Battle of wits: Shepherds, dogs and sheep compete at Waimumu
It’s a battle of wits between dog and sheep – and sometimes, the canines win.
When the weather is cold and wet, hardy dog trialers head indoors to the Southern Indoor Charity Dog Trials held at the Southern Field Days site at Waimumu, near Gore.
Shepherds, sheep and dogs spend three days competing over a yarding course inside the Agricentre. The aim is to get the sheep around the course, which includes getting them over a bridge and into a holding pen inside a 10-minute time frame.
‘‘It’s not that easy to do,’’ organising committee chairman Mike Joyce said.
‘‘The dogs adapt pretty well to being inside. It’s the gravel under their feet that they have to get used to a bit. And there’s a bit of an echo in the shed and that can confuse them a bit.’’
And when it comes to top dogs, Joyce’s dog Pip is up there, making the final runoff for the top eight yesterday afternoon.
‘‘She goes pretty good,’’ he said. ‘‘This competition is different to farm work, and she’s pretty good at that too.’’
As well as having a good dog, it was also important to keep the ewe hoggets nice and quiet.
‘‘You can have the best dog around, but if you upset the sheep you may as well chuck it in.’’
About 170 trialists, with some coming from as far away as Marlborough, competed at the weekend. Competition had been tough, and only three points separated the top eight dogs.
‘‘It can get pretty tight. There’s some top dogs and trialers here, but there’s been a lot of young ones here yesterday. It’s good to see them keen,’’ Joyce said.
For the first time, a bark-up, where dogs bark on command to make as much noise as possible, was held on Sunday night.
It was won by Jamie Milne with his dog Syd.
In the trialling, Mark McKenzie won the novice competition with his dog Tess.
The teams section was won by Pratley Heroes, the maiden section by J Tairua and Jock, and the open section by Robin McKenzie and Dice.
The event is an annual fundraiser, with all proceeds going to Hospice Southland.