By Corey Perry
I’d like to thank Lynn Johnston for asking me to submit an OBCC blog article regarding arena trials and my Involvement in arena trials, which have become very popular with the sheepdog trialing scene in the west.
First off, a little bit about myself. I’ve been involved in competing for upwards of 23 years now. We reside on an acreage just south of Drayton Valley, Alberta which is located 100 kilometres west of Edmonton. We live on 10 acres and have 15-20 head of sheep used mostly for training. We usually have 4-5-6 dogs in various stages of training. I enjoy competing in both sheep field and sheep arena trials and recently due to the surge in cattle trials, I’m competing at those as well. The main reason I compete in the various trials is simple: ‘’I really enjoy competing with my dogs’’!
Years ago, before competing myself, I used to attend and watch the Edmonton Northlands fall trial, which was part of FarmFair International. For years, in the fall, FarmFair hosted a large sheep arena competition along with a huge livestock show and the Canadian Finals Rodeo. The FarmFair trial existed for years but did not survive after COVID, so currently the Western Canadian Agribition in Regina in November and the World Stock Dog Championships in Calgary in July during the famous Calgary Stampede are the two largest and well attended events, both in dog and spectator attendance. Both of these venues have had a long history with stock dog trials and offer large prize monies, particularly the Calgary Stampede event which titles their trial the World Stock Dog Championship and boasts a generous $ 20,000 total payout.
Witnessing great Western Canadian handlers such as Scott Glenn, Milt Scott, Dale Montgomery, Bob Stevens, Elvin Kopp, and Peter Gonnet, just to name a few, compete at the Stampede trial prior to me competing, was a contributing factor in my getting involved in training and competing in all facets of trials.
My first few