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HERDING
ORGANIZATIONS AND
PROGRAMS IN NORTH AMERICA
The
United States Border Collie Handlers' Association,
Inc.
The
trials sanctioned
by the USBCHA follow the pattern of the trials of Great Britain's International Sheep
Dog Society, the original registry for Border Collies. There are also many
non-USBCHA-sanctioned trials held along these lines, but some of these
may vary according to local organizers. There may be classes for different
levels of training; for instance, in novice classes the handler may accompany
the stock throughout the course, while at the higher levels the handler
remains in a fixed position until moving to the pen to assist the dog in
penning. The higher levels also include "shedding" or separating designated
sheep from the group. Specific requirements may vary from trial to trial,
as may the name of the class. There are trials for cattle as well as for
sheep. Titles are not given in connection with these
trials.
The Australian Shepherd Club of America
The ASCA
Stockdog Program offers three levels of arena trials, an
open field "post advanced" course, and a ranch
course. There are three arena courses from which
the organizer can choose, each with a standard layout but
differing somewhat from one another. The "A" course requires taking stock from a pen,
guiding them through obstacles and repenning. The "B" course
starts with a small outrun or gather, then the stock are guided through
obstacles and penned in a free-standing pen, followed by a repen. The "C" course
also begins with a gather, but all the obstacles are off of the fence,
whereas on "A" and "B" courses, two of the three
obstacles are on the fence. The titles Started Trial Dog (STD), Open Trial Dog
(OTD), and Advanced Trial Dog (ATD) can be earned on sheep, cattle
and ducks -- small initials after the title indicate the type of stock --
with each title requiring two legs. The Working Trial Championship (WTCh.) is earned when the Advanced
title on all three types of stock has been achieved. The Post-Advanced
class (PATD) is held in a large field. The Ranch Trial courses (RTD)
take place in a ranch setting and vary from location to
location. There is also a Ranch Dog (RD) certification
earned by a dog being judged on proficiency in its regular work at
home. ASCA
is a registry for the Australian Shepherd, but its trials are open to all approved herding breeds.
Approved clubs may apply to hold ASCA events.
The American Herding
Breed Association
The
AHBA program offers four types of trial classes, each with three levels, and also includes a test
program. The Herding Trial Dog program, with levels HTD I, II and III,
takes place on a standard course with outrun, lift, fetch, wear and/or
drive and pen. The Herding
Ranch Dog program, with levels HRD I, II and III, takes place on ranch/farm
courses which vary in detail while including specified requirements. The Ranch
Large Flock program, with levels RLF I, II and III, is
similar to the HRD program, but requires larger groups of
stock. The
Herding Trial Arena Dog Program, with levels HTAD I, II and III, takes
place in arenas with set minimum and maximum sizes; there are four basic
courses to choose from, each of which includes an alternative of either
a gather or a take-pen, three obstacles of various types, a drive section
at levels II and III, and a sort of varying kinds. All AHBA titles require two
qualifying scores under two different judges. Progression of difficulty
in the trial classes echoes the progression in the training of a versatile
herding dog. Titles may be earned on sheep, goats, ducks, geese, turkeys,
or cattle, with a small initial after the title indicating the type of
stock on which the title was earned (ducks are used only on the HTD and HTAD
courses). A herding trial championship is earned
by obtaining additional qualifying scores after any Level III
title is earned. Test levels include the Herding Capability Test (HCT)
and the Junior Herding Dog Test (JHD), both of which are run on a pass/fail
basis and require two passing runs under different judges. These events
are open to all herding breeds and herding breed mixes. Clubs or individuals
may apply to hold tests/trials sanctioned by the AHBA.
Australian Shepherd Trial
Association
ASTA
courses vary according to what the event organizers
determine best suits their location, livestock and
personal preferences. Trials use only point/time or
time only scoring, rather than a judged system. The
stock used are sheep and cattle. Awards and placements are given but not titles.
