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    Sheepdogs and their handlers will make their way to Edenhope showground for a Trans-Tasman sheepdog trial at the weekend.

Dog trials at Edenhope

Sheepdogs and their handlers will make their way to Edenhope showground for a Trans-Tasman sheepdog trial at the weekend.

The South West Sheepdog Club is hosting the event, which begins on Friday morning.

The trial course involves a sheepdog working three sheep around the ground under the direction of a handler, who communicates with the dog using gestures and verbal cues and whistles.

Every competitor starts their run in the trial with 15 minutes and 100 points.



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The judge will deduct points from the competitor’s run based on their consideration of where the sheep are during each segment of the run, as opposed to where they should be.

South West Sheepdog Club president Conor McConnell said the course was designed to represent the features of a farm.

“There’s a two-way race similar to races used to manage sheep on a farm, a bridge which is a ramp akin to the entrance and exit of a shearing shed and a pen for the sheep at the end,” he said.

“It’s important the dog doesn’t let the sheep stray far from a designated track on the course.”

The event runs each day from 7.30am until the early evening, with the highest-scoring dogs and handlers in sections from open to novice to run off in a finals competition on Sunday.

In conjunction with the Trans-Tasman Trial, the Victorian Yard Utility Farm Dog Association will be conducting a yard trial on Saturday and Sunday at the showground.

The entire August 10, 2022 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!