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The International Sheep Dog Society
Rules for Trials
Secretary, Treasurer
and Keeper of The Stud Book DEFINITIONS In these Rules the following terms shall have the meanings set out below: - TRIALS COMMITTEE A Trials Committee for each National Trial and for the International Trials will be appointed annually by the Council with powers to make decisions regarding the interpretation and/or administration of any rule In question, to lay out the course, and generally supervise the running of their respective Trial. At National Trials the Trials Committee shall be the National President, the two National Vice Presidents and the Chairman. At the international the Trials Committee shall be the four National and the Chairman. COURSE DIRECTOR The Course Director shall be a person selected by the Council at Its Annual Meeting at Carlisle to represent his/her country for the following year. The Course Director for the "International" Trial shall be the National Course Director or a Past National Course Director for the country in which the "International" is being held and he/she will be assisted by an Assistant Director selected by the local committee for the International but subject the approval of the Society. The Course Director to be selected by Council and Assistant Course Director for the International to be approved by Council at its Annual Meeting in Carlisle. Neither the Course Director or the Assistant Course Director to be a competitor at that year’s International. Both the Course Director and Assistant Course Director must be members of the Society and should ideally be Directors of the Society. TIME KEEPERS Not more than three Timekeepers will be appointed by the Council or, required by the Council, by the appropriate local committee. They will be instructed in their duties by a member of the Trials Committee or by the Secretary of the Society and will be responsible for all decisions regarding timing of runs. COMPETITORS
1. No person can compete in the Society’s Trials who is not a member of the Society for the current year. Application for membership to be made to the Secretary and accompanied by the entrance fee for the time being fixed by Council and in the case of an application for annual membership of the annual subscription for the then current year, or in the case of an appreciation for life membership of the commuted subscription of a life membership. 2. i. Dogs eligible to compete at National Trials must be registered in the Society's Stud Book in the name of the competitor before 1st June in the year of the Trials to which the entry refers. ii. All dogs three years old or over on the first day of their National Trial must have passed the PRA/CEA test and proof of this must be provided by the competitor when submitting an entry form. ENTRIES 3. i. Entry forms must be completed and lodged at the Secretary's office by 1st June. Entry fees for all dogs In the Singles Class shall be of such sum as is determined by Council, from time to time, and must be paid on entry. Council, subject to the agreement of the Directors, will determine the number of entries for a National Trial as they see fit and details of qualification will be given on the Trial Entry Forms. ii. Owners may enter up to three dogs, but no handler may run more than two dogs. Where two dogs are entered, the owner should state on the entry form which dog he wishes to run first. Where three dogs are entered, the nominated alternate dog can be run either as a substitute for the first or second dog entered. The Secretary to be notified before the start of that day's trialling of such change. The appropriate entry fee must be paid for all entries. iii. Entries must be in the names of OWNERS, but a dog may be run either by its owner or a substitute, who must be a member of the Society. When substitutes are nominated, owners must state on the entry form the name and address of the substitute. A substitute must reside in the country in which the owner resides. No owner or substitute may handle more than two dogs. iv. Any question arising as to the ownership of any dog shall be decided by the Society's Stud Book records at the 1st June, as certified by the Secretary. v. If a dog or dogs entered in the normal way in the Doubles Class becomes ill, injured, or dies, and a Veterinary Certificate Is produced, a substitute dog may be run, provided it is qualified in accordance with Rule 2(i) and, if 3 years old or over on the first day of the National Trial, shall have passed the PRA/CEA Test. The owner to provide proof of this in writing, before the dog can be allowed to run.
