Okehampton’s superstar dog trainer Lauren Langman has said she is feeling ‘very very lucky’ after she was selected to captain Team GB at the 2019 FCI Agility World Championships later this year.

Lauren and her five-year-old cocker spaniel Blink have not only qualified to be part of the team at the prestigious event being held in Finland in September, but she will lead the team as captain over the four day competition.

‘I’m ecstatic, only a handful of people get to go, so to go as team captain is super exciting’, said Lauren. ‘Blink has been at three world championships before and it’s the competition you really fight to be a part of. It’s massive, it’s the biggest event in our 2019 calendar.

‘Blink is a one in a million dog and I’m so happy to get her there again and be team captain.’

Lauren was chosen as team captain due to her huge amount of experience in top level dog agility competition. Among her big successes are an individual silver medal at the 2016 IFCS World Agility Championships, numerous medals at Crufts including three firsts at the 2019 event and victory in the prestigious Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes finals in London.

Lauren competes in agility at level seven, the highest rank of competition in the British agility arena. Based at East Bowerland Farm, Lauren has installed an astroturf training surface at the farm, which matches the arena surfaces international level competitions are contested on.

The first of its kind in the country, Lauren hopes the new surface will help give the team an edge in preparing for the stiffly-fought competition, which sees entrants from across the globe.