TRIALS
ABCT TRIALS
ABCT promotes and organizes 3 types of trials.
ABCT TRIAL
National trial counting towards the Spanish Championship (La Liga Abct) aimed at seeking regularity and constant participation
OPEN ABCT
Open to all members, regardless of the category they are in. Allows for one-time and direct participation. It consists of the Qualifying and the Final.
CLASS 1
It is an initiation test for inexperienced dogs, where the sheep are at a maximum distance of 120 meters. It allows dogs to demonstrate their working ability before participating in more advanced trials.
WORKING ABILITY
For hundreds of years sheepdogs have been meticulously bred to develop and improve the traits of intelligence, endurance, obedience but above all to improve and fix their strong herding instinct.
Sheepdog trials are the final result of this human work and the skills acquired by dogs in their farm work.
Nevertheless, it also serves as a "showcase" where these qualities can be compared and the most complete specimens obtained to continue improving the breed functionally.
Trials are, or should be, a practical demonstration of the skills that the dog uses every day in its herding work in the field.
The scoring system is a maximum number of points assigned to each skill or exercise and the handler with their dog will try to lose the minimum number of points per exercise.
The skills that the dog acquires in its daily work are key to obtaining the highest possible number of points. The entire trial is of a practical nature and the ISDS rules for these tests only evaluate the working capabilities of the dog and its handler.
THE TRIALS
In the last decade there has been a great growth in interest in trials at European and worldwide level. Undoubtedly television coverage in Great Britain has helped a lot. Currently there are:
NATIONAL TRIALS WITH DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, which are held every year in different countries (organized by the associations of each country)
THE EUROPEAN CONTINENTAL TRIAL, which is held once a year (organized by the French Border Collie Association)
THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, which is held every three years (organized by the ISDS) and lasts four days. The World Championship brings together the best dogs from all countries.
These trials will be more or less complex depending on the level of existing dogs, being able to add two flocks (20 sheep in total) to make a double Outrun and then separate 5 sheep with collars from among the existing 20 in the Shedding, etc. These more complex trials are performed in the World Trial finals.
Unnecessary grips or bites from the dog are unacceptable and are grounds for disqualification as it is not part of the work the dog should do.
SKILLS
The standard skills that are evaluated in trials are the following:
The handler sends the dog from the starting point to the right or left.
The dog must create a pear-shaped arc that takes it to twelve o'clock, behind the sheep.
Giving more than one command for this exercise, doing a very tight outrun or going past twelve o'clock, deducts points from the outrun.
One of the biggest faults a dog can commit in a trial is doing a «cross over», which means crossing between the handler and the sheep before getting in front of them.
Of the 20 points that can be obtained in the outrun, 19 can be deducted for a «cross over».
Maximum: 20 points.
