by Joy Sebastian-Hall A factor that influences every facet of our daily lives is attitude. How well a thing is accomplished, how quickly it gets done, how a person feels about it, all boils down to attitude. Herding is a dog sport that can have radically different results depending on the attitude of a handler, […]

by Lori Herbel Judging a herding trial is a tremendous responsibility. Consistency and fairness are the top priorities of the day, and the ability to comfortably make sensible split second decisions under pressure is a necessity. In order to help carry out this responsibility, a judge needs a trustworthy assistant by his side that he […]

by Lori Herbel   Wouldn't it be nice if you went to a trial and knew what the judge was looking for? Many times exhibitors go to a trial and have no clue what's important to that judge, that day. Of course they all judge by the rules and regulations in the orange book, but […]

(c) 2007 Ernest Hartnagle and Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor Some historians propose Basques and their sheepdogs from the Pyrenees played an insignificant role in the history of the Australian Shepherd breed. Secondly, Basques did not to go Australia with their "little blue dogs" and then come to the U.S. with boatloads of sheep. Thirdly, the Basque […]

By Joyce Norris I have been raising and leasing ducks for herding trials for about 6 years. Most judges and exhibitors say "They are the best ducks they have ever seen." This does take some work. My ducks work well in groups of 5. If a duck gets split off by a dog it will […]

The purpose of noncompetitive herding tests is to offer herding breed owners a standardized gauge by which a dog's basic instinct and trainability are measured. The purpose of the competitive herding trial program is to preserve and develop the herding skills inherent in the herding breeds and to demonstrate that they can perform the useful […]

AKC’s Herding program offers both tests and trials. The herding test is offered in a non-competitive pass/fail format as an Instinct Test, Herding Test, and Pre-Trial test. All are conducted within a fenced arena and includes the use of livestock such as ducks, sheep, or cattle. During a test, a dog must demonstrate the ability […]

All dogs 9 months of age or older from the following breeds are eligible to participate in Herding Events. Effective January 1, 2011 all dogs 6 months of age or older from the following breeds are eligible to participate in Herding Instinct Tests. AKC Recognized Breeds Australian Cattle Dog Australian Shepherd Bearded Collie Beauceron Belgian […]

By Karla Deithorn, Executive Field Representative Before gathering the supplies to build your dens you need to consider a number of things. One of the first things to consider is whether you will be building permanent or temporary dens. If the dens are to be left in the ground for any length of time you […]

By Karla Deithorn, Executive Field Representative When a terrier or a Dachshund does not progress through the levels of Earthdog tests to the owner's expectations, a common question asked is whether or not you need to train the dog for the tests. There are a wide variety of opinions on this subject and that is […]