Guillaume Josien is a man in a hurry. Trialling for only three years and with his first border collie, Killiebrae Gyp (Jip), Guillaume has risen to the top of French sheepdog handling. In 2010, their first year in Open Class competition, Guillaume and Gyp won the French National Championship. Guillaume was also third with his 2-year-old dog, Bob. Both dogs will now represent France at the 2011 World Trial.
Guillaume was born in a small village in northern France although he left his home region 20 years ago to work in Paris. One day he saw a border collie working on sheep and this scene reminded him of a childhood desire for a black and white dog. He was hooked. Three months later, Guillaume found himself standing watching a Welsh National Championship. His passion for sheepdogs saw him move to the south of Picardy, near the medieval town of Senlis, a small village in the Fresnoy le Luat just outside of Paris, where he could combine his work in the pharmaceuticals industry with his love of sheepdogs. With its rich history and links to the French Monarchy, Senlis is a popular tourist destination. Monarchs of the early French dynasties lived there, although it was later abandoned when Compiegne and Fontainebleau became more fashionable. In the XII and XIII centuries, Senlis was known for its trade of wool and leather.
When Guillaume moved from Paris, he looked for a house with a nearby field for his sheep. A chance meeting with the owner of a nearby castle led to Guillaume being offered the opportunity to graze his sheep on the castle’s 140 acre surroundings. Perfect! Guillaume had found an ideal spot on which to train his dogs.
Guillaume got his ‘start’ in trialling in Wales. He and some fellow French trialling enthusiasts spent a week in Wales at the height of the trialling season. They watched some of Wales’ top handlers, and participated in as any trials as they could find. Back in France, Guillaume bought many DVDs from the ISDS on how to train a sheepdog, enlisted the help of other French handlers and set about training Gyp with renewed purpose. During the course of the last 3 years, Guillaume has had the opportunity to visit many top handlers in the UK and on the Continent, but the person who has most heavily influenced his vision on dogs and training has been Bobby Dalziel.
Killiebrae Gyp (Bob x Killiebrae Sally) is Guillaume’s first dog. He is 4 years old and Guillaume says “we have grown up together.” Guillaume describes Gyp as a flashy dog, very consistent, good feel for sheep, and good listener. In 2009 they finished 4th at the French Class 2 Championship before winning the 2010 National Championship in Toulouse, the double gather trial in Gremevillers, and representing France at the 2010 Continental Championship in Liglet (France).
Guillaume’s second dog, Bob (Cheviot Jamie x Ladybird), is a young talent with a lot of natural talent. Just two years old, Bob won his first trial at 11 months of age (Class 1) and then won 3 of his 7 starts in Class 2 and was in the placings in the other 4 trials. At 2, Bob moved to Open competition and finished the year with a 3rd place in the French National Championship, a win in the Double gather trial of Jully les Buxy, and a place on the French World Trial team.
It has been a marvelous 2010 for Guillaume with the qualification of two dogs for the French World Trial team and the birth of his daughter, Lisa.
A glimpse of Killiebrae Gyp's Accomplishments:
2010 French National Champion
2010 Continental Championship - French Team Member
A glimpse of Bob's Accomplishments
3rd French National Championship 2010
1st Jully lès Buxy Double gather 2010