Farmers and Others. The expression "Hired Shepherd" means a person who is employed primarily as a shepherd for wages by an employer other than his/her parents or near relative (which expression shall mean wife, husband, child, grandparent, parent, brother or sister of the member). All entries from Hired Shepherds shall be accompanied by a certificate from the shepherd's employer. This certificate shall be in the form required by the Council of the Society and shall incorporate a statement that he/she is engaged primarily as a shepherd along with other normal subsidiary duties. b. Where shepherds have been continuously employed by the "me employer, a fresh certificate need not be produced each year. When the shepherd changes higher employment, or when the conditions of his employment are changed, thereby disqualifying him/her from competing as a shepherd, he/she must produce a fresh certificate. ii. Any competitor whose entry is questioned for any reason shall have the question settled by the Trials Committee or if more appropriate, by Council, who, if thought necessary, shall impose any penalty they consider suitable. iii. The order of running shall be decided by ballots. Ballots to be drawn in such a way that no competitor shall run two dogs on one day, and no competitor shall run his second dog until other competitors with two dogs have each run one. The order of running shall be intimated to competitors by the Secretary as soon as convenient and that that order shall be strictly adhered to unless the Trials Committee allow or instruct a change. In the draw for the Irish National, the Isle of Man competitors are excluded from the Thursday draw and only included in the draw for Friday and Saturday. If they run two dogs, one dog will be drawn to run on each of the two days. iv. The running will commence at such time as the Council shall decide. v. The running shall be on five sheep so selected that each competitor shall receive the same class of sheep if possible. COURSE 5. i. The Course, Scale of Points and Time Limit now fixed by the Directors are set out below and THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR LAYING OUT THE COURSE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RULES RESTS WITH THE TRIALS COMMRTTEE. ii. GATHERING 400 YARDS In the outrun the dog may be directed on either side. A straight fetch from the lift to the handler, through a centre gate (seven yards wide) 150 yards from the handler. No retry at the gate is allowed. The handler will remain at the post from the commencement of the outrun and at the end of the fetch he/she will pass the sheep behind him/her. iii. DRIVING The handler will stand at the post and direct his/her dog to drive the sheep 450 yards over a triangular course through two sets of gates seven yards wide, a second attempt at either gate is NOT allowed. The drive ends when the sheep enter the shedding ring. The handler will remain at the post until the sheep are in the shedding ring. In the case of a short course, when the fetch is less then 400 yards, the drive will be lengthened when possible so that the total length of the fetch and drive is 850 yards, or as near to the length as is reasonably practical. The drive may be either to left or right and shall be decided by the Trials Committee immediately prior to the Trial. iv. SHEDDING Two unmarked sheep to be shed within a ring 40 yards in diameter. The dog must be in full control of the two sheep shed (in or outside the ring) otherwise the shed will not be deemed satisfactory. On completion of the shed the handler shall unite his sheep before proceeding to pen. v. PENNING The pen will be 9 feet by 8 feet wide with a gate 8 feet wide to which is secured a rope 6 feet long. On completion of shedding, the handler must proceed to the pen, leaving his/her dog to bring the sheep to the pen. The handler is forbidden to assist the dog to drive the sheep to the pen. The handler will stand at the gate holding the rope unless it is necessary to re-shed and must not let go of the rope (it is for the dog only to work the sheep into the pen). The handler will close the gate. After releasing the sheep, the handler will close and fasten the gate. vi. SINGLE SHEEP The handler will proceed to the shedding ring leaving the dog to bring the sheep from the pen to the ring. One of two marked sheep will be shed off within the ring and thereafter worn (in or outside the ring) to the judges' satisfaction. Handlers are forbidden to assist the dog in driving off, or attempting to drive off the single any distance or by forcing it on the dog. vii. GENERAL No points will be awarded for work done in the shedding ring or at the pen when either of these phases of the work has not been completed within the prescribed time limit. SCALE OF POINTS Outrun (20); Lifting (10); Fetching (20); Driving (30); Shedding (10); Penning (10); Single (10); TOTAL 110. TIME LIMIT 15 minutes. No extension. 6. At each of the National Trials, the first fifteen dogs in order of merit shall be selected to represent England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland respectively in the "Qualifying Trials for the Championship" at the International. If for any reason, a dog selected as above cannot run at the International, the Secretary must be notified as soon as possible, together with supporting evidence (e.g. Veterinary Surgeon's Certificate). If satisfied that a dog cannot, or should not run, the Secretary shall thereupon notify the next competitor in order of merit that he/she is included in the National Team. All dogs competing at the International Trials will be re-tested and must pass, for PRA/CEA unless they have been required to be tested at their National Trial. No fee will be charged. DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP 7. At each National Championship the judges shall select one dog from the dogs comprising the National Team which, in their opinion, is the best driving dog, or they may order two or more competitors to run a Course of 400 yards in a straight line if they so desire. The number of sheep shall be twenty. A reserve shall also be selected by the judges. The winner at each National Trial shall represent England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland respectively in the "Driving" Championship at the "International". If for any reason the winner cannot attend the "International" the Reserve will be notified and he will represent his/her country. BRACE CHAMPIONSHIP 8. Any pair of dogs registered in the Society's Stud Book and otherwise qualified is eligible to compete. No owner may enter more than one pair of dogs. Both dogs comprising a pair must be registered in the name of the same owner not later than 1st June, but the dogs may be run either by the owner or by a substitute who must be a member of the Society and who must be named on the entry form and must not be otherwise competing in this class. The substitute must be in the same class as the owner. A maximum of nine entries will be accepted for the Brace Class with a maximum of 2 substitutes appearing on the programme, to run in place of any entry unable to compete. All Brace entrants must report their attendance to the Secretary of the Society by 11:00am on the day they are drawn to run. Failure to do so will result in them not being allowed to run. The two substitutes should report daily to the Secretary after 11:00am to establish whether they are required to run. Entry forms must be duly completed and lodged at the Secretary's Office by 1st June. The entry fee is of such sum as is determined by Council from time to time and must accompany the entry form. Any owner entering a pair of dogs may nominate three dogs from which he shall select two to run at the Trial. The fee for additional nomination shall be of such sum as determined by Council from time to time. RUNNING 9. The order of running shall be fixed by ballot and intimation of the order shall be given by the Secretary to competitors as soon as possible after the closing date for entries. This competition will be held at lunch time on each day of the Trial. Not more than 3 Doubles entries to be run in any one day. The Trials shall be decided on the following Course, Scale of Points and Time Limit, viz.: COURSE 10. i. GATHERING - 10 Sheep will be placed approximately 400 yards from the handler. On the outrun, one dog goes on the left hand and one dog goes on the right hand; crossing at the completion of the outrun is permissible, but dogs should remain on the side to which they have crossed and they should not re-cross. The dogs should bring the sheep in a straight line through the centre gate (seven yards wide) 150 yards from the handler. No re-try at the gate Is allowed. Each dog will keep to its own side until the fetch is finished. The handler will remain at the post and at the end of the fetch will pass the sheep behind him/her. ii. DRIVING - The handler starts at the post and directs his/her two dogs to drive the sheep 450 yards over a triangular course through two sets of gates (seven yards wide) back to the handler. No re-try is allowed at either gate. Each dog is to keep to its own side and the handler must remain at the post until the end of the drive. The drive is finished when the sheep enter the shedding ring. In the case of a short course when the fetch is less than 400 yards, the drive will be lengthened when possible so that the total length of the fetch and drive is 850 yards or as near to this length as Is reasonably practical. iii. SHEDDING - The lot of 10 sheep will be divided into two equal lots by either dog inside the shedding ring. One lot to be driven off and left in charge of one dog. iv. PENNING - On completion of the shedding, the handler must proceed to the pen. The handler is forbidden to assist the dog to drive the sheep to the pen. The first lot will be penned by one dog in a diamond shaped pen with an entrance of 5 feet, without a gate. This dog will be left in charge whilst the other lot are penned by the other dog in the Singles pen, approximately 50 yards away. This pen will be 9 feet by 8 feet with a gate 8 feet wide to which is secured a rope 6 feet long. The handler will stand at the gate holding the rope unless it is necessary to re-shed and must not let go of the rope (it is for the dog only to work the sheep into the pen). The handler will close the gate. After releasing the sheep, the handler will close and fasten the gate. SCALE OF POINTS Outrun (2x2O)40; Lifting(2xlO)20; Fetching 20; Driving 30; Shedding 10;Penning (2xl0)20; TOTAL 140. TIME LIMIT 20 Minutes. NATIONAL TEAMS FOR INTERNATIONAL 11. The first two prize winners at each National Trial shall be selected to represent England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland respectively at the International. The dogs running at the International must be the same as those winning at the National. Reserves will be permitted as for the Singles (see rule 6). QUAUFYING TRIALS FOR SUPREME CHAMPIONSHIP (SINGLES) (Including Farmers’ Championship, Shepherds’ Championship and Team Prize) 12. This trial consists of fifteen dogs each from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, or such other numbers as the Council shall decide. Subject to the reservation that the Course may be altered by the Trials Committee, the Trials shall be decided on the Course, Scale of Points and Time Limit as the National Trials (Rule 5). This Trial is primarily to select the fifteen highest pointed dogs to enter the Supreme Championship, but in addition, the top dog owned by a Farmer in those Trials will be entitled to the Farmers' Championship and the top dog owned and handled by a Hired Shepherd will be entitled to the Shepherds' Championship. This Trial will also decide the Team Prize. Each competitor shall be awarded the cash prize which he/she is entitled to by virtue of his/her position in the list, but only a Farmer shall be entitled to the Farmers' Cup and only a Hired Shepherd shall be entitled to the Shepherds' Trophy. SUPREME CHAMPIONSHIP (SINGLES) 13. The Championship is restricted to the fifteen highest pointed dogs in the Qualifying Trials. The running will commence at 8:00am or such time as agreed by Council and dogs will run in the order as shown in the programme for the Qualifying Trial. The Trials shall be on 20 sheep so selected that each competitor shall receive the same class of sheep if possible. Subject to the reservation that the Course may be altered by the Trials Committee, the Championship shall, if possible, be decided on the following Course, Scale of