Sheepdog Demos

Sheepdog Demonstrations take place at the Skagit Valley Highland Games on both Saturday and Sunday from 10am-5pm.

Join us over at the Sheepdog Demonstration area to watch these talented canines in action! Each demonstration is thirty minutes long followed by a Q&A for thirty minutes.

Most of the dogs used today as sheepdogs are border collies. Known for their intelligence and energy, they have been bred for work over generations. Under the guidance and training of their handlers, border collies work alongside them to gather flocks for shearing or compete in sheepdog trials across the world.

Sheepdog demos contain a series of tests highlighting the remarkable skill of the dogs and their ability to pick up on cues from their handlers. It usually takes one to two years to train the basics. The dogs will spend their lives learning to read sheep and put the pressure on and off. Handlers use whistles and hand signals to direct dogs in completing various tasks.

Such challenges may include retrieving sheep and bringing them to the handler and back across the field; penning sheep within an enclosure; dividing the sheep into groups; separating a single sheep from the group, and many others. Some of the more difficult tasks are to move sheep in a straight line across the field, as well as to bring sheep to the handler in separate groups. Through all of these challenges, the handler remains stationary, commanding the dog with cues. Dogs are expected to treat the sheep with respect and can be reprimanded for behavior such as biting.

The sheepdog demos at the Skagit Valley Highland Games this year are provided by EyeSpy Border Collies. Established in 1984, the EyeSpy breeding program is well known for breeding quality, intelligent border collies with stable temperaments. While specifically bred for working ability, the EyeSpy dogs have gone on to be successful in many different activities, including herding, agility, flyball, frisbee, free style, etc. many winning on the national level. EyeSpy Border Collies follows the breeding protocol of the American Border Collie Association regarding health issues.

Where are the Sheepdog Demos taking place? You can find the Sheepdog Arena between the Food Trucks and the Children's Activities. See map below.