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.
Her current trio are all Border Collies, chosen for their extraordinary versatility across the dog sports that remain one of Caroline’s greatest passions outside teaching.
They are best mates, constant shadows, occasional chaos merchants and, perhaps most importantly, 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. Each has also 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. Adam and Lockie even have some justification, having helped many CLEAR clients over the years by demonstrating exercises, walking calmly around nervous dogs and helping other dogs cope with real-world distractions.
Adam: The calm professional
At almost fifteen 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. Adam’s attitude to life was always, “Sounds fun. Let’s have a go.” Their partnership was built on trust and enjoyment rather than pressure or perfection.
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.
Hope: The feisty little girl
Even as a puppy, Hope showed remarkable drive.
She was intensely clever, highly trainable and startlingly switched on from the beginning.
Hope, now six, is brilliant. Absolutely, wickedly, hilariously brilliant.
She is also feisty, emotional, sensitive, funny and occasionally capable of behaving as though minor inconveniences are catastrophic global emergencies.
Hope feels life deeply.
From the time Hope first arrived interstate as a young puppy, it was obvious she was exceptionally talented but also naturally more sensitive than many dogs.
Living with Hope made me a better trainer because she first made me a better listener.
Learning to navigate the world
However, despite doing all the “right” things — careful socialisation, positive exposure, training and confidence work — Hope gradually developed slight anxious reactivity around other dogs as she matured, something not helped by being attacked by another dog at competition.
Living with Hope and helping her through that journey has had a profound impact on Caroline as both a trainer and dog owner.
It gave her firsthand insight into the worry, heartbreak and constant management that can come with living with a sensitive dog.
It also reinforced something she now tells clients often: doing everything “right” does not guarantee a perfect outcome. Dogs are individuals, not blank slates, and genetics, temperament and life experiences all matter.
Helping Hope has made Caroline a more thoughtful trainer and a far more empathetic one.
Opinions will absolutely be voiced
Hope is also exceptionally communicative.
If she wants something, disagrees with something or feels Caroline has misunderstood an important matter, she will explain the situation at length.
Usually loudly.
Caroline has often thought that if Hope were human, she would probably be the person writing strongly worded letters to council about neighbourhood parking.
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.
Dogs are supposed to bring joy into our lives, and Lockie never lets me forget that.
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.
In 2026, Lockie added agility to his repertoire — and absolutely loves it. In his first couple of months of competition, he has already earned ten qualifications. As with everything he does, Lockie has thrown himself into agility wholeheartedly, with enormous enthusiasm and his usual lovable sense of fun.
The dog who makes people smile
The titles tell only part of the story.
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.
What they have taught me
Each of these dogs has shaped Caroline’s approach to training in a different way.
Adam taught her the value of trust, steadiness and partnership.
Hope taught her that even when you do everything “right”, dogs can still struggle — and that empathy matters just as much as technique.
Lockie reminds her every day that training should be joyful, playful and something dogs genuinely want to participate in.
Together they have reinforced the philosophy that sits at the heart of CLEAR Dog Training:
Training should be kind, practical, thoughtful and built around the individual dog standing in front of you.
Training should be kind, practical, thoughtful and built around the individual dog standing in front of you.
More than dogs
Of course, they are more than training partners.
They are family.
They are the reason there is permanently dog hair in the house, why walks take twice as long as planned and why Caroline can never eat cheese without being watched by three intensely hopeful faces.
They are also the reason she still loves what she does after more than twenty years working with dogs.
Because no matter how much you learn about behaviour and training, dogs always find new ways to teach you something.
Usually when you least expect it.
Ready to get started?
Book a consultation and let’s create a plan that works for you and your dog.