Double lift final to determine District One champion and reserve champion
The International Course
On Sunday, October 17, 2010, the twelve highest-scoring dogs of the two qualifiying rounds will compete for the ultimate honor of Western Region Sheepdog Champion. This double-lift course is much more demanding than the courses of the preliminary rounds, and the highest-scoring team will have truly accomplished something very special.
The Gather: The dog will be sent for one lot of ten sheep and fetch them through a set of fetch gates. When the sheep have reached a point about twenty yards from these gates, the handler will command the dog to "look back" and then ask the dog to leave the sheep he has just fetched and set out on a second outrun for a second packet of ten sheep that in all likelihood cannot be seen by the dog. Unlike in the preliminary rounds, the direction of the outruns in the double-lift are no longer the handler's choice: all dogs will be sent the same predetermined way for the first set of sheep, and then the opposite way for the second. Leaving the first set of sheep to seek a second, unseen set requires the ultimate act of trust and obedience on the part of the dog. Once the dog has fetched the second set of sheep through the fetch gates, the two groups of sheep will be rejoined, and the twenty sheep will continue down the field to the handler.
The Drive: The drive will be longer and more challenging
than the drive of the preliminary rounds, but in principle it will be the
same: the dog will drive the sheep in a triangular course through two gate
obstacles and then back into the shedding ring. Even though the dog is
driving many more sheep than he had in the preliminary rounds, lines should
still be as straight and turns as tight as possible.
The Shed: The so-called "international shed" of the double-lift finals is much more intricate and advanced than the regular shed of the preliminary rounds. In general, handlers will move through the first part of the course in about fifteen minutes, leaving themselves about ten to fifteen minutes to accomplish the shed. The goal of the dog and the handler is to separate five collared sheep from the rest of the group, allowing the uncollared sheep to drift out of the ring. All of the sheep need to be regathered and shed again if one of the collared sheep leaves the ring with the uncollared ones.
The Pen: The pen cannot begin until the five collared sheep
are properly shed off from the fifteen uncollared ones. On completion of the
shed, the handler must proceed to the pen and ask the dog to fetch the five
collared sheep. The handler is forbidden from helping the dog drive the
sheep to the pen. The pen is not complete until all five sheep are inside
with the gate closed.
News :
The trial to be held in the heart of Oregon wine country.