10/12/12 "Nipersink Or Swim" Sheepdog Trial

Nipersink Or Swim Sheepdog Trial     


    Pro-Novice, Run #1

     Carol and Ike are ready to start.
She must stay at the pole until they do the penning part at the end.








     When given the signal, Carol sends Ike on the out run to get the sheep.  He heads into the valley where the sheep are held by another handler and dog.

      He "picks them up" by circling around as instructed by Carol's whistles.

     They are driven up the hill, through a set of gates and around (clockwise) the pole that Carol is at.










     Then Ike is to take them back, halfway down the hill, through another set of gates.  This is the "drive away".





    After the drive away, Ike was to take the sheep straight across the middle of the field and through another set of gates for the "cross drive".  Then the sheep are herded back up the hill and into the pen.  This is when Carol can leave the pole and tend the pen gate. (I have better photos of this on the 2nd run.)



     Lunch Break

     After each competitor went, the group of sheep were put into a big corral at the bottom of another hill.  They were let out at lunch time to graze.

     They had to then be gathered back up.

This is blurry, but it reminds me of Wallace and Gromit, so I had to include it. 

     The flock were herded back to the barn in preparation to repeat the morning business.






Pro-Novice, Run #2

     Carol's second run started similar to the first.  But they did better.  Ike got the sheep between the gates on the drive away.




    The cross drive was straighter.




















    And Ike got the sheep to go between the two gates of the last set.











     Getting the sheep into the pen was no easy task for anybody.  It usually ended up in a game of Ring Around The Rosie. 

     Both times Carol and Ike were so close, but they ran out of time, as did over half of the other competitors. 

    When the time is up, or if the sheep went into the pen, the previous handler takes the four sheep while you give your dog a rest.  In this photo, Ike is going around to pick up this group the next man has just finished with.









    He helps Carol herd them down the hill.












     They are then put in this large corral until all of the second runs are completed.












     Carol signals to Ike that he is done, and has done well.