Welcome to the International Sheep Dog Trial 2018

The Event

The International Sheep Dog Trial, the pinnacle in the sheep dog trialling calendar, is to be held on Thursday 6th to Saturday 8th September 2017 at Gill Hall Estate, Lurgan Road, Dromore, Co.Down. During the 3 days the top 60 handlers, made up of teams of 15 handlers and their dogs from each of the nations, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, will be competing against each other to determine an overall 'International Supreme Champion'. All handlers are seeking to win this prestigious individual award, however there is also the team competition, and the individuals will have a strong desire for their nation to win this.

Day 1 and 2 of the event consists of the 60 handlers competing to qualify for a place within the Supreme Championship, which is held on day 3. The Supreme Competition is restricted to the 15 highest pointed dogs from the Qualifying Trials irrespective of Country or Class.

In addition to the Supreme Championship, the Brace Championship and Young Handler Competition will take place.

Sheep dog trialling is a long established event, and the International championship, as a trial, has been held annually (with exception of the war years and during the Foot and Mouth epidemic in 2001) since 1906, therefore marking 112 years this year.

The purpose of a Sheep Dog Trial is to test the abilities of the best working dogs, in an environment close to true working life. The UK is very much the ‘’kennel of the world’’ as far as the working sheepdog is concerned.

The International Sheep Dog Trial will attract audiences from all over the world, with anticipated visitor numbers of 15,000 during the 3 days of trialling.