Owners of all kinds of dogs, including mixed breed mutts, can try out herding sheep, cattle or ducks at many facilities across the country.
Moving forward to the test and trial levels with either the American Herding Breed Association or the American Kennel Club, however, requires commitment from both dog and handler. It also helps to have a dog who is suited for the work, and that’s usually one of the herding breeds.
Herding Programs for All Kinds of Dogs
The AHBA was founded in 1986 in response to the increasing interest in herding activities by owners of a wide variety of herding breeds including rare breeds, multi-purpose breeds, which also have been used for herding, and herding breed mixes.
The AHBA Herding Trial Program allows dogs to demonstrate herding ability in herding trials at started, intermediate, and advanced levels on a standard course and on farm/ranch. The testing program includes Herding Capability Tests, for young or untrained dogs, and Junior Herding Dog Tests, for dogs in early training, at a level preparatory to trial work.
The AKC has similar levels of test and trial competition for AKC recognized herding breeds, as well as:
- Rottweilers,
- Samoyeds,
- Standard and Giant Schnauzers,
- Pyrenean Shepherds,
- Swedish Vallhunds,
- Norwegian Buhunds, and
- Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs.
Dogs Need No Prior Training to Take Herding Instinct Tests
For both organizations, a dog needs no previous formal training in herding before entering the instinct test classes and may be handled by the judge, owner or a designated handler. However, dogs ideally should have had obedience training, especially a reliable "sit" or "down," and exposure to farm animals before taking the instinct test.
The judge looks for the dog’s ability to move and control livestock by fetching, which is bringing the flock to the handler, or driving, which is moving a flock forward away from the handler.
Dogs can begin to be trained for herding as puppies by encouraging them to chase toys and then stop on command and by learning to stay or return to a handler's side.
Taking a young dog to a farm gets it accustomed to being around livestock and pens, as well as training it to obey simple sit and down commands even when faced with the distractions of being around horses, sheep, pigs and fowl.
Some puppies need encouragement to approach large animals, while others are overenthusiastic about chasing livestock. At any level, a dog that bites the animal it is herding is automatically disqualified and removed from the arena.
Once past the two test levels, both organizations proceed through a series of trial level events that increase in difficulty for both dog and handler. The courses mimic actual farm work, such as moving a flock of sheep through gates and into and out of pens, under standardized conditions to judge the team’s ability.
Herding Trials Delight both Dog and Handler
A long day at a herding trial can test the patience and endurance of both dog and human, but the rewards of a job well done, and the ribbons on your dog’s crate, are well worth the long hours in the heat, or cold, or rain.
Lists of the many facilities throughout the country that offer herding lessons are available on the Web sites of both the AHBA and the AKC.
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