The 1996 Herding Championship Trial was held July 20-21 in the Loire region, in the countryside near the village of Saint-Bonnet-le-Courreau at an altitude of 1400 meters. The setting was a farm where normally 3,000 sheep and 130 cattle are kept on 900 acres of pasture. On this farm, some of the flocks are kept in enclosed fields, while the others are watched over by a shepherd and three dogs, Border Collies. The terrain is well covered with brushy vegetation.
Of the twenty dogs which had been selected through qualification in selection trials, 17 ultimately took part in the Championship trial: 16 Border Collies and a Pyrenean Shepherd.
The course was approximately a kilometer and a half in length, with a time allowed of 45 minutes. When the time limit was reached, contestants could continue for up to five more minutes, with points lost for each additional minute. After a total of 50 minutes had elapsed, the contestant was required to retire with no points given for any task not completed.
Five hundred sheep were used, divided into groups of 55 and used once per day. A jury of three judges -- Mr. Lory, Mr. Le Goff, and Mr. Schwarz -- evaluated the runs, consulting one another to arrive at the score for each section. Scoring is based on the quality of the movements from one obstacle to another: straightness of line and calm, controlled movement. Faults such as excessive speed, winding or choppy movements, the dog cutting into the group or allowing escapes, are penalized.
The sections of the course were numbered and taken in order (points for the section indicated in parentheses):
No. 2 -- Narrow passage (7 points). The flock is channeled between two barriers 4 meters apart.
No. 3 -- Crossing a bridge (7 points). If possible, the handler is to stay behind rather than leading the flock over the bridge. The handler directs the dog to guide the sheep over the bridge. All the sheep are to cross. At the exit of the bridge, the flock must turn to the right, in front of a stake, then turn again to the right and cross a ford. In accomplishing this exercise, the dog may need to move to the front to encourage the first sheep to cross, then, once the sheep have started across, must contain the followers who might want to go around the side rather than across.
No. 4 -- Stop and passage of a ford (4 points). The handler stays behind while the dog goes ahead to stop the sheep and hold them. The handler then moves to the front and has the dog go to the rear to push the flock. The sheep should cross between the "stop" marker and a stake.
No. 5 -- Corrider (8 points). The corrider is 3 meters wide and about 7 meters long, formed of panels. On one side, the entire length is closed, on the other side, there is an opening in the middle of the line of panels. The sheep must go the length of the corrider and not turn into the side opening.
No. 7 -- Approach and passing of a car (5 points). For the first pass, the car comes from the front. The flock should be stretched out, allowing the car to pass without pausing.
No. 11 -- Graze (5 points). Four stakes delineate a place where the sheep should be grouped and settled. The handler and dog then leave the sheep and go to the location of exercise no. 17.
No. 12 -- Regrouping and work at a distance (5 points). Having arrived at the designated location, the dog is told to drink from a pail provided for that purpose. Then the dog is sent to gather the sheep that have been left in the graze and bring them to the handler. The distance is about 200 meters, on uneven, brushy ground. On approaching the flock, the dog is to go around them and move them calmly to the handler. The dog must respond to commands at a distance, in order to conduct the sheep between two barriers. Then the group rejoins the handler and they proceed to the next stop.
No. 13 -- Stop (4 points).
No. 14 -- Catching a sheep (5 points). After stopping the flock at a stake, the handler catches a sheep marked with a collar and removes the collar. This exercise exemplifies daily work such as trimming a sheep in the sheepfold or paddock. While the shepherd catches the sheep, the dog keeps the rest of the flock controlled and grouped around the handler.
No. 15 -- Stop in front of the sheepfold (6 points). This stop is made more difficult because of the nearness of the sheepfold, which causes the sheep to want to escape from the dog's control so they can reenter the enclosure.
No. 16 -- Reentry into the sheepfold (9 points). The sheep should be conducted calmly to the entrance. The dog should guard the entrance, keeping the sheep from crowding or jostling the shepherd as the gate is opened. The sheep enter the pen and the gate is closed after them.
No. 17 -- Gather at a distance of the 5 remaining sheep (five points). Returning with the dog to the location marked no. 8, the shepherd again allows the dog to take a drink, then sends it to gather the five sheep left in the sorting pen. A person opens the pen gate as the dog arrives, whereupon the dog collects the sheep from the pen and brings them to the handler.
No. 18 -- Trailer (10 points). The five sheep are put into a trailer.
Comments from a competitor, Jean-Michel Jolly, handler of Border Collie Hugh (4th overall, 3rd in the final trial) and Pyrenean Shepherd Joy (6th overall, 12th in the final):
"All the organizers of the French championship, which will for sure be remembered as a great one, should also be thanked... As the local councillor put it: 'These are our own Olympic games, but with four-legged athletes.'
"I will not forget to thank all the competitors, or the shepherd and his dog who accepted to serve as pilot dog [literally, "dog in white" -- a dog which performs a run-through of the course before the trial to ensure that all is in order]. Thanks to all of them for their participation, their seriousness, their sportsmanship, as well as for the friendly atmosphere they managed to create before, during and after... I will not fail to thank the selected competitors who, for various reasons, were not able to attend these three days: Mrs Crois and Ariane, Mr. Maridet and Flock, Mr. Deshais and Dock, Mr. Back and Houry, Mr. Convert and Gess. Thank you also to the unfortunate candidates: Michel Pillard who lost his Beauceron Irano in an accident, Patrick Plisson whose dog Daho [Beauceron] was injured while working with heifers and is suffering broken ligament.
"The jury, constituted of Mr. Le Goff, President, Mr. Lory and Mr. Schwartz, whom I wish to thank for their collaboration, had the difficult task of deciding between the competitors by scoring the work of the man-dog team: the score for each exercise was the result of immediate collegial reflections, which were much appreciated by the participants. The course, approximately 1200 yards, was marked out on steep terrain with a stream, after a few modifications, found necessary from the work of the pilot dog, had been approved by the jury and the participants.
"The exit, the fences, the bridge and the ford passage following the first stop were all relatively easy. Although the sorting chute looked insignificant, that was where the difficulties started. Right after the stop on the road, it was essential to control the flock well, to allow for the meeting and passing of a vehicle where the narrowness of the path added to the usual difficulty of this task which is very useful in leading a flock from one pasture to another.
"The entering of the sorting enclosure, followed by the protection and the jump, prepared the dog for the work in that enclosure; it was the dog's work, consisting of making the ewes go through this chute one by one, that was graded. Some dogs did very well, others watched their owner struggle to separate out the five animals that were to be contained in a small pen until the dog, commanded from a distance, could resume.
"Taking the flock through the course and the settling in the graze did not create too many problems; these were followed by the gather and fetch at a distance, controlled from about 150 meters away; the return to the handler was done through a passage between two barriers and ended in a stop.
"Before going back to the sheepfold, the flock was immobilized and the shepherd would remove the collar from a ewe: only then, after a last stop, could the flock enjoy some well-deserved rest.
"The hardest remained, the most spectacular too, the task that enthused the audience: the search for the five ewes left in the sorting enclosure, and the loading into the cattle truck; this was where the rank of French champion was to be confirmed or lost."
The suggestion has been made to the Flock Committee that a framework be created for competitions open to private individuals as well as to dog breeders.
With respect to another factor, Jean-Michel Jolly, who organizes training sessions for dog handling in France all year round, commented, "I get to meet shepherds who would be ready to buy a Beauceron. But when they are told that they cost about $900, when they can get a Border Collie (born from a French champion) for $300-400, their choice is quickly made."
A championship was also held on cattle. Thirteen dogs took part: 12 Border Collies and a Beauceron. The winner was Halem, a Beauceron owned by J. Y. Levreaud.
As an additional note: In August at the trial held at Segur in the Aveyron region, classes for all three levels were included. The results were:
Level I: (total points available: 75)