ISDS GUIDELINES FOR JUDGES

The guidelies are quite long, you may skip ahead to a section by selection one of these links.

Outrun, Lift, Fetch, Driving, Shedding, Penning, Single.

OUTRUN

     The dog must be positioned close to the handler and may be sent out on either side. He should not be too straight or too wide and in going out the dog should not require nor should he receive any commands. Commands given should be penalized, as indicated later. The command by whistle is to be regarded as the same as a spoken command. If a dog crosses the course, a minimum of 50% of the total points for the outrun is to be deducted, and, in addition points must be deducted for commands.
     The perfect outrun should be completed without any commands and judges should deduct points for every command given and the loss of points will depend upon the judge's view of the seriousness of the mistakes. The dog should not stop and should not cut in. It is obviously more serious if a dog stops on his outrun than if he goes on after being re-directed, and judges should mark accordingly. A good outrun should be in the shape of one side of a pear with the blunt end of the pear at the far end of the field near the sheep. The dog should finish far enough away from the sheep so as not to disturb them.
     Where the outrun ends will vary with the actual position of the sheep. If the sheep have left their appointed place at the post the outrun should end at the point where the dog is facing them in order to bring the sheep in a direct line to the first obstacle. In effect, this means that if the sheep have left the post, the dog is to finish his outrun facing the heads of the sheep. This might necessitate the dog stopping on the side of his outrun if the sheep happened to be coming to meet him, and conversely could mean him going a long way past the post if the sheep were going away from the post in the same direction as he is running.
     If the sheep remain at the post, the outrun will end when the dog is behind them and in line with his master. He must always finish facing them in order to be in a position to fetch them direct to the first obstacle.

LIFT

At the end of the outrun, whether the dog has come to a full stop or merely slowed down, his approach should be smooth, cautious and steady and the main feature of the "lift" is an ability to take control in a firm and quiet manner without disturbing the sheep. He should not rush in and thus startle the sheep and he should not lie back and require numerous commands before getting his sheep on the move.
Judges will deduct points for excessive commands, slowness, etc. at this phase of the trial. Apart from these observations, judges must use their personal knowledge of sheep and sheepdogs to decide whether a lift has disturbed the sheep unduly and must mark accordingly.

FETCH

     The sheep should be brought at a steady pace and in a straight line from the place of lifting to the first obstacle, and thereafter in a straight line to the handler. The dog should not hurry or over-flank his sheep (this means that he should not go too far on either side thereby turning his sheep across the course and giving zig-zag movement). He should require few, if any, commands, and where the sheep are inclined to stray from the true line the dog's ability is judged by his control of them and his immediate answer to all commands.
     If the gates are missed or if the sheep are off-line, the penalty must reflect all the circumstances, and in particular the amount of fault attributable to the dog and/or the handler. Both can be the subject of penalties. If the sheep are docile and mistakes are made, then the penalty should be more severe than where the sheep are awkward and thereby contribute to diversions which the dog is unable to avoid.
     If a gate is missed there should be a minimum deduction of a half a point per sheep but Judges must take into consideration all the relevant circumstances contributing to the missing of the gate and adjust deductions accordingly.
The sheep should be passed behind the handler as close to the post as practical and the whole work should be done in a steady and smooth manner.

DRIVING

     The "Drive" takes place in a triangular direction and can be run either from left to right or right to left according to the course and the decision of the Trials Committee.
     The first leg of the triangle starts immediately the sheep have passed behind the handler and the sheep are required to go in a straight line for 150 yards (or 200 yards at the International) to the first set of gates. Having got the sheep through the gates they should be turned immediately on to a direct line across the course to the second set of gates. When through these gates they should then be turned as neatly as possible on to a straight line to the shedding ring.
     It is important that the last leg of the triangle should be in a straight line to the shedding ring which is usually situated to make this also the most direct line. The dog should show obvious ability to drive steadily without excessive commands. Reasonable turns at the post and at both gates are expected. Good handling in difficult situations will be taken into consideration by the Judge.
     As in the "Fetch", the gates are guides to the alignment of the sheep. Throughout the "Drive" the sheep should be kept moving gently - excessive bursts of speed and subsequent stopping is not desirable and should be penalized. If a gate is missed there should be a minimum of half a point per sheep but Judges must take into consideration all the relevant circumstances to the missing of a gate and adjust deductions accordingly. The handler must not leave the post until the sheep are actually in the shedding ring.

SHEDDING

     Shedding necessitates negotiation of the sheep within the ring by the handler and dog to the best position for effecting the deliberate shed by the dog of the two specified sheep. Having got the sheep suitably positioned, the dog should come in and take off the required sheep and once having taken them off he must have them under control before the "Shed" can be deemed satisfactory. The important aspect here is to test the dog's ability to shed or separate the two unmarked sheep from the rest of the flock.
     The dog must be in full control of the two shed sheep, otherwise the "Shed" will not be deemed satisfactory and should be penalized. The ideal "Shed" occurs when the dog comes towards the handler when commanded by him; e.g., cuts off his sheep which are to be shed and holds them away from the rest.
     The "Shed" is complete when the dog has come in when commanded by the handler and is in control of his two sheep. It is not necessary for the dog to come right through to the handler. On completion of the "Shed" the handler should bring his sheep together in a practical and workmanlike manner.

PENNING

There is no rule about bringing the two sheep to the remaining three or vice-versa. The "pen" will be 8ft x 9ft with a gate to which is secured a rope 6ft long. On completion of shedding, the handler must proceed to the "pen" leaving his dog to bring the sheep to the "pen". The handler is forbidden to assist the dog to drive the sheep to the pen. The handler will stand at the gate holding the rope and must not let go of the rope. It is for the dog only to work the sheep into the pen. The handler will close the gate. After releasing the sheep, the handler will close and fasten the gate and shall be penalized for failure to fasten the gate.
All these points must be marked and each failure to pen shall be the subject of a penalty deduction.

SINGLE

     The handler will proceed to the shedding ring leaving the dog to bring the sheep from the pen to the ring.
     One of two marked sheep will be shed off within the ring and thereafter "worn" (inside or outside the ring) to the Judges' satisfaction. Handlers are forbidden to assist the dog in driving off or attempting to drive off the single any distance or by forcing it on the dog.
     If the Judges are agreed that a dog has not been fairly tested owing to the disposition and action of the sheep, they may order the handler to collect the sheep again and shed off and wear any other sheep. As with the "Shed" the dog and not the handler should come in and cut off the single sheep.
     Far too many handlers are seen cutting off the sheep whilst the dog lies back acting as an almost disinterested spectator. This should be heavily penalized. The greatest help the handler can give his dog is by getting out of the way and allowing his dog room to prove his ability to take off and wear a single sheep. It is essential that the dog should be able to keep the "single" sheep away from the remainder and the Judges should not express their satisfaction until the dog has been thoroughly tested and they are satisfied that he has proved his ability to do this. Here again, the behavior of the sheep should be considered by the Judges when deciding whether the "single" has been effectively completed or not.