Top dogs show off their skills

From dancing dogs to skateboarding pooches - its not just Britain's Got Talent star Chandi that knows how to strut her stuff with impressive tricks.

With a repertoire of tricks and stunts, these talented dogs at a training centre near Wolverhampton are proving they too are top dogs.

Their slick dance moves are similar to those performed by Shropshire's Tina Humphrey and her border collie Chandi, who have made it through to the finals of this year's contest after wowing audiences and melting the hearts of judges.

But Rita Ingram, an instructor and secretary at Wombourne Dog Training Club, said there was also plenty of talent in the region.

The centre in Bratch Lane, which was founded in 1971, is run by eight volunteers and dozens of dogs are trained there every week.

"We have a cocker spaniel who can ride a skateboard and dogs that can perform leg weaves and spin round in circles," Mrs Ingram said.

"There are quite a few tricks that a dog can do.

"If you have the patience and sense of humour, you can teach them to do almost anything you want."

Mrs Ingram, who lives in the village with husband Joe, a retired engineer, 66, first took her golden labrador Libby along to the canine training facility in Wombourne back in 1981.

"The best way to teach the tricks is by using a clicker," Mrs Ingram, 65, continued. "The clicker is really important in training dogs.

"It's like a button that you hold and press when the dog does something you want it to do.

"If you ask your pet to bow down and it goes half way then you click. And when the dog gets the whole way down then you click again.

"Finally you give it a treat and it knows how to do the trick.

"Obviously things will go wrong. At the end of the day dogs are not robots, they are dogs, but it comes together with time."

Mrs Ingram - who has golden retrievers, Sabby, aged 11, and Connie, seven - was not shocked with Tina and Chandi's success on the TV talent show.

The retired administrator said: "I have seen Chandi and Tina perform at shows before and they are brilliant.

"I saw Chandi when she was a lot younger at various dog shows. I go to Crufts every year and they have performed there.

"Tina's routines have always been smashing."

The talented pups at the training centre in Wombourne are taught basic obedience, as well as tricks such as how to bow down, put two paws in the air, roll over and even put a paw on another dog's back.

One dog who likes to live life in the fast lane is three-year-old cocker spaniel Jess, who attends classes with owner Sophie Rogers, and has learned how to ride a skateboard.

Sophie, a 15-year-old pupil at St Edmund's Catholic School in Compton, said: "We've been bringing Jess here since she was a puppy.

"We wanted to teach her basic training to start with and then a few tricks.

"When Jess sniffed the skateboard, we used the clicker so she started to realise that we wanted her to go near the skateboard.

"She can now push herself along on the board."

Jess can also spin in circles, give a paw and walk backwards.

Dogs at Wombourne Dog Training Centre are also taught how to play Fly Ball, where a pooch is taught to step on a ledge which propels a tennis ball into the air which they then catch in their mouths.

"It's a lot of fun and the dogs just love it," Mrs Ingram added.

"It gives them something to think about and they don't get bored. It's mentally stimulating and also keeps them fit."

Wombourne Dog Training Club runs one-hour classes on Tuesdays for puppies and advanced dogs. Beginners' classes run on Thursdays. Call 01902 895235 for details.