This weekend I'll be going with another I-dogger to a big sheepdog trial in central Virginia. I'm planning on taking pictures (I'm hoping for good weather!) so watch this space. What I'm hoping to capture is the scale of the course and a visual essay of the work that makes the Border collie the breed it is today. Meanwhile here's a written essay. [
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The sheep at Edgeworth are set out 800 yards from the starting post. The dog is sent from the handler's feet and the handler is then not allowed to give any commands until the dog finds his sheep. The dog must approach the sheep without frightening them, but must get there fast enough to do the rest of the course in the allotted time. He must do this, remember, with NO commands. He speeds away on a track that circles to the back of the sheep - he cannot come between the sheep and the handler, nor to one side. Since the sheep are 800 yards away, the dog will traverse 1000 yards or more before arriving at his destination, and he will do it in less than two minutes. Agility fans, do the math on THAT YPS!
When the dog gets to the top, the handler is allowed for the first time to command a stop, but most dogs at that level know the right place to stop anyway. Sound travels so slowly that the majority of commands come a full second too late at that distance, unless the handler is good enough to compensate.
When the sheep start moving, this is called the
lift. They must start moving in a straight line towards the handler. If the dog was stopped in the wrong place, they will move off to one side or the other and points will be deducted. Remember, the dog is 800 yards away at this point - and he has never seen these sheep before! The sheep must also be quiet - the dog can't crash into the back of them - and the dog cannot hesitate if the sheep don't want to move away from their friends and go towards the crowd below. He must use his experience and his brain to convey confidence to the sheep that if they move away quietly, they will not be harmed.
The sheep used at Edgeworth are usually lambs that have not been worked by dogs in small groups before, and now there are only four of them facing a strange dog and being forced away from the flock out into the open. The dog really has to be savvy to balance intimidation with assurance. And he only has that first moment in time to strike that balance.
Next the dog will bring the sheep in a straight line to the handler. There is an imaginary line that the handler is aware of, and the judge, but the dog only knows that the sheep should come to the handler. He doesn't know lines. So the dog must respond to commands, now, to keep the sheep on the imaginary line that he and the sheep don't know exists. He's used to "just bringing them" on the farm - no lines, just so they come sort of straight. Now he's being asked to make very fine adjustments, and yet still continue to maintain his focus on keeping the sheep quiet, moving them along, and putting himself in the way of their escape to one side or the other.
It's been said this is like taking your child, handing him a spoon and an egg, telling him to walk a straight line while balancing the spoon and the egg, and then barking commands like "FASTER! SLOWER! LEFT! STOP! STAND ON ONE FOOT!" That's a lot of pressure. That's where the Border collie temperament is shaped.
Then, about a third of the way down the line, everything changes. A brushy gully cuts across the terrain and the dog and sheep drop out of sight for about thirty seconds. There's nothing to do but line the sheep up correctly going in, and hope they come out right. Some handlers continue to whistle encouragement, hoping the dog will keep the sheep lined up to the sound of their commands, but most feel the dog is also out of earshot.
Amazingly, most dogs handle this very well. Perhaps not so amazing, since they've been bred to work out of sight for many generations.
The dog and sheep emerge, one hopes, correctly lined up. If needed, the handler will correct their course (remember the dog has been entirely in charge and now must readily accept commands). The sheep are brought the rest of the way to the handler, turn, and begin to move in a straight line AWAY from the handler.
Border collies are bred to circle, cut off retreat, and bring sheep to the human. This is an instinctive trait - you can see it in wolf packs and hunting wild dogs. Now the handler is asking the dog to push the sheep AWAY from him. The dog must trust that the sheep will not get away. Everything tells that dog to circle around the sheep and block their movement away, but now he must submit to his master's wishes and let them move away. Not only that, but he still must make sure they stay calm, do not run to one side or the other, and stay moving fast enough to beat the clock. He must also accept the handler's commands - UNLESS they are wrong! Sometimes it's hard to read where the dog is supposed to be on this part of the course, and believe it or not, sometimes the dog will understand that a command is potentially disasterous. He then must have the confidence to disobey the letter of the law and perform in the spirit of the command.
