A Stockdog Trialer’s Prayer By Sal Manna Dear Lord, I truly understand why this is called a trial, For a team of stockdog and man requires power and guile. Yet on days like today my dog seems to lack the former And I am certainly lacking enough of the latter. I sent my dog from my side to gather the sheep And he swung wide behind them, together the flock to keep. So why, Lord, is my good…
AN AUSSIE AT A FRENCH-STYLE TRIAL September 30 October 1, 2006 , Wilton , CA by Linda Rorem Due to the logistics involved, it isn’t often that trials are available featuring groups of 50 or more sheep. But beginning in 1995, an annual trial has been held in Northern California that has provided such an opportunity. The California Shetland Sheepdog Herding Club sponsors a yearly French-style trial sanctioned by the American Herding Breed Association. The trials came about as…
WHEN TO START TRIALING by Tenley Dexter and Maarten Walter Question: Have been using my Aussie for chores and taken some formal lessons on herding. Question is at what point would one consider entering a trial: with what behaviors needed as a starting point. Tenley Dexter comments: Ah, this is an easy question! When I can take a young dog away to a friend’s farm to work stock that my dog has never seen, in a place that is totally…
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU’RE READY TO TRIAL by Anne Jespersen These are the guidelines I keep in mind for myself which may be helpful for other people who are training their first or second dog and are wondering when to enter him/her in an ASCA trial for the first time. 1. You will lose about 3 months of regular training when you go from a familiar place to a trial setting with new stock and trial nerves on your…
GRIPPING by Herbert Holmes This article is difficult to write due to the many and varied opinions on grips as well as the number of different types of grips and reasons for gripping. I am assuming that the readers know that a grip is a bite. I believe that what I am about to relate to you about gripping holds true but I would not be so bold as to close my mind to different types of grips. Some are…