
Cristen Brown
Cristen Brown- in her own words
My passion for dog training began with our family border collie when I was about 14. For almost 20 years I have run pet dog training classes as well as offering 1-1 training and behavioural support. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my three dogs and enjoy competing in obedience and have recently started agility.
Having discovered Talking Dogs Rally in 2015 I immediately got the bug and went on a mission to increase awareness of TDR in the North East of England. Now I run regular classes and host a few trials a year.
Currently I take part with my Dalmatian Cross Rossi who has his Veteran Level 3 title and my Border Terrier Dreya who has her puppy championship.
I love the atmosphere at a Talking Dogs Rally trial and the support that everyone gives each other. I’m proud to have been appointed as a TDR judge, allowing me to give back to this fabulous sport.
Alison Ruyter
Alison Ruyter- in her own words
I owe my Rally journey to Ida, my second dog. My first dog, Resi, was perfect – happy, relaxed, easy to handle, loved by so many and quietly by my side for 17 years. Then Ida exploded into my life in a whirlwind of energy and insecurity. Cue a sudden, urgent need for learning about dog psychology and behaviour management. I was so fortunate to find good trainers. Rally in particular was the solid foundation of communication and partnership on which all our other adventures were based. Whether we were flying an agility course or scrambling to the summit of a mountain.
As Ida raced through the Rally levels Jacky and I talked about me learning to judge once Ida ran out of levels to do but cancer took her suddenly and unexpectedly. I was back at level one with a very different dog to manage, Goose is an introvert who quietly shuts down, but the idea of judging had taken root.
Alongside my first judging appointments, I’ve recently had to take on my mother in law’s miniature sausage dog, Toffee. At 9 years old, full of bravado and with no training at all, he’s another completely different challenge to guide through the rally levels. I’m honoured to be part of the TDRally team and pleased to be able to give back to something that’s made such a difference in my life.
Lisa Fiske
Lisa- in her own words
Growing up on a farm, I’ve always been surrounded by animals of all varieties. There was always a Collie or scruffy cross breed around somewhere! Horses have always played a big part in my life but in 2005 we took on our first black Labrador puppy, Harvey. He lulled us into thinking dog training was easy! Our second Lab, Finlay, came along in 2013 & we quickly realised we were severely lacking in dog training skills! Luckily, the right trainer came along at just the right time and my love of dog training was sparked! That same trainer introduced me to TD Rally and I immediately saw what a great training tool it was for pet dog owners.
In 2017 myself & my husband, Adam, moved to the Isle of Wight. By then our 3rd Lab Rocco had joined us. We discovered the Island had 2 weekend trials each year so it was finally time to be brave & see what we were capable of. That was it, I was well & truly hooked into the TDR family! In 2021 I became a trainer myself & now teach TDR and KC Rally, Hoopers, puppies, Treibball & tricks.
I am currently working L3+ with Rocco & L2 with our 4th Lab Reuben. Rocco also competes at KC Rally and Hoopers. In 2024 I had the privilege of becoming a TDR judge & currently judge Puppies, L1 & L2.
Recently, we have taken on Lab number 5, Summer. We’re looking forward to starting her rally journey very soon………..
Sophie Rolf
Sophie-in her own words
I have always had dogs in my life and have been running pet dog training classes since 2008. I am a PDTI(Adv) qualified instructor and I train and compete in KC Obedience,Flyball,Canicross with my own dogs. I also instruct Puppy Classes, pet dog Obedience,GCDS and Scentwork as well as running my own Flyball Team. We have 6 dogs in the family with varying degrees of Collie and Spaniel in them. I have been competing and judging TDR since the early days and am now delighted to be returning as both competitor and judge. See you at the live Trials very soon!
Amanda Harman-Bull
Amanda-in her own words
I began training my own dog, Jack in 2008. He was a rescue JRT with a history of biting his previous owner. He was said to be a ‘loner’ who did everything by himself at the rescue kennels.
How wrong they were! As soon as he jumped into the car, he fell asleep on my lap, and we never looked back. Jack taught me much about the Jack Russell and terrier types and by the time he passed on, we were hooked on the breed.
Our current dog, Otis, is completely different to the outgoing Jack and shows many signs of being the lockdown dog he was. I have been competing in TDR® since 2022, and this has helped Otis to ‘come out of his shell ‘and grow in confidence. This became obvious when, at the Brenzett Trial, he skilfully performed a true Houdini move escaping from his travel crate and careering around the car park to the horror of Jacky and crew who were trying to catch him!
I love Talking Dogs Rally® for the friendliness of everyone involved and how the sport brings all together creating a supportive family atmosphere.
I look forward to judging my first trial in April 2026.
Lucy Dawson- Admin Support (and frequent Trial Host)!
Lucy Dawson-in her own words
I have owned dogs since 2002, starting out by showing them and then trying obedience. Thanks to an American forum, I had heard of rally obedience before it came to the UK and had thought it sounded like great fun, so I went to the first APDT introductory session and was hooked!
Starting with my Cavalier Ellie, I have competed in KC rally, PDRO rally, and of course the best rally there is, Talking Dogs Rally! Ellie was the first dog to be awarded with a Level 3 Title, just before her retirement, and was succeeded by daughter Hetty who is currently the only dog holding a Championship title in every TD level. Her daughter Katie is now taking on the rally world in her turn and loving it!
I started running trials in the days when they often only offered Level 1 and Veteran Level 1 classes as I wanted Hetty to have a chance of gaining her Puppy Title and Championship, and have been enjoying them so much I have run trials ever since. I look forward to many more years of TD rallying with my friends!
Talking Dogs Rally® is a registered trademark