Gundogs and herding dogs: two trial systems | Sailmaker's Fieldbook

Three checks before you act

1. 01
   A beginner should watch a working test before a field trial, and a nursery class before an open.
2. 02
   A field trial on moorland is hard to see.
3. 03
   Both sports reward the same thing: a dog that works with the handler and not against the ground.

What happens at a gundog trial?

A gundog trial is a scored run over ground that holds game or, in the off season, over dummies. The spaniel side works in classes: novice, all aged and open. A novice dog runs a shorter course and is judged on quartering, hunting pattern, steadiness to flush and shot, and retrieving. An all aged class accepts dogs that have won a novice but not an open. An open class is the top level and the results feed into field trial qualification.

Pointers and setters run in pairs on moorland. Two dogs cast off together, quarter the heather into the wind, and are judged on range, pace, style and, above all, on backing and honouring the other dog's point. A dog that crowds another's point is down. A dog that fails to back is out. The brace work is the whole test: the handler says little, the dogs do the finding.

Field trials proper are run under the rules of the governing body for the breed or the national kennel club. A dog that places in an open field trial can be made up to field trial champion. That title is the end of the road for most handlers, and the beginning of stud work for the dog.

How is a sheepdog trial scored?

A sheepdog trial is scored by subtraction. The run starts with a set number of points, usually one hundred, and the judge takes marks away for every fault. The course is laid out on a field with a handler's post, a set of gates, a shedding ring and a pen.

The outrun is the first exercise. The dog leaves the handler's feet and runs wide and deep to get behind the sheep without disturbing them. A tight outrun lifts the sheep too early and costs points. A wide outrun that the dog cannot control costs points on the lift. The lift is the moment the dog takes control of the sheep and moves them toward the handler. The fetch is the straight line from the lift to the handler's post, and the drive is the line away from the post through the gates.

The pen is a small enclosure the dog must hold the sheep into while the handler closes the gate. The single is the hardest exercise: the dog separates one sheep from the group and holds it apart. Nursery classes are for young dogs at their first trials, and open classes are for finished dogs. The August open trials are the main summer fixtures, and the national championship is run from the top placings of the season.

Handlers use a small vocabulary on the field. Come bye means go clockwise around the sheep. Away to me means go counter clockwise. Lie down means stop and hold. Walk up means move the sheep toward the handler. Steady means slow down. These words are not commands in the obedience sense; they are directions, and the dog is expected to work out the distance and the line.

Do the two sports share anything?

They share a structure and almost nothing else. Both run a season of qualifying trials, both use a judge's sheet, and both require a dog to work at distance from the handler. Both also have a novice entry point: a first working test for the gundog, a first nursery run for the sheepdog.

The differences are in the ground and the game. A gundog trial is run over land that holds scent, and the dog's nose is the main instrument. A sheepdog trial is run over a field that holds sheep, and the dog's eye and balance are the main instruments. A spaniel that quarters too wide loses contact with the handler. A sheepdog that runs too wide loses the sheep. The same fault, read in opposite directions.

Breed matters less than people expect. A working cocker and a springer run the same spaniel tests. A border collie is the standard sheepdog, but any dog that can move sheep can enter a nursery class. The entry form asks for the dog's registered name, its age and its previous placings, not its pedigree.

What does a first season look like?

A first season is short and mostly about learning the paperwork. For gundogs, the handler joins a club, enters a novice working test, and reads the schedule for the class definitions. For sheepdogs, the handler finds a local nursery trial, walks the course before the run, and watches the open class to see how the outrun is judged.

Equipment is minimal. A gundog handler needs a whistle, a lead, a dummy and a training vest. A sheepdog handler needs a crook, a whistle and a dog that will stop on command. Neither sport requires a vehicle or a kennel, though both require ground to train on, and ground is the real cost.

The first run is usually a loss. A spaniel breaks on the flush. A collie grips at the pen. The judge writes it down, the handler takes the sheet home, and the next training session is built around that one fault. That is the whole method: run, read, train, run again.

Which one should a beginner watch first?

A beginner should watch a working test before a field trial, and a nursery class before an open. The working test is run on dummies, so the dog's work is visible and the judge's comments are about handling rather than game. The nursery class is run on a shortened course, so the outrun and the drive are easier to follow from the rope.

A field trial on moorland is hard to see. The brace disappears into the heather, the point happens at distance, and the gallery sees only the flags. A sheepdog open is easier to read because the field is open and the sheep are visible, but the scoring is harder to follow without a course map. Take the schedule, stand near the pen, and watch the last three dogs. That is where the marks are lost.