She is only 3, but, since she could walk, she has been following her father, Paul Hickey, of Dunedin, around while he trains his three Border collies to jump through hoops and weave around poles.
"She copies me and says, 'Go, lie, sit, wait, jump,' and runs along with them. I don't think she knows about winning. I think she just likes the running," Mr Hickey said.
This weekend, Emily will get her first chance to prove her skills as the youngest competitor at the Taieri Canine Training Centre's dog agility competition.
She will take part in the junior class, in which children run along with their dogs over a simple course.
Taieri Canine Training Centre president Veronica Maclean said this weekend's competition was one of three similar held at the Equestrian Centre in Dukes Rd, Mosgiel, each year.
About 85 competitors from Southland to Christchurch would take part.
