North America's best Border Collies coming to Carson Valley for National Sheepdog Finals

The best Border Collies in North America will be coming to Gardnerville, Sept. 20-25 to compete in the 2022 National Sheepdog Finals. These top dogs will be arriving in Nevada from all over the United States and Canada to battle for the coveted title of National Sheepdog Champion.

There will also be a competition for the National Nursery Champion (for dogs 3 years and under). All year long, handlers and their dogs travel all over the United States, participating in numerous trials, hoping to accumulate enough points to qualify to be one of the top 150 teams to compete in their ultimate challenge of the year, the National Sheepdog Finals.

This competition is sponsored by the United States Border Collie Handlers’ Association (USBCHA), American Border Collie Association (ABCA), and Purina. The event is hosted by the local USBCHA & Northern Nevada Finals Committee, in conjunction with Borda Family Ranch and Bently Ranch.

The National Sheepdog Finals are rotated around the United States each year (one year on the east coast, the next year in the middle US, and the next year on the West Coast).

This is the very first time that Nevada will host the National Sheepdog Finals; it is a huge honor for Gardnerville and for Nevada to have the opportunity to showcase the BEST working dogs in North America, as this is the premier sheepdog herding competition in the United States.

The National Finals will be held on a 900 acre field owned by Bently Ranch; this field is off of Highway 88. The picturesque property is tucked up near the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains which is a perfect backdrop to show off the beauty and talent of these top Border Collies. The sheep for the event will be supplied by Borda Family Ranch. Their beautiful purebred Merino yearlings will provide a challenging test for these skillful and accomplished Border Collies.

Border Collies are widely acknowledged as the finest stock dogs in the world, whether herding sheep or cattle. The National Sheepdog Finals is an elite event that showcases the highest abilities for which these dogs were bred. A sheepdog trial is designed to test a Border Collie’s intelligence, training and instinct, by duplicating various tasks that a herding dog would do in farm / ranch work.

The trial course begins with the dog leaving the handler’s side, casting out around the field (the Outrun) to gather a small group of sheep that are approximately 400 yards away. The dog brings the sheep back to the hander (the Fetch). The dog takes the sheep around the handler and then promptly drives the sheep away from the handler through a series of obstacles (the Drive).

When the dog eventually returns the sheep to the handler, the handler /dog team is required to separate the sheep (the Shed) and then put the sheep into a pen (the Pen). The majority of the commands are communicated through various whistle sounds (each whistle having a particular meaning); the dogs are also directed with voice (but never with hand signals). The relationship between the handler and their dog is a result of exceptional training, coupled with extraordinary communication which is perfected after hours and hours and hours of practicing.

Starting on Tuesday, Sept. 20 and going through Friday, Sept. 23, there will be qualifying runs for each team entered in the National Finals.

Saturday, Sept. 24, will be the Semi-Finals competition, and Sunday, Sept. 25 will be the final event for the top qualifying teams from the Semi-Finals. The Sunday Finals is when the Best of the Best face their ultimate challenge, the International Course.

This course consists of a longer outrun (approximately 600 yards). The dog leaves its handler’s side to gather a group of 10 sheep which the dog brings back to its handler. Then the dog is sent in the opposite direction to pick up another group of 10 sheep from a different location (again, approximately 600 yards away).

Once the dog has brought back the second group of 10, the handler will direct the dog to join these two groups together. The dog will then begin driving the 20 sheep through a series of obstacles. Once the drive has been completed, the handler and dog will gather all of the sheep together where they will proceed to separate 5 collared sheep from the 20.

Once these 5 collared sheep are separated, the handler and dog will pen the 5 collared sheep which completes the course. This is an extraordinarily difficult challenge, the supreme test of the handler and dog communication and partnership.

The layout and judging of both the qualifying trial course and the International Course remain essentially unchanged from similar competitions held in Great Britain, under the sanction of the International Sheep Dog Society. From their ancestral home, Border Collies have spread to stock raising countries across the globe, along with the sport of sheepdog trialing.

There are like-minded organizations on several continents including Europe, Africa, and North America. Every three years a World Sheepdog Championship is held in Great Britain where the United States, Canada and several other countries send their top teams to compete. Competitors in this year’s National Finals in Gardnerville will include handlers who have competed in past World Sheepdog Championships, as well as, handlers who are past United States Border Collie Handlers’ Association National Champions.

As well as seeing first class sheepdogs and sheepdog handling, there will also be a large trade show and food vendors for spectators. Pease see https://www.sheepdogfinals.org for more information on the event.