This website has been set up for anyone interested in the English National Sheepdog Trials. If you have anything different to add to this page, information, comments or photographs of sheepdog at work or in trials, please email kimpoulter@aol.com.
Sheepdogs trials are the arena to watch sheepdogs at work, the best dogs get used for breeding based on their performances.
But it is a long way from choosing a pup in a litter to a fully trained sheepdog capable of performing all sorts of work with stock.
From this? To this?
A well-trained dog can save many man hours gathering areas of land inaccessible to vehicles.
Young sheepdogs need to be trained, whilst their instincts are inbred to work stock, they need to be reared sensibly and shown how to do the work that will be expected of them. A shortcut is to buy a trained dog but you still have to spend time building up a good working relationship (you wouldn't expect to drive a brand new tractor without a read of the manual and some advice, would you?).
