A DOG trainer from Okehampton and two of her canine companions have qualified for the prestigious Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes finals in London.

Lauren Langman, 30, qualified in two competitions with her border collies Tiki and Fiji (pictured below).

She will be competing in the large competition with Tiki on December 21 and the novice competition with Fiji the following day.

Lauren said: 'It is a huge thing to qualify one dog for the Agility Stakes finals, but to have two is absolutely amazing.

'It is such a great event, and so prestigious, and very Christmassy. On a personal note, it is the best event to be involved in.'

Lauren is the head trainer at Devon Dogs, a dog training business run at East Bowerland Farm just outside Okehampton.

She competes in agility at level seven, the highest rank of competition in the British agility arena, and was chosen to represent Great Britain in the World Agility Championships in 2006 and 2007.

She has also qualified for Olympia Agility finals the last six years running, and has six dogs that she has bred competing at Olympia. She is responsible for the design and development of all the Devon Dogs classes, workshops and events.

Lauren studied law at university before becoming a primary school teacher. While teaching, she became interested in dog training, before deciding to do it for a living in 2004. Since finding East Bowerland Farm through the Channel 4 programme Location Location Location, the Devon Dogs business has steadily grown in that time, and the finishing touches are now being put on a new indoor dog training facility at the farm. It will be the first purpose-built facility of its kind in the South West.

Lauren said: 'I have always loved animals, and I have always been competitive.

'Dog training gives you that chance to compete, but also get out there and meet people.

'Personally, it's really nice if you do well, but it can be a big plus for the business if you go to these prestigious events and do well.

'It can attract new clients, and just proves what you can do.

'The new purpose built building allows us to train to a higher level, at the top end of training, in all weathers.

'I think it will be a real credit to the area, and will attract visitors from across the country.'

The country's most talented agility dogs and handlers have been competing in qualifying heats at agility shows across the country in an attempt to gain a place in the Olympia finals, which take place from December 18 to 22 as part of the London International Horse Show.

The Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes are held in association with GWF Nutrition's Joint Aid for Dogs and will see dogs and their owners compete in five finals, in the small, medium, large, novice and ABC (anything but collies) categories.

There will also be two semi-finals, for the novice and large dogs categories, which will see 36 dogs in each category whittled down to ten who will go on to compete in the grand final. For medium, small and ABC dogs, ten dogs for each category have already qualified for the Olympia final.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club secretary said: 'Olympia is one of the most important showcase events for agility in the UK.

'The atmosphere is always fantastic since it is so close to Christmas and the competitors look forward to competing here every year.

'We would like to congratulate the Devon finalists and look forward to what is set to be another exciting year for the event.'