One this part of the course, the sheep will move in a triangle with the handler remaining at his post at one corner, and two obstacles like huge agility jumps without bars, at each of the other corners. The sheep must go through the gaps between both gates, turn quietly, and proceed in a straight line to the next obstacle. Points are deducted for each deviation from the straight line. The lines are about 200 yards each - in other words the legs of the imaginary triangle are 200 yards long. The dog must stay focused in spite of growing mentally and physically tired. The course also goes back back through the ravine and once again the dog must carry on alone.
When the sheep go between the last set of gates and start on the third leg of the triangle, the handler is allowed for the first time to move from his post. He goes to a large ring marked on the ground (about 50 yards wide), where the dog will bring the sheep.
There, after his dog has spent fifteen minutes keeping the sheep TOGETHER, he and the dog will work to SPLIT the sheep and hold one group away from the other. Sheep love to stick together when they are scared, so the dog must even more walk a fine line between being scary enough to hold them in one place, and reassuring them that it's ok to move apart.
Neither the dog nor the handler can touch the sheep. There are no fences, chutes, gates, or anything else besides a person and his or her dog, to accomplish this task. If the sheep leave the circle once this task has begun, points are lost. It is done by balancing the sheep between the dog and handler with as little pressure as possible, and then letting them quietly walk in the direction they want to go. when they are relaxed and only thinking about moving off, and somewhat strung out, the handler blocks the sheep he wants, backs up, and calls the dog between the front sheep and the back. Then the dog turns and stands in the way of the two sheep that were left behind. If the sheep stop and give up trying to get to the other sheep, allowing the dog to take control, the exercise is done. If the dog lacks the courage to come in, or the sheep are not divided properly, or the dog loses the divided sheep, points are taken off. This exercise must be finished before proceding to the next obstacle. If time runs out, all points are lost for this exercise.
Once the sheep are divided, they are regrouped and brought to a small pen which stands alone - no fences around it. The handler opens it and grasps the rope which is attached to the gate. He now cannot let go of the rope until he closes the gate. The sheep are supposed to walk straight in - but they've never been in a pen that tiny except to be medicated - or other unpleasant experiences. the dog must again convince them that walking in there is preferable to facing him down or running him over - but he must not make them so scared that they'll panic and run around the pen or over the handler (he's stuck, remember?). The dog must convince them they have no options, but that going in is isn't so bad, anyway.
This is the part of the course that everyone loves, because it's easy to see the point and success is easy to spot, too - when that gate clanks shut! Funny things happen, too. The sheep will psych out the unwary dogs and handlers - starting to go in then slipping around to one side. They'll stall right in the opening and turn around, seeming to say, OK dog, kill me, I don't care, I'm not going in! The dog's not allowed to bite, even in self defence, but he can threaten right up to, but not include, touching a sheep. Growling and barking is unproductive - it's calm force of will and maybe a show of teeth that will do the trick.
Sometimes, surprisingly, letting off the pressure a little will make the sheep forget their deathwish, turn and walk right in. A wise dog knows when to soften their look, turn the head just a bit, relax their stance - and there's no commands for these actions. Some handlers will softly say their dog's name as a plea for them to do something - but it is instinct that tells the dog WHAT to do.
When the pen gate is shut, they may be required to divide a single sheep from the group, or the course may be complete. The dogs typically have about 18 minutes to complete the whole thing. In that time, the dog has traveled about three miles uphill and down, over rough terrain, with all the arcing back and forth, plus circling the 50 yard wide shedding ring. He's been under relentless pressure, mental and emotional, and has expended every bit of brain power and instinct at his disposal. The dog will have learned something new, too, for every trial course and every trial run is different and presents different challenges.
Performing this type of course isn't a trick for only the most advanced dogs in the breed. Compency on this course and ones like it, are what is expected of breeding stock. Not every dog bred is at this level, but that deviation has to be rare or the package of temperamental, mental, and physical soundness falls apart very quickly.