Mum proud as talented junior dog handler from Derbyshire qualifies to national finals with Australian Shepherd dog

By Wiktoria Wrzyszcz
Published 8th Aug 2023, 10:27 BST
Leightan-Jem Cooper (LJ), 10, from Alfreton, who has been training dog handling only for about a year, has qualified for Junior Handling Association (JHA) finals at the Kennel Club in Coventry in October after competing in Junior pastoral and working dog semi-finals at Malvern showground in July.Leightan-Jem Cooper (LJ), 10, from Alfreton, who has been training dog handling only for about a year, has qualified for Junior Handling Association (JHA) finals at the Kennel Club in Coventry in October after competing in Junior pastoral and working dog semi-finals at Malvern showground in July.
Leightan-Jem Cooper (LJ), 10, from Alfreton, who has been training dog handling only for about a year, has qualified for Junior Handling Association (JHA) finals at the Kennel Club in Coventry in October after competing in Junior pastoral and working dog semi-finals at Malvern showground in July.
A talented Derbyshire girl who has been dog handling for just over a year has achieved national success.

Leightan-Jem Cooper (LJ), aged 10, from Alfreton, has qualified for Junior Handling Association (JHA) finals at the Kennel Club in Coventry in October after competing in Junior pastoral and working dog semi-finals at Malvern showground in July.

Lauren Cooper, LJ’s mum, said: “I’m proud and very pleased. It was very close between her and another young handler who she competes regularly against. They had a challenge and luckily for LJ, she brought the challenge up and was the neatest presentation. It was very exciting. There are only five or six semi finals throughout the year and you've got to get first place in the semi-finals to go forward for the finals. LJ has got a lot more confidence than me. She goes in the ring and she can strut her stuff. I get really nervous."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

LJ, who attends ringcraft training a couple of times a week and spends most of her weekends at dog shows, has three whippets Bondi, Bronte and Byron. But she won the Malvern competition while handling Reese, an Australian Shepherd, she borrowed for the competition.

LJ, who attends ringcraft training a couple of times a week and spends most of her weekends at dog shows, has got three whippets Bondi, Bronte and Byron.LJ, who attends ringcraft training a couple of times a week and spends most of her weekends at dog shows, has got three whippets Bondi, Bronte and Byron.
LJ, who attends ringcraft training a couple of times a week and spends most of her weekends at dog shows, has got three whippets Bondi, Bronte and Byron.

Lauren said: “In the JHA each semifinal is a different type of dog so It could be a hound dog, a working dog, a pastoral dog, a terrier dog, a toy dog. Our ring craft trainers put a notice up and we asked on Facebook as well, if anyone had a pastoral dog that we could borrow for the semifinals. And then a lady called Sarah messaged me and said we could borrow Reese.”

LJ who won the pastoral dog category with Reese also took fourth place in the toy dog category and third place in the terrier dog competition. She will also be representing Alfreton at the prestigious Crufts finals in 2024.

Lauren said: “She has a lot of fun learning dog handling and going to the shows, but ultimately, we always say schoolwork has to come first and homework must be up to date. Leys Junior School, where LJ go, are very supportive. We always send photos from the show and they are proud of her.”

Related topics:Derbyshire

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.