Introduction

                             Introduction

         The 'Supreme International', the premier of Sheepdog Trialling, is to be
            held on 4th - 6th September 2008 in St George, Abergele, N. Wales.

             Sheepdog Trialling is a long established event and t he International
             Championship, as a trial, has been held annually (with the exception
             of the war years and during the Foot and Mouth epidemic of 2001)
             since 1906.... 102 years in 2008.

            The event will be the first in the area since 1956 when it was held in nearby Llandudno.

            The event has been held very successfully in conjunction with a Food Fair and Country Festival each year
            since 2004 following the economic devastation from the Foot and Mouth epidemic of 2001.

           The purpose of a Sheep Dog Trial is to test the abilities of the best working dogs in an environment close
             to true working life

                                  What Trialling is all about

People coming to a trial for the first time will be amazed at the uncanny understanding between handlers and their dogs. Doubtless the sheep would rather be doing something quite different today, thank you, and the fact that the dog can steer them around a big difficult course with only the handler's whistle commands to guide it, seems almost miraculous. Others who have sheep and dogs of their own, will be filled with admiration, envy and a strong sense of their own shortcomings!

                                                            Any shepherd and his dog needs certain basic skills to do their everyday work.                                                              The shepherd knows from experience how sheep will react in certain situations,
                                                            and can use this to help the dog stay in control. A good sheepdog should be able
                                                            to gather sheep at a distance without fuss, and fetch them safely to its handler. It
                                                            must drive them away from the shepherd if asked to do so and be capable of
                                                            holding them in one area and seperating or shedding one or more sheep from the
                                                            flock with the handler's help.

                                                            Again with the handler's help the dog must steer the sheep into the handling pen
                                                            or trailer perhaps to take them to market.

Trialling is simply an extension and refinement of these basic skills. Small bunches of
sheep are more easily upset than larger ones so a calm and steady pace is essential
for perfect control. Straight lines and tidy turns are important for a successful run and
there should be no escapes from the shedding ring or the pen.
'Not much gets past the Judges'

In an International final an extra dimension is added in the form of a Double Fetch.
This means that the dog must gather one packet of sheep and then turn the dog back
to the other corner for the second packet. The sheep will then be worked as a single
group to complete the course.

The very good dog and the expert handler can make this look quite easy. It isn't. The best can suffer stage fright and this combined with the unpredictability of the sheep can lead to surprising upsets. It is this that makes trialling so absorbing, exciting and nervewracking, entertaining and ultimately enjoyable.

                                                                                                      Young Handlers
                                                              There is also a young handlers class where one representative from each
                                                              Nation competes for the title. The ISDS are staunch supporters of Young
                                                              Handlers, many of whom equal their elders in abilities.