Fifth annual Sheepdog Trials in Hopland showcase dogs' skills

Watching a border collie literally steer four sheep in unison while running about six feet behind them looks like magic. Bob Keiffer, Superintendent of the UC Cooperative Extension in Hopland says it's all about the "space bubble."

For humans, it's the approximately 14 inches around a person where, when someone else stands inside that space, the person feels uncomfortable. It could hardly be called "personal" space for sheep and cattle, but, according to Keiffer, it's the distance at which the sheep can "feel" the sheepdog.

"The dog has to stay right on the edge," he said. "If (the dog) penetrates that bubble, they'll want to split."

And having the sheep scatter, rather than stay together -- as the sheep's herding instinct tells them to do for safety -- costs time and points on the sweeping, triangular course through which the dogs must drive the sheep.

Dog handlers competing in the 5th Annual Sheepdog Trials, held on the rolling hills of the UC Cooperative Extension's Hopland property, know that the trials are all about testing a dog's ability to calmly and efficiently move the sheep through the course.

"It's all about straight lines, and can the dog take them from point A to point B in a manner that's the most stress-free thing on the livestock," said competitor Geri Byrne, a Modoc County supervisor who's been competing for nearly 20 years.

Sheepdog trials are held all over the nation, allowing dogs to accumulate points that count toward a national competition where the top 150 compete for the top spot, bragging rights, and, possibly, for money-making opportunities that could include training or breeding, according to Keiffer. There are also cow-dog competitions that try a dog's ability to herd cattle.

"It used to be that you kept dogs for your sheep," said Byrne, echoing a sentiment shared by other competitors. "Now you keep sheep for your dogs."

One of the unique things about the trials at the UC Hopland property, according to Byrne, is that the university has enough sheep so that each competing dog gets a new batch of sheep, instead of having the same sheep go through the course several times a day and get used to it, which Byrne says can be less of a challenge for the dogs.

The UC Cooperative Extension in Hopland has about 950 sheep at any given time, according to Keiffer, for various research and breeding purposes. There were about 45 handlers competing throughout the three days of the Hopland trials, some of them entering more than one dog.

Four sheep at a time are released to an area apart from the widespread course, and the dog, who starts out at its handler's feet, ideally goes out and around behind them "in a pear shape," according to Byrne, to make its first contact. This "outrun" is worth 20 points, and the first contact is called the "lift," and it's worth 10 points.

Each dog starts out with 100 points, and points are taken away for each leg of the course depending on the dog's performance.

The dog must drive the sheep through the first pair of fence sections, set by themselves on the hillside, then through two more such gates, turning the sheep as tightly as possible through the triangular course. The handler tells the dog to turn left, turn right, lie down, stop, go slow, turn wide, turn tight and a number of commands. Each handler has a unique set of whistles to communicate with the dog.

At one point in the course, the dog must separate two sheep from the other two and drive them away until the judges are satisfied in the dog's ability to control the separated sheep.

The dog's last task is to get the sheep into a square pen at the end of the course, all before time runs out.

"Sheep don't naturally move in straight lines," Byrne said, adding that the dog, on the other hand, does have a natural proclivity for the work. "This is what border collies do. You're seeing hundreds of years worth of breeding here."

Byrne said she mostly does it as a hobby, and got into it when her friends used to bring their dogs over to help move her cows. She noticed her friends' dogs were better-behaved than her own, so began entering her dogs in sheepdog trials as a way to train them. Now she does it for fun, she says.

"This is trickier than most other sports, because there are three components," Byrne said. "It's you and your dog and the sheep." Communication between dog and handler are key, but, "Every sheep has its own personality," she said.

While her dog didn't perform at the top of his potential Saturday, Byrne said she learned some valuable things that will help in future competitions.

"You've got to have patience," said handler Mike Meredith of Tehachapi, a retired firefighter with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. He entered Nell, who is 3 years old, and Gus, 7.

The feisty Nell's strong point was speed, he said. "Speed can cause more trouble than it's worth," he said. "If I blow softly she's nice and easy. If I blow a harsh whistle, she speeds up."

Meredith said he is among those who keeps a small flock of 20 sheep or so on 30 acres so he can train his dogs for the sheepdog trial circuit. The sheep, he said, make good "lawn mowers."

Tiffany Revelle can be reached at udjtr@pacific.net, on Twitter @TiffanyRevelle or at 468-3523.