She poses, she pouts and, boy, does she strut her stuff. Her name is Madonna... and she’s a nine-monthold black standard poodle with a ridiculously fluffy top knot.

Her real name is Chalkwell Ray of Light but, as it’s a bit of a mouthful, her owner Janet Oliver calls her Madonna, or Madge for short.

“A friend of mine who breeds dogs named a litter of puppies after Madonna’s songs because she loves them,” explains Janet.

“So I decided to call my puppy Madonna – and she really lives up to her name.

She’s a poser and a prima donna – and her stunning looks really do give her the ‘wow’ factor.”

But, however much Madonna prances around, Janet will soon have her firmly under control. Janet is one of the country’s top dog trainers and breeders, trained by international dog trainer Sylvia Bishop and a follower of the philosophy of ‘dog whisperer’ Cesar Millan, which aims to understand dogs and recognise their main needs of exercise, discipline and affection.

The owner of the kennels and cattery Corie Collies on Ranscombe Hill near Lewes, Janet is a familiar face at Crufts, the Kennel Club’s annual international dog show, where dogs she has bred and trained have scooped top awards and where she has been a judge since 1991, known for her style, fairness and innovative rounds.

Last month, Janet travelled to the world’s biggest dog show at the NEC in Birmingham, this time not to judge, but to take part in the Kennel Club’s Accreditation Scheme for Instructors in Dog Training, a scheme that will add to Janet’s many training qualifications.

“I love Crufts because it is spectacular,”

Janet enthuses.

“It’s like going to the Olympics or to Wimbledon – and the arena is huge.

“When I first went, I thought I’d love to get my feet on that green carpet. There’s a competitiveness among the competitors because it’s the biggest and best dog show in the world and you want to win.

“Everyone wants to win.

“The best dogs in the world are here, in this country. The standard of training and trainers, whether you are talking about obedience, agility, play, is just so high.

“All the dogs competing at Crufts are the best in the world – they have to be to be selected. Even before they compete, they have to pass a temperament test because if they don’t, you will lose marks and you won’t get into the top places.”

Janet speaks from experience. She sees competitors from as far afield as America and Japan at Crufts and, as a full member of the Kennel Club of London, has received judging appointments from around the UK, Europe and as far afield as Australia and Singapore, when she was selected in 2005 by the Singapore Kennel Club to judge the obedience and agility class there.

“You know, we could really learn something important from Singapore,” says Janet. “If you own a dog there and want to take it into a public park, before you go in you have to go to one of the park attendants and show that you have a Kennel Club training certificate, to Bronze level at the very least. It’s basically a “we will protect you” certificate that proves a dog is under control and is a good citizen.

“They simply will not allow you into the park without it. And I think we should introduce the same system here.

“Kennel Club training makes dogs into good citizens with good manners. When you take your dog out in public, it has to be under control.

“The number of times I have been to Brighton and seen people with dogs running around loose – not only is it illegal, it is also very worrying for parents with children and everyone else.”

Janet’s great passion for all things canine is all the more surprising when you learn that she didn’t even own her first dog until she was 40.

Her epiphany came when she took her father’s mongrel for a walk and balked at the entrance when she saw a woman with six dogs off the lead.

“I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m going to have a problem – there’s going to be a fight,’” Janet recalls.

“I had started to turn back when she called to me, ‘Don't be afraid’, and then she said ‘Down!’. All six dogs immediately dropped down and didn’t move as I walked by. I honestly thought she must be from a circus, to have six dogs under such control.

“I stopped and spoke to her, saying I had never seen anything like that in my life.

What I didn’t know then was that she was Ida Walton, a very famous dog trainer, and she invited me to come to one of her dog training classes. I watched, amazed, as I saw how she trained dogs – like horses in dressage. I was hooked.”

Janet’s first dog was a tri-collie puppy called Jessie, from a litter called Kingsfolds bred by famous breeder Joan King, and within two years she was an obedience champion at Crufts.

Today, Janet is the proud owner not just of Madonna but also of a German Shepherd called Pixvonbrook Roxie, and three Corie Collies-bred Border collies called Corie Collies Jabisca, Corie Collies Jerusha and Corie Collies Jillie. Of course, these are their proper Kennel Club names, a means of identifying their parentage and breeding.

“My Corie Collies are bred for their memory bank,” explains Janet.

“They retain the things you teach them.”

But, for Janet, dogs are not simply about the thrill of winning at Crufts.

“They are my soulmates,” she says, gazing adoringly at her five.

“You learn to understand what they are saying to you, through their eyes, by their body language, by their tails.

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures that you can domesticate, and it doesn’t matter what age you are. They can help people with mental illness or problems and can be not only wonderful companions for disabled people and older people but also a reason to socialise.

“And they’re lovely to cuddle up next to in the evenings.”

For details about Corie Collies, visit coriecollies.co.uk For details about the Kennel Club, visit thekennelclub.org.uk