Points and Time Limit, viz.: i. The Supreme Championship will be determined on the basis of Merit Points (as per the Merit Points explanation in the International Judges Points document). In the event of equality in merit points, the award will be made on the basis of the competitor with the highest total number of points. In the event of equality on the total number of points, the award will be determined on the basis of the lowest number of points lost on the outwork, or by a re-run. Such determination to be at the discretion of the judges. If the judges are evenly split on this decision, the Trials Committee of the Society to have the casting vote. COURSE 14. #9; i. GATHERING - Distance about 800 yards for one lot of 10 sheep (if possible unseen by the dog) which should be brought through the gate (nine yards wide) in the centre of the field to a post fixed twenty yards through the gate; the dog having reached the post will then be redirected for another lot of sheep (if possible unseen by the dog) which should also be brought through the gate and united with the first lot. The first run to be right or left as decided by the-Trials Committee before the Trial and all competitors will run on that side, the second run to be on the other side. Should the gate be missed, no re-try is allowed. Both the dog and the first lot of sheep must be past the gate to the post 20 yards inside the gate before the dog is re-directed for the second lot. At the end of the fetch the handler shall pass the sheep behind him/her. ii. DRIVING - The drive shall be for 600 yards from where the handler stands in a triangular course through two gate obstacles (nine yards wide), back to the handler. The drive may be right or left as directed. Should the gates be missed, no re-try is permitted at either gate. The drive should be in straight lines and ends when the sheep enter the shedding ring. The handler will remain at the post until the drive is finished. iii. SHEDDING - The fifteen unmarked sheep to be shed off within a ring 40 yards in diameter. In shedding, the sheep will be passed between the handler and his/her dog and the dog brought in to stop and turn back the marked sheep. Manoeuvring for "cuts" Is not allowed. Should any marked sheep leave the shedding ring and join any unmarked sheep already shed off, the unmarked sheep with which the marked sheep has joined will be brought into the ring and shedding restarted. Until the fifteen unmarked sheep are shed off penning will not be permitted. iv. PENNING - The five marked sheep must be penned and the gate shut. The pen will be 8 feet by 9 feet with a gate 8 feet wide, to which is secured a rope 6 feet long. On completion of shedding, the handler must proceed to the pen, leaving the dog to bring the sheep to the pen. The handler is forbidden to assist his/her dog in driving the sheep to the pen. The handler will stand at the gate holding the rope and must not let go of the rope, unless it is necessary to re-shed. It is for the dog only to work the sheep into the pen. The handler must close the gate. After releasing the sheep, the handler will close and fasten the gate. v. GENERAL - No points will be awarded for work done in the shedding ring or at the pen when either of these phases of the work has not been completed within the prescribed time limit. SCALE OF POINTS Gathering 100 (each Outrun 20; each Lift 10; each Fetch 20); Driving 40; Shedding 20; Penning 10; TOTAL 170. TIME LIMIT 30 Minutes. No extension. DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP 15. This Championship is restricted to the driving dog selected at each National Trial (Rule 7). The number of sheep shall be 50 or such number as the Trials Committee may decide but not less than 40. Subject to the reservation that the Course may be altered if the Trials Committee find this necessary, the Trials shall be decided on a Course of 800 yards In a time limit of 10 minutes. BRACE CHAMPIONSHIP 16. Competitors in this Championship shall be selected in accordance with Rule 11. Subject to the reservation that the Course may be altered if the Trials Committee find this necessary, the Trials shall be decided on the following Course, Scale of Points and Time Limit, viz. COURSE i. GATHERING - 10 sheep shall be placed approximately 600 yards from the handler in the centre of the course. One dog on the left hand, one on the right hand, crossing at the completion of the outruns is permissible, but dogs should remain on the side to which they have crossed and not re-cross. The dogs should bring the sheep in a straight line through the gates, seven yards wide, in the centre of the field to the handler. If the gates are missed, no re-try Is allowed. The handler will remain at the post and at the end of the fetch will pass the sheep behind him/her. ii. DRIVING - The handler stands at the front of the post and directs his/her two dogs to drive the sheep 450 yards over a triangular course through two sets of gates (seven yards wide), back to the handler. No re-try is allowed at either gate. Each dog to keep to its own side and the handler must remain at the post until the end of the drive. The drive is finished when the sheep enter the shedding ring. iii. SHEDDING - The lot of 10 sheep will be divided into two equal lots by either dog inside the shedding ring; one lot to be driven off and left in charge of one dog. iv. PENNING - On completion of the shedding, the handler must proceed to the pen. The handler is forbidden to assist the dog to drive the sheep to the pen. The first lot will be penned by one dog in a diamond shaped pen with an entrance of 5 feet, without a gate. This dog will be left in charge whilst the other lot are penned by the other dog in the Singles pen, approximately 50 yards away. This pen will be 9 feet by 8 feet with a gate 8 feet wide to which is secured a rope 6 feet long. The handler will stand at the gate holding the rope unless it is necessary to re-shed and must not let go of the rope (it is for the dog only to work the sheep into the pen). The handler will close the gate. After releasing the sheep, the handler will close and fasten the gate. SCALE OF POINTS Outrun (2x2O) 40; Lifting (2xlO) 20; Fetching 20; Driving 30; Shedding 10; Penning (2xlO) 20; TOTAL 140. TIME LIMIT 25 minutes. No extension.
