HERDING TEST FOR BORDER COLLIES

 

        The following is reproduced with the Kind Permission of Doug Collier:-

 

 

The Breed Council at its meeting on 28 July 2007 confirmed the minutes of Working Test Meeting with the Kennel Club on 17 April 2007. The following is therefore agreed:-

 

  1. The test will be called the Herding Test for Border Collies.
  2. Any registered Border Collie over the age of 12 Months can take the test.
  3. No Limit will be placed on the number of attempts at the test.
  4. Any Border Collie who passes the test and has 3 CC’s under different judges will gain full champion title.
  5. A Border Collie who passes the test will be able to use ‘Herding Test’ (HT) aster its registered name
  6. The test will be assessed by two judges nominated by the Breed Clubs and Breed Council (not the ISDS).
  7. The test will be a more practical test than previously  It will not be judges as a sheepdog trial and the assessors will give a pass or a fail.
  8. Once a pass has been gained no further attempts will be allowed with that dog.
  9. Consideration is being given to higher grade pass at some time in the future so that an excellent pass can be achieved  If this is adopted, then excellent (Ex) will be added to HT after the dogs name and those that have normal pass would then be able to retake the test.
  10. Consideration is being given to allowing those who pass the test to enter the Working Class for our breed at Crufts.
  11. Exemptions will remain and be extended to allow experienced sheepdogs to avoid taking the test but still be able to gain the Full Champion Title.
  12. To take the test an application would have to be made to the Kennel Club and a fee of £25 paid.

 

 

The first test under the new procedure would be available in the Summer of 2008. It should be noted that the breed has some 100 dogs and 116 bitch ‘Show Champions’. 

The only one and Full Champion CH Locheil Look North died some 2 years ago. Let’s hope that owners will aspire to have the Full Champion Title for their dogs and take and pass the test.

 

Thanks Doug

 

 

The Scottish Border Collie Club will keep members updated  on the progress of the test and advise when it will be available in Scotland.

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Show Border Collie Herding Test

Following the successful staging of the first Show Border Collie Herding Test last October, the Kennel Club has announced the dates of two further tests during 2009.

The tests will be held at Pickering in North Yorkshire on Sunday 24th May 2009, hosted by the Border Collie Club of Great Britain, and at Bredhurst in Kent on Saturday 10th October 2009, hosted by Southern Border Collie Club.

The purpose of the Herding Test, a limited version of a sheepdog trial, is to safeguard the future development of the Border Collie by emphasising the importance of the breed's natural herding abilities. Border Collies which achieve Show Champion status in the breed ring need to succeed in the Herding Test before being made up to full Champions. However any registered Border Collie which passes the Herding Test will now be entitled to use the letters 'SBCHT' at the end of its name.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club spokesperson, said: "We are very pleased with the success of this test, which will ensure that the innate behaviour and genes of the Border Collie continue to be valued and rewarded.

"The recognition of a dog's natural abilities ties in with our Fit for Function: Fit for Life campaign, which aims to ensure that dogs are bred to be fit for their original function and to enjoy their lives to the full."

The Herding Test consists of five principal elements - Outrun, Lift, Bring/Fetch, Inspection and Drive - working a group of five to ten sheep. Following a review of the initial test in October 2008, details of the requirements have been clarified. Dogs need to pass overall but do not need to pass each section; the stated objective of the Herding Test is 'to assess a dog's instinct to herd sheep in a controlled manner and under instruction of the handler'. As it is the dog's herding ability which is being tested, dogs may be handled by anyone, not necessarily the owner.

When the new Herding Test was announced last year, exemptions were specified for dogs which had been successful in certain trials affiliated to the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS). A further exemption is now available, for dogs that have passed the ISDS Working Test for Registration on Merit.

Owners wishing to enter their Border Collie in a Herding Test should contact Zoe Tharmasingam at the Kennel Club (Tel: 0870 606 6750 Ext. 313 or email: zoe.t[at]thekennelclub.org.uk) to obtain an application form. Entries close four weeks before the date of each test, and the entry fee is £25.00. Dogs must be 12 months old or over at the date of the application. There is no limit on the number of Herding Tests for which a dog may be entered.

 
Kind Regards
 
Fiona Sutherland
Secretary
Scottish Border Collie Club
www.scottishbordercollieclub.co.uk