This week I made a last minute decision to check out the USBCHA National Finals in Klamath Falls, Oregon. I was already so excited to go when I learned that Klamath Falls is 6 hours away! I almost didn’t go, but decided to make the trek through the woods and mountains of Oregon, which I learned can be a little scary by yourself in the dark with no cell service and the threat that the road I was on would close for the night only 20 minutes after I left it. I made it though and got to see Wednesday morning’s runs.
First run of the morning promptly at 8 am. Dog people are early risers!The top 150 handlers from around the country were competing and just to emphasize how difficult the runs can be, only about half of them finished in time with a score. Some ran out of time, some withdrew early due to a bad first part of the run. Many of these handlers have been doing this for a lifetime and have several dogs at the competition level at any given time. Although I am still just learning about all of the components of sheepdog trials, I’d like to share a little bit about the structure and rules so that you can all get hooked on the sport too!
In this particular organization, only border collies are worked, but any herding breed can find a place to practice and compete in herding (the rules and techniques may differ from breed to breed). I watched the open runs, which is for dogs who are 3 and older. During these runs, the handler and dog start at a post about 600-800 yards from the sheep. The handler sends the dog to the sheep (the outrun) and the dog must curve way around so that the sheep are not disturbed by the dog. The dog then begins to move the sheep (the lift) directly to the handler through the first set of gates (the fetch). The dog must direct the sheep around the handler, through two more gates (the drive), and into the shedding circle. Until this point, the handler must stay at the post and direct the dog with either a whistle or voice commands. The dog then must split the four sheep into two clear groups without too much help from the handler, although the handler is allowed to move into the shedding circle. Once the judge approves the split, the handler moves to the pen, the dog directs the sheep into the pen, and the handler closes the gate. The handler is not allowed to drop the rope on the gate while the dog is penning the sheep. The team has 15 minutes to complete these tasks.
Some of the common herding commands that the handler uses to direct the dog are:
- Away/away to me: circle counterclockwise around sheep
- Come by: circle clockwise around sheep
- Lay down: really means stop/slow down/crouch, rarely does the dog actually lay down all the way
- Walk on: move directly towards the sheep
- Steady/easy: slow down
- That’ll do: stop what you’re doing and come to the handler/work is done
Those are the basics, but there are many subtleties and nuances to herding that you and your dog learn as you go. The handler must know her dog very well and be able to notice the smallest difference in the way the dog is working. The handler must also be good at understanding the sheep, analyzing how they work and predicting what they will do as a result of what the dog does. It is all a very delicate balance and beautiful to watch. There is just nothing like watching a dog work sheep, switching between broad large movements from a distance and tight control close in to the flock.
This weekend they will be broadcasting the semi-finals and finals live at: http://sheepdogfinals.org/wordpress1/live-webcast/
I urge you to take even just a few minutes to check it out, especially if you’ve never seen herding before. It’s really amazing to watch! Also, there is more information about sheepdog trialing on the USBCHA website at:http://www.usbcha.com/index.html and at the ABCA website at: http://www.americanbordercollie.org/.
