Caroline with Lockie, Hope and Adam — the three Border Collies who have helped shape both her life and the philosophy behind CLEAR Dog Training.
Meet the CLEAR ‘team’
Caroline Strainig may be the human face of CLEAR Dog Training, but behind the scenes there are three very important canine staff members too — Adam, Hope and Lockie.
Although Caroline has owned many different breeds over the years, her current trio are all Border Collies, chosen for their extraordinary versatility across a wide range of dog sports that remain one of her greatest passions outside teaching.
They are best mates, constant shadows, occasional chaos merchants and, perhaps most importantly, the dogs who have taught Caroline as much about behaviour and training as any seminar or textbook ever could.
Together they have enjoyed remarkable success at state, royal and national level across rally obedience, obedience, agility, flyball, tricks and Dances With Dogs.
They have made Caroline laugh, occasionally made her cry, and each has helped shape the philosophy behind CLEAR Dog Training in very different ways.
And yes — all three remain firmly convinced they should probably be on the payroll.
To be fair, Adam and Lockie have genuinely helped many CLEAR clients over the years, quietly assisting with training sessions, demonstrating exercises, walking calmly around nervous dogs and helping other dogs learn to cope with real-world distractions.
Adam: The calm professional
At 14½ years of age, Adam is the much-loved elder statesman of the household and behaves very much like he knows it.
He has always possessed a quiet steadiness. Never flashy. Never dramatic. Simply deeply reliable and wonderfully genuine.
Adam was the sort of dog who made competition feel calm. You walked into the ring with him feeling as though he was quietly saying, “We’ve got this. Stop worrying.”
Over many years he and Caroline shared remarkable success across obedience, rally obedience, agility, flyball and Dances With Dogs at both state and national level.
Yet the ribbons were never really the point.
Caroline often sums up their partnership simply: “Working with Adam was never really about winning. It was always about the joy of working together.”
His attitude to life was always, “Sounds fun. Let’s have a go.”
Working together was never driven by pressure or perfection. It was driven by trust, enjoyment and partnership.
Adam has also always been one of those rare dogs who quietly makes people smile.
Working with Adam was never really about winning. It was always about the joy of working together.
Every day feels more precious
Living with a golden oldie also means recognising that time becomes increasingly precious.
These days every good day with Adam feels like a gift, and every walk, cuddle and training session is appreciated just a little more than the last.
Adam — the gentle old soul whose quiet confidence helped shape both Caroline’s training philosophy and countless CLEAR clients.
Adam with some of his Queensland Dog of the Year trophies from 2019, one of the most successful years of his obedience career.
Hope: The feisty little girl
Even as a puppy, Hope showed exceptional drive.
Now six years old, she remains brilliantly intelligent, highly trainable, intensely funny, wonderfully determined and occasionally capable of treating minor inconveniences as though they were international emergencies.
Hope feels life deeply.
From the moment she arrived interstate as a young puppy it was obvious she possessed exceptional talent, but she was also naturally more sensitive than many dogs.
Looking back, Caroline reflects: “Living with Hope made me a better trainer because she first made me a better listener.”
Learning to navigate the world
Despite careful socialisation, Hope gradually developed mild anxious reactivity after maturing, made worse following a dog attack during competition.
Helping Hope through that journey profoundly changed Caroline’s understanding of anxious dogs and their owners.
Today Hope has achieved remarkable success in obedience and rally, but her greatest contribution has been the lessons she taught beyond competition.
Living with Hope made me a better trainer because she first made me a better listener.
Opinions will absolutely be voiced
Hope has never lost the ability to make her opinions known with a quiet little yowl under her breath.
Their partnership today is built on trust, mutual respect and an extraordinarily close bond.
Hope showed exceptional drive from puppyhood, together with the determination and intelligence that would later underpin her success in the competition ring.
Hope with some of her awards from the most recent Australian National Border Collie Championships.
Lockie: The lovable clown
Lockie, now aged two, is a complete goofball who seems genuinely thrilled simply to be alive.
He is affectionate, optimistic and convinced every game, every person and every new experience sounds like the best idea ever.
A national champion before anyone expected
Caroline entered Lockie in the Australian National Championships simply hoping he would perform respectably.
Instead, he won the Rally Novice National title, the Starter Tricks National title and jointly claimed the highest-scoring Border Collie award in the National Tricks Trial.
“Dogs are supposed to bring joy into our lives, and Lockie never lets me forget that,” Caroline laughs.
The dog who makes people smile
The titles tell only part of the story.
Dogs are supposed to bring joy into our lives, and Lockie never lets me forget that.
What Caroline treasures most is the happiness Lockie brings into the house every single day.
He still races Caroline upstairs before enthusiastically waving his paw until she catches up.
It is ridiculous, adorable and unmistakably Lockie.
Lockie being Lockie — always the clown, always smiling and always ready to make people laugh.
Lockie with his Rally and Tricks awards from the most recent Australian National Obedience and Tricks Championships.