While focused on Australian Shepherds, other breeds may
enter as well. Kennel
Club Programs
The
American Kennel Club and
the Canadian
Kennel
Club
offer test and trial classes with titles for dogs
registered with them. Rules can be obtained by
contacting those organizations. A United Kennel Club
Herding Yahoo list has been established to revise a previously-written
herding program, with the
goal of obtaining approval for a UKC herding program; the list is at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ukcherding/
In addition
to the events held by the above organizations, many events are held
by local organizations according to local rules. There are also informal
events, work days, fun days, as well as organized "herding
instinct tests"
Herding trials
also
have long been held in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Trials in
Great Britain generally follow the pattern set out by
the International Sheep Dog Society.
The trials are held in large fields, with the handler remaining in a fixed
location through most of the trial, until the sheep are ready to be penned.
At these trials, the dog gathers a small group of sheep set out at a distance,
brings the group to the handler, moves them away from the handler and through
two sets of panels, then brings them to a small free-standing pen, after
which the sheep are taken
from the pen for the "shed," or separating designated sheep from the group. ISDS
Course Description and Guidelines for Judges
Trials in
Australia follow several patterns. There are yard trials which emphasize
working a group of 18 or more sheep in pens and runways, moving them through
the course and sorting them. Utility trials incorporate work in a larger
field as well as in the yard. “Three sheep” trials have obstacles
and a free-standing pen in an open field or arena and, as indicated by
the name, the size of the group of sheep is limited to three. The home
page for West
Australian
Working Sheep Dog Association provides trial rules and other herding
information.
New Zealand has trials for "heading dogs" which gather the sheep, and "huntaways" which
push the sheep away from the handler, barking.
ISDS-type trials are now being held on the continent of Europe as well,
as Border Collies are increasingly being used there. There are also traditional
national trials, which reflect common practices involving large groups
of sheep which are taken out on a daily basis to graze in unfenced areas,
supervised by
a shepherd and one or more dogs.
Traditional
French herding trials involve the shepherd and dog conducting a flock
of 80 and often over 100 sheep over a "cross-country" course meant
to reflect situations found in daily work. In French trials, one dog
is used and judging criteria primarily relate to accomplishing the
tasks in an efficient, calm manner. The shepherd and dog may take various
positions relative to the flock, according to circumstances. Thus,
the dog may be behind or ahead, on one side of the flock or the other,
wherever its presence is needed, remaining as discreet as possible
when all goes well. The dog is expected to work with a great deal of
initiative, the shepherd only commanding the dog for particular maneuvers.
Trials are also held on cattle.
In Germany
there are trials held by sheepbreeder's organizations and similar trials
held by the German Shepherd breed club, the SV (Schaeferhund Verein).
Two dogs are usually used in HGH (Herdengebrauchshund, or Herding Utility
Dog) trials -- a "main dog" and an "assistant dog." The HGH trials
emphasize boundary work -- the dog patrolling along a field edge or
furrow to contain the sheep as they graze, needed in a situation where
the large flocks being taken out for daily grazing were being moved
through fairly populated and cultivated areas where sheep could not
be allowed to trespass. In practical day-to-day work, however, herding
dogs in Germany often work similarly to farm and ranch dogs of other
countries.
Some trials
have been held in Spain for the Catalonian Sheepdog (Gos d'Atura), on the
order of British trials. There were a few trials in Belgium at the turn
of the century,
similar to the French trials, but these were not continued.
Calendars
of Events for Herding Trials
Upcoming
event:
Sept.
22-26, 2008 -- Sheep Camp in Saskatchewan
Prepare
yourself for Sheep Camp in 1200 acres of sheep country
and offering the opportunity of both small and large
flock work in real life situations. Come and be a
shepherd for a week plus learn trial strategy while
you're here. Two
instructors are confirmed and we are working on a third.
A maximum of 15 dogs will be accepted for camp. The trial
to follow will be either
AHBA and/or a Handy Ranch Dog Series trial unless a local
dog club wishes to take the opportunity of offering a CKC
or ASCA trial. Our facility has everything needed to host
a camp and make the experience worthwhile.
Sept 22 – 26, 2008; sheep trial to follow camp on 27/28
Hill & Hollow Ranch, Watrous, SK.
For information contact: Arlette
Seib
adogtale@sasktel.net
306-259-4884
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Linda Rorem
e-mail Pacifica19@aol.com
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