GENERAL RULES 17. i. In all classes at the International all dogs must be run by the handlers running them at the National Trials. ii. No dog which is unfit, blind, lame or is suffering from an infectious disease shall be brought on the ground. iii. No dog in competition shall wear or carry anything that might in any way assist his performance. iv. Any competitor whose bitch is in season must notify the Secretary before starting time on the day the bitch is to run, and must NOT bring her on to the Trial ground on any day prior to the day on which she is running, or on the Trial day before receiving the Trials Committee's permission to do so. Colouring or dyeing of a dog is prohibited. A Competitor infringing this rule shall be dealt with by the Trials Committee, or if more appropriate by Council as they think fit and such competitors shall obey all orders issued by the Committee or Council. COURSE DIRECTOR 18. The Course Director shall call competitors in their turn according to the progromme, unless directed otherwise by the Trials Committee. If requested by the competitor before the run starts to explain the course, he shall do so. After the run starts he shall not assist the competitor by giving advice or in any other way. He shall see that each lot of sheep when let out is so placed to give each competitor a fair and equal chance. He shall be available at all times during the trial to convey to the competitor any instructions from the judges. He is responsible at all times for keeping the course clear and ensuring that competitors or their dogs are not interfered with in any way while competing. COMPETITORS 19. Each competitor must be ready when called by the Course Director and anyone failing to answer the call shall be disqualified and forfeit his run. Competitors are required to note that while the order of the programme will be followed strictly the timing cannot be guaranteed. Any competitor wishing to have the course explained or have any point clarified must question the Course Director before he starts his run. He cannot have questions answered once his run commences. By commencing his run he is presumed to know the course and follow it in all its details. Once a competitor starts his/her run he/she is entirely in the hands of the judges. Any competitor who receives assistance in any form will be disqualified. If not previously stopped on the instructions of the judges, a handler will be called off at the expiry of the time limit, but in the latter case his/her points to the stage at which he/she is called off will count. On the bell sounding, a handler will cease working his/her dog and will collect his/her sheep and remove them from the course immediately. Any competitor who retires or who leaves the field without the judges' permission will forfeit all points. Any competitor in the Qualifying Trial at the lnternational may retire but only with the judges permission and points up to the time of retire shall still count for the team award. Competitors shall keep their dogs under proper control at all times and any dog or owner interfering with another dog or competitor while working shall be disqualified. Competitors and/or others shall not take their dogs on to the course before the competition starts, nor shall any of them run their dogs on the trial sheep before or after the trials. Handlers without their dogs may inspect the course before the trial commences.
AWARDS 20. All awards announced at any of the Society's Trials are subject to the correction of any error discovered within four weeks after the Trials. Any error that may be discovered will be corrected and the awards as announced re-adjusted accordingly. All trophies and prize money given out at the Trials are given out subject to this Rule and may be recalled. If recalled, the holders will return them to the Secretary at once. Each competitor at a National Trial shall be entitled to receive from the Secretary a full statement of the points awarded to him/her on application within one month of the Trial, subject to the competitor supplying a stamped addressed envelope for same. All prizes and awards won at any of the Society's Trials shall be paid within one month after the "International" subject to any modification of the amount that may be made under these Rules. Any trophies won at the Society's Trials (unless won outright) shall remain the property of the Society and shall be returnable by the winners to the Secretary of the Society when required to do so by him. PROTESTS 21. Any competitor may lodge a protest signed by him/her, against any contravention of any Rule for the Trials or against any prize being awarded, delivered or paid. Protests must be lodged, in writing, with the Secretary before or at the close of the Trials, and shall be accompanied by a deposit of E5.00 as evidence of good faith. Protests shall be settled by the Trials Committee. Any protest, complaint or request by a competitor must be made in the first instance to the Secretary of the Society who will then be responsible for calling together a meeting of the Trials Committee as soon as convenient. The Secretary will attend such a meeting for the purpose only of taking a Minute and advising the Committee on a proper interpretation of the Rules and will be responsible for communicating the decision of the Committee to the competitor. A majority decision of the Committee will be binding, but the Secretary is not obliged to tell the competitor whether the Committee was unanimous or not. If the protest is refused, the judges awards shall stand and the deposit may or may not be refunded as the Committee decides. If the protest is sustained the prizes involved shall be awarded as the Committee may decide and the deposit refunded. In deciding protests, the Committee may order any competitor to whom a prize has been paid or delivered to return the same, and the competitor shall be bound to do so within the time fixed by the Committee. Details of all protests under this Rule and the decisions reached are to be submitted by the Secretary to the next meeting of the Council for any further action deemed necessary by them. EQUALITY 22. If two or more competitors stand equal in total points, the judges shall settle their priority either (1) by their points for the outrun, lift and fetch, or (2) ordering re-trials of any kind, or (3) dividing the prize money involved. In cases of equality where a trophy is at stake and the judges order re-runs, the re-runs will decide not only the trophy but also all cash prizes involved. RE-RUNS 23. i. The judges may instruct the Course Director to stop a dog at any point of his trial and order a re-run if they consider the circumstances warrant such action. The re-run will commence where the original run was stopped and the points scored before stopping takes place will stand. In the case of a re-run being ordered because of a wrong number of sheep having been let out, or sheep being wrongly marked or one or more sheep being unsound for working, the judges shall decide whether the run should be from the beginning or from which point it is to re-start. If decided that the re-run start at any point other than the beginning the points scored up to the point of re-start shall stand. ii. DISQUALIFICATION - in the case of a dog gripping, the judges shall give instructions in a manner as defined by the Society, to the Course Director, whether or not the dog shall be disqualified. At the International, a majority decision shall suffice. In the event of equality between judges, the rules for National Trials will apply, but at National Trials, unless the decision to disqualify is unanimous, the competitor shall continue the Trial, but shall be penalised by the loss of points as each Judge, in his discretion, thinks fit: - however not exceeding the number of points allowed for the phase of work in which the gripping occurs. A competitor who is disqualified shall lose all his/her points. In the case of a re-run, the same initial procedure shall apply and Rule 23 of Rules for Trials will then be enacted. CONTRAVENTION OF RULES 24. Any competitor, official or member who contravenes any of the Rules for the Society's Trials, or who is guilty of conduct on or off the field which, in the opinion of the Trials Committee, is prejudicial to the best interests of the Society shall, in addition to any penalty which may be imposed by the judges, be reported by the Trials Committee to the Council for disciplinary action, and in particular may: - (a) be suspended or expelled from the Society. (b) forfeit any prizes won by him/her at any of the Society's Trials for the current year. (c) be disqualified from competing or officiating at any of the Society's Trials for such period as the Council may decide. (d) have the registration of any dog or dogs owned by him deleted from the Society's Stud Book. (e) have any other penaltv which the Council consider suitable imposed. The Trials Committee may authorise the Secretary to withhold any prize money due under (b) above. The person against whom a complaint has been made shall be entitled to appear before the Council in person, with or without a supporter, when he/she will be required to answer any questions put to him by any member of the Council. Subject to the foregoing Rules, all questions and disputes in connection with any of the Trials or in connection with any of the foregoing Rules not already settled by the judges or Trials Committee shall be decided by the Council whose decision shall be final and binding and not subject to a Court of Law. Five of the Council shall be a quorum. QUALIFICATION 25. Entry forms must be duly completed and lodged at the Secretary's office by 1st June. Entry fees for all dogs in the Singles Class shall be of such sum as is determined by Council, from time to time, and must be paid on entry. Council will determine the number of entries for a National Trial as they see fit and details of qualification will be given on the Trial Entry Forms. For a trial to be considered a Qualifying Trial, the Trial must be open to all with no qualification, either geographical or in any other way and a minimum of 25 dogs must compete at the Trial. CANCELLATION OF TRIALS 26. Power is reserved to the Council of the Society to cancel any of the Trials at any time, in their discretion. AMENDMENTS TO RULES FOR TRIALS 27. Any amendments or alterations to the foregoing Rules shall only be made provided notice of the proposed amendment or alteration is given in writing signed by two members of the Directorate. Such notice must be in the hands of the Secretary not later than 1st of November in the year preceding the one in which it is to be considered by the Directorate at their Annual Meeting. Should either of the Directors signing the notice fail to move it at the meeting of Directors it shall fall and not be raised again without notice as aforesaid. THE INTERNATIONAL SHEEP DOG SOCIETY NOTES FOR THE GUIDANCE OF JUDGES INTRODUCTION For many years the Council of the lnternational Sheep Dog Society has been concerned at criticisms of the judging at Local, National and International Trials which have been raised by both competitors and spectators. The Council have realised that many of the comments which have been made are the result of a lack of knowledge of the Society's Rules for Trials but they nevertheless feel that there has been a certain lack of uniformity in the standards adopted by Judges and this pamphlet has been written, not with any intention of replacing Rules for Trials, but with the object of setting out briefly what Judges and the public should look for when watching a Trial. Notes for the guidance of judges were prepared by H. Huddleston, Selwyn Jones, A. McDiarmid, Gwynfor Pritchard and J. M. Wilson. Meeting in 1993, Erwyn Daniel, John Templeton, Tim Longton and Norman Seamark did not think they could improve on these and commend them to all judges. They reiterated what was said by W.B. Bagshaw, the Chairman in 1965. "I have been asked to emphasise that this pamphlet produces nothing new in the way of procedure or Rules - these are still governed by the Society's ‘Rules for Trials', but I hope that all members and particularly all Judges, will read these notes and abide by them. The Judge who openly or secretly judges according to his own ideas of what a good Trial Run should be does no service either to the Society or to the Competitors". It is earnestly hoped that those judges who have not read these notes and aspiring judges will benefit from reading them and who knows, even those judges who consider themselves experts in the field might still find a moments reflection on them beneficial to all concerned. N. S. Seaman CHAIRMAN October 1993 NOTES FOR THE GUIDANCE OF JUDGES The object of a Trial Course is to test the ability of a dog to manage sheep properly under the differing circumstances which may be encountered in everyday work. Hence the various tests such as Gathering, Driving, Shedding, Singling and Penning are all tasks which may be necessary as the shepherd goes his daily round. These notes are prepared for the guidance of all who act as Judges at Local, National or International Trials. They are not designed as hard and fast rules which must be strictly obeyed on all occasions, but they are the considered opinion of a number of well-known handlers and Judges. The ISDS stands firmly for a common standard and this should and must be the constant aim of every Judge and every handler. In producing and issuing these notes, the Society hopes that it will be able to guide Judges at Local Trials to adopt similar standards to those applicable to National and International Trials. It is, therefore, essential that we should have some sort of common standard on which to work and the aim of these notes is to achieve such a standard. In suggesting the need for a "Guide on Judging" the Society, starts with the problem facing the Committees of the many Local Trials in appointing suitable Judges. The number of experienced Judges available for these Trials is so restricted that many Trials depend upon accepting Judges with limited experience in this most important part of a Trial. The shortage of Judges is caused by the restricted number of experienced handlers who are prepared to share this work at, in most cases, a sacrifice of financial gain. The Council of the Society is satisfied that the whole future of Sheepdog Trials in this country is dependent upon Judges of experience and integrity who are prepared to study and understand the Society's 'Rules for Trials' and then apply them impartially. We cannot emphasise too much this simple fact. All the information to cover almost every possible set of circumstances is in the Rules for Trials. With little guidance available on the principles of judging, it is not surprising that many Judges are influenced by the reputation of the dog and/or the handler, and in consequence the use of the discretion afforded to Judges by the Society's Rules in difficult cases is often impossible to exercise because they have no basic principles to guide them. It must be acknowledged that it is not always an easy task to decide the merits of a run AS A WHOLE and Judges should always have a good look at the score sheet after the run has been completed and should then decide whether or not they have been too severe or too lax in any one aspect after marking. Judges must at all times point runs directly on to the Judging Sheets supplied to them by the Society and not on to any personal judges book they may themselves supply. Judges should point all runs up to the point of completion, retirement or disqualification on the official Society Judging Sheets. The following general observations on the various parts of a Trial Course give the considered opinion of the Society and should always be followed by Judges at any Trial organised by or affiliated to the ISDS. OUTRUN The dog must be positioned close to the handler and may be sent out on either side. He should not be too straight or too wide and in going out the dog should not require nor should he receive any commands. Commands given should be penalised, as indicated later. The command by whistle is to be regarded as the same as a spoken command If a dog crosses the Course, a minimum of 50%.of the total points for the Outrun is to be deducted, and, in addition points must be deducted for commands. The perfect Outrun should be completed without any commands and Judges should deduct points for every command given and the loss of points will depend upon the Judge's views of the seriousness of the mistakes. The dog should not stop and should not cut in. It is obviously more serious if a dog stops on his Outrun than if he goes on after being re-directed, and Judges should mark accordingly. A good Outrun should be in the shape of one side of a pear with the blunt end of the pear at the far end of the field near the sheep. The dog should finish far enough away from the sheep so as not to disturb them. Where the Outrun ends will vary with the actual position of the sheep. if the sheep have left their appointed place at the post the Outrun should end at the point where the dog is facing them in order to bring the sheep in a direct line to the first obstacle. In effect, this means that if the sheep have left the post, the dog is to finish his Outrun facing the heads of the sheep. This might necessitate the dog stopping on the side of his Outrun if the sheep happened to be coming to meet him, and conversely could mean him going a long way past the post if the sheep were going away from the post in the some direction as he is running. If the sheep remain at the post, the Outrun will end when the dog is behind them and in line with his master. He must always finish facing them in order to be in a position to fetch them direct to the first obstacle. LIFT At the end of the Outrun, whether the dog has come to a full stop or merely slowed down, his approach should be smooth, cautious and steady and the main feature of the "Lift" is an ability to take control in a firm and quiet manner without disturbing the sheep. He should not rush in and thus startle the sheep and he should not lie back and require numerous commands before getting his sheep on the move. Judges will deduct points for excessive commands, slowness, etc., at this phase of the Trial. Apart from these observations, Judges must use their personal knowledge of sheep and sheepdogs to decide whether a lift has disturbed the sheep unduly and must mark accordingly.
FETCH The sheep should be brought at a steady pace and in a straight line from the place of lifting to the first obstacle, and thereafter in a straight line to the handler. The dog should not hurry or over-flank his sheep (this means that he should not go too far on either side thereby turning his sheep across the course and giving a zig-zag movement). He should require few, if any, commands, and where the sheep are inclined to stray from the true line the dog's ability is judged by his control of them and his immediate answer to all commands. If the gates are missed or if the sheep are off-line, the penalty must reflect all the circumstances, and in particular the amount of fault attributable to the dog and/or the handler. Both can be the subject of penalties. If the sheep are docile and mistakes are made, then the penalty should be more severe than where the sheep are awkward and thereby contribute to diversions which the dog is unable to avoid. If a gate is missed there should be a minimum deduction of half a point per sheep but Judges must take into consideration all the relevant circumstances contributing to the missing of the gate and adjust deductions accordingly. The sheep should be passed behind the handler as close to the post as practical and the whole work should be done in a steady and smooth manner. DRIVING The "Drive" takes place in a triangular direction and can be run either from left to right or right to left according to the course and the decision of the Trials Committee. The first leg of the triangle starts immediately after the sheep have passed behind the handler and the sheep are required to go in a straight line for 150 yards (or 200 yards at the International) to the first set of gates. Having got the sheep through the gates they should be turned immediately on to a direct line across the course to the second set of gates. When through these gates they should then be turned as neatly as possible on to a straight line to the shedding ring. It is important that the last leg of the triangle should be in a straight line to the shedding ring which is usually situated to make this also the most direct line. The dog should show obvious ability to drive steadily without excessive commands. Reasonable turns at the post and at both gates are expected. Good handling in difficult situations will be taken into consideration by the Judge. As in the "Fetch", the gates are guides to the alignment of the sheep. Throughout the "Drive" the sheep should be kept moving gently - excessive bursts of speed and subsequent stopping is not desirable and should be penalised. If a gate is missed there should be a minimum deduction of half a point per sheep but Judges must take into consideration all the relevant circumstances to the missing of a gate and adjust deductions accordingly. The handler must not leave the post until the sheep are actually in the shedding ring. SHEDDING Shedding necessitates negotiation of the sheep within the ring by the handler and dog to the best position for effecting the deliberate shed by the dog of two specified sheep. Having got the sheep suitably positioned, the dog should come in and take off the required sheep and once having taken them off he must have them under control before the "Shed" can be deemed satisfactory. The important aspect here is to test the dog's ability to shed or separate the two unmarked sheep from the rest of the flock. The dog must be in full control of the two shed sheep, otherwise the "Shed" will not be deemed satisfactory and should be penalised. The ideal "Shed" occurs when the dog comes towards the handler when commanded by him; e.g., cuts off his sheep which are to be shed and holds them away from the rest. The "Shed" is complete when the dog has come in when commanded by the handler and is in control of his two sheep. It is not necessary for the dog to come right through to the handler. On completion of the "Shed" the handler should bring his sheep together in a practical and workmanlike manner. PENNING There is no rule about bringing the two sheep to the remaining three or vice-versa. The "pen" will be 8ft x 9ft with a gate to which is secured a rope 6ft long. On completion of shedding, the handler must proceed to the "pen" leaving his dog to bring the sheep to the "pen". The handler is forbidden to assist the dog to drive the sheep to the pen. The handler will stand at the gate holding the rope and must not let go of the rope. It is for the dog only to work the sheep into the pen. The handler will close the gate. After releasing the sheep, the handler will close and fasten the gate and shall be penalised for failure to fasten the gate. All these points must be marked and each failure to pen shall be the subject of a penalty deduction. SINGLE The handler will proceed to the shedding ring leaving the dog to bring the sheep from the pen to the ring. One of two marked sheep will be shed off within the ring and thereafter "worn" (inside or outside the ring) to the Judges' satisfaction. Handlers are forbidden to assist the dog in driving off or attempting to drive off the single any distance or by forcing it on the dog. If the Judges are agreed that a dog has not been fairly tested owing to the disposition and action of the sheep, they may order the handler to collect the sheep again and shed off and wear any other sheep. As with the "shed" the dog and not the handler should come in and cut off the single sheep. Far too many handlers are seen cutting off the sheep whilst the dog lies back acting as an almost disinterested spectator. This should be heavily penalised. The greatest help the handler can give his dog is by. getting out of the way and allowing his dog room to prove his ability to take off and wear a single sheep. It is essential that the dog should be able to keep the "single" sheep away from the remainder and the Judges should not express their satisfaction until the dog has been thoroughly tested and they are satisfied that he has proved his ability to do this. Here again, the behaviour of the sheep should be considered by the Judges when deciding whether the "single" has been effectively completed or not. To sum up: (1) Almost every possible set of circumstances is covered on the Society's Rules for Trials (copies can be obtained from the Secretary) and every Judge should know these Rules. (2) Every Judge accepting an invitation to act at any of the Society's Trials will be held, by his acceptance, to have given an undertaking that he will judge strictly according to the Rules laid down by the Society and that he will not favour any dog, man, or country.
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