The dog most favored by handlers is the Border Collie. Having originated along the borders of Scotland and England prior to the twentieth century, this dog is the elite. They have the best stock sense in the world when it comes to handling livestock.

Though they are called sheepdogs, these dogs are used to heard cattle and other livestock as well. They exhibit what is known as the “eye”, the ability to hold and control sheep with only the force of their feet planted and fixed stare. Border Collies are prized for their skill in driving, gathering, penning, singling, and shedding sheep (separating out from a flock).

Since the farms in the borderlands of England and Scotland were small, they could not support more than the immediate family in most cases. The land is so rugged that a man on foot or motorized vehicle is of no use, so dogs are used to harvest their crop of sheep and other livestock. Anyone who has tried to run stock down on foot can appreciate a good dog, the can literally replace several men when working on moving stock. The sport of Sheepdog Trailing has been refined from the everyday life of the working Border Collie. The tasks facing a Border Collie in its daily work on the farm are the same ones tested in sheep dog trials.

For demonstration times please see the schedule.