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Last updated:
6 Jul 2005
Teun v/d Dool
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What Makes a Winning Dog + Handler Team?

Press here for a Dutch translation.

This test has been devised to check your chances of becoming a sheepdog trials winner.
(Uses javascript, tested with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0/6.0 and Netscape 7.0)

Your dog(s):
Origin of your dog(s):
Your dogs are from well established working lines that have proven themselves both in farming and herding as well as on the trial field.
Your dogs have some good blood but also some influence of non-working lines.
Your dog is mainly from show lines.
Don't know were it's from, it has no pedigree.

Potential of your current dog(s):
Already the first time your dog saw sheep it went around and brought them to you quick and without rousing. If it spots sheep you can't stop it, it constantly wants to work them. Your dog doesn't do them any harm though, it keeps its distance while the sheep are running for their lives. Some open trial handler offered to buy the dog from you.
Your dog started on sheep easily. You get your dog around an open coarse quite nicely. With some effort you have trained it not to push to much.
You can get your dog around an open course but these lousy sheep are not very much impressed by it. It helps when your dog bites them in the back. You hope to compete at open level after an extra couple of years training.
Your dog will do an out-run but it still hardly drives after more than a year of training. Even with a good handler your dog will never reach open level, or so your trainer says.
Your dog is more than a year old and it hardly shows interest in sheep even if you chase them while it is watching you.

Number of dogs:
Dog-dealer: you breed and/or buy and sell dogs often and always have several dogs 'in stock'.
Breeder: you have several dogs and regularly breed litters.
Owner: you have several dogs. Every now and then one dies and it might be replaced by a pup that you buy or keep from an occasional litter that you breed.
Pet lover: you obtained one or a couple of Border Collies because you liked the looks of it and fancied it as a pet.

Buying:
You have regular contact with many established (international) breeders of good working dogs that are willing to sell you their best pups and adult dogs. You know what type of dog you want and don't need advice from anybody.
You know many (international) breeders and handlers and you also know what type of dog you like.
You will get yourself well informed about which type of dog suits you and which (international) breeders to go to.
You know a couple of local breeders and owners and if you want a dog, you try to arrange something with them.
You don't mind getting a dog from the pet rescue or via an advertisement in a newspaper.

Selling:
You have no problems selling a dog that doesn't meet your needs. For these dogs you have many satisfied customers that are working and/or trialing succesfully with many of those dogs.
If after a lot of training your dog still doesn't work the way you like, you will try to give it to someone that likes it.
Your dog will not leave, it will be your lifelong mate.


Your training facilities / opportunities:
Livestock:
You have many sheep available of different breed (behavior). A couple of them are well trained (for the starting dogs), others are pretty wild. You can get fresh sheep at all time because you breed and/or buy and sell them regularly.
You have a couple of sheep of your own and can also go training at other places.
You do not have sheep yourself, you visit a local training facility.

Land:
Apart from a couple of smaller fenced fields, you also have vast amounts of land at your disposal, both open and with obstacles in it like hills, trees, walls and ditches.
You have one or a couple of not so large fields available. Every now and then you train on a larger field of somebody else.
You mainly train on a relative small field (something like 100m x 100m).

Time:
You are working sheep several times a day for short but also longer periods because it is your profession.
You are working sheep several times a day because you are a fanatic hobbyist.
You work sheep almost daily for a limited time (15 to 30 minutes).
You work sheep several times a week.
You work sheep once a week.
You work sheep less than once a week.


Your own capabilities:
Reading Sheep:
You have many years of day-by-day experience with sheep because it is your profession. You move and get hold of sheep where and when you want.
You have some years of experience with sheep as a hobbyist. You often move them yourself. Penning is not your favorite activity as the sheep tend to escape around the pen.
You have some experience with sheep but they are not that easy, they move in odd directions at unexpected moments.

Reading Dogs:
You have many years of experience with different types of dogs, also owned by others. You know what goes on in the heads of these rascals. You will maneuver yourself and the sheep in every situation such that you stay in control. Even at a large distance your dog will obey you. You have developed your own method of training. Other handlers come to you for advice.
You have several years of experience with a couple of your own dogs. You also have some experience with handling dogs of friends. With some dogs you can get good results. You consult established handlers for advice.
You have already trained your dog pretty well but at a larger distance it tends to get out of control.
You can make your dog do the 12 o'clock position and some driving towards you.
You can't keep up with your dog, it has done things before your are aware what is happening.

You have been eager and have been using the dogs and training facilities mentioned above for something like:
10 years or more
5 to 10 years
2 to 5 years
Less than 2 years

Your current level of trialing success is top-3 in:
International or World championship trials
National (UK) or Continental championship trials
Open and (continental) National championship trials
Nursery and novice trials

Your Trialing Potential:
V
Novice Level Open Trial Lower Level Open Trial Top Level National Top Handler International Top Handler
No rights whatsoever can be claimed on the outcome of this test (in other words: it's just for fun ;-).