Rachel Flatley

Over 20 years ago, Rachel left her career in the legal field to train dogs full-time. She has earned over 300 performance titles on her own dogs (Boston Terriers, a Papillon, and Border Collies) plus she's earned titles on a Chinese Crested, a Scottish Terrier, and a Corgi. Not only do her dogs perform with accuracy, their enthusiasm for their work is evident. Rachel consistently finishes in the top of her class with multiple dogs.

Her students also do well in competition. Her positive methods and creative application of choice-based games have enabled dogs representing many breeds not normally seen in the ring to attain performance titles. These breeds include Afghan Hound, Bassett Hound, Dalmatian, Scottish Terrier, Weimaraner, and West Highland White Terrier. Over the years, Rachel’s DOCOF (Florida’s Annual State Obedience Competition) Teams (comprised of students) have won the competition or placed in the top 5 multiple times. They have also won the High Tri-Combined Award many times.

Rachel does not only hold her dogs to high standards. Her public service and sportsmanship awards from her life in competition sports include: 

• Robin Clark Memorial Award 
• Border Collie Society of America’s Sportsmanship Award 
• DACOF Sportsmanship Award 
• Randy Reed Memorial Award
• Jon Mett Achievement Award

With her own dogs, Rachel is actively training and/or competing in agility, obedience, rally and herding. In past years she has also competed in freestyle and tracking. Here are some highlights from her most recent competition dogs, all Border Collies:

Wisp

Obedience: "High in Trial" at over 50 obedience trials (including DOCOF) and over 30 "High Combined" awards. FOUR Obedience Championships: two OTCHs, one U-OCH and one ASCA OTCH. Second place in Open at the 2013 AKC Obedience Classic, also winning “Highest Scoring Dog” in the Blue Round.  

Rally: RM and RAE2 (with 26 of 40 scores being perfect 100s). 6th place at the 2017 AKC Rally National Championship in the RAE class (which was the highest skill level offered at the time). 3rd in Novice Rally at 2012 All Star.

Agility: USDAA 2018 National Top 10: Snooker, Jumpers and Gamblers, USDAA Agility Championship, USDAA Performance Dog Championship SILVER level, USDAA Performance Lifetime Achievement Award SILVER.

Primer 

Obedience/Rally: 4th place in Open at the 2015 AKC Obedience Classic. 2014 All Star: 2nd place in Maximum Dog, 3rd place obedience and 3rd place rally. Multiple High In Trials (including DOCOF), UDX and OM1. 

Tracking: TD 

Agility: USDAA Performance Dog Championship

Sparkle

Obedience: Two perfect 200 scores, 4th place in Novice at the 2018 AKC Obedience Classic, multiple High in Trial Awards, UD.

Rally: Rally Championship (RATCH) in 20 straight trials, earning 11 High Triple Combined awards and 6 High Combined Awards. We have currently trialed in 23 trials and have 23 triple Q’s with 37 of the 66 scores being perfect 100s.

Agility: USDAA Agility Dog Champion PLATINUM level, USDAA Lifetime Achievement Award GOLD.

Hitch

Obedience:  First place Novice at the 2024 AKC Obedience Classic with a perfect score of 200.  Awarded High Scoring Border Collie medallion.  Third place Open at the 2025 Obedience Classic.  Multiple High in Trial and High Combined awards.  At age 4, went from UD to OTCH (Obedience Trial Champion) in 8 months and completed OTCH2 three months later. 

Rally:  Completed Novice title with three first place runs (scores: 99, 100 and 100).  

Herding:  Started A ducks and Started A sheep titles with first place wins.