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Britain has long been home to the herding
dog. From Neolithic times,
through the Roman Empire occupation and up to the present day, herding
breeds have always “pushed” livestock over British terrain.
Early herding dogs were large, powerful animals that, while rough
with stock and difficult to control, nevertheless displayed an instinct to
gather sheep.
In the nineteenth century, the need for a
more versatile dog, one with a gentler temperament and a more malleable
nature, became apparent. Small
farmers, who could not afford to feed several dogs, required one that
could not only gather sheep with a keen eye but also swiftly hunt game and
sniff out sheep buried in snow. Dependent
to such a large extent on his dog, the farmer also needed the animal to
develop a close working partnership based on cooperation, affection and
respect. Because this dog
would work far afield from his master, it would also have to possess
sensitivity to the human voice, whistle and gesture.
Several breeds were introduced into the
strain of these early herding dogs. Fleet
of foot and quiet by nature, the Whippet added its specific traits to the
herding breeds. To provide a
“good nose” and a “strong eye,” pointers and setters were also
bred with the herding stock. Eventually
a dog possessing superior athletic ability, a light and quick movement, a
canny livestock sense and a tractable temperament sensitive to a
handler’s will but independent enough to work without constant direction
emerged from the crossbreeding. In
1894, in Northumbria, on the English/Scottish border, Adam Tefler
introduced the first of what would become known as the modern Border
Collie.
Photo courtesy of Ellen Robinson
Photography
The Border Collie’s ancestors appeared
in the United States during the mid-eighteenth century as working
companions to immigrant British farmers.
As early settlers moved farther west, so too did the herding
collie.
In 1849 gold was discovered in
California, and miners’ camps sprang up throughout the west.
Wildlife food sources were soon depleted. To provide meat to these camps’ residents, herders on
horseback and their hard-working dogs moved large numbers of cattle and
sheep to lucrative western markets. Recognizing
that the vast Plains’ grasslands and the Rockies’ lush mountain
valleys would allow extensive grazing operations, sheepmen from the
Scottish Borders area imported their sheep, collie dogs and native
herdsmen to support an emerging sheep ranching industry.
Since the herders were paid in land, sheep, cash or a combination,
they were progressively able to actuate the American dream of land
possession.
As these
immigrants exchanged sheep herding for sheep ownership, they employed
other nationalities, notably Basques, as contract herding labor.
Today, in Colorado, South American herdsmen, primarily Chileans and
Peruvians have replaced most of the Basque shepherds.
Yet while the human element in the American sheep industry may have
changed complexion, the talented Border Collie has remained constant.
The breed continues to flourish as the dominant working herding dog
in the United States.
Photo courtesy of Ellen
Robinson Photography
THE
BORDER COLLIE
While
the Meeker Classic welcomes any herding breed, the Border Collie
predominates. Physical
appearance has no strict standard. You
will see smooth, medium or rough-coated dogs.
Colors are black, black and tan, and reddish-brown, all usually
with white markings. Although
appearances may differ, the working style of the Border Collie is
distinctive. The dog moves
with its head low to the ground, its hindquarters high and its tail tucked
between its legs. This unique
position exhibits the very traits inherited from the Border Collie’s
ancestral breeding.
This dog was bred to gather, not drive,
sheep. Hence, it works calmly
and swiftly without barking or nipping (Whippet influence), unlike some
other herding breeds. The
intense gaze or “eye” (pointer/setter influence) wills the sheep to
obey. Bred to “clap” or
face the sheep head-on with its belly close to the ground, the Border
Collie controls by imitating the stance of a predator.
The successful dog combines all these characteristics to elicit
respect, not fear, from the sheep. With
its flock under control, the dog herds with calm precision, lightning
quick reflexes, an uncommon intelligence and an innate desire to please.
Keep these points in mind as you enjoy the fieldwork of these
amazing dogs at the Meeker Classic.
Photo courtesy of T. K. Inc.
HISTORY
OF DOG TRIALS
On
October 9, 1873, in Bala, Wales, 300 spectators braved the wet and cold to
witness the earliest recorded dog trial.
They saw a Scotsman best all other competitors, who were Welsh, to
take top honors. Trials quickly gained popularity with the first Scottish
trial in the early 1870’s and the first English trials in 1876.
In 1906 the International Sheepdog Society was founded to bring
organization to the trialing world and to “improve the breed of the
collie with a view to the better management of stock.”
After World War I, the term, “Border Collie,” was adopted to
distinguish the working collie from the show collie.
American trialing began with Philadelphia's
1880 centennial year celebration. The first U.S.
"official" sheepdog trial, however, occurred in 1928 in
Bennington, Vermont where 1500 people gathered to watch a competition
among seven dogs. Since then, event and attendance
numbers have risen dramatically. Over the past twenty years, stockmen and spectators alike have discovered the challenges of the new
sport. Across the country
hundreds of trials are now held throughout the year.
The National Finals, sponsored by the United States Border Collie
Handlers’ Association and the American Border Collie Association, is run
annually to select our country’s champion herding dogs.
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Copyright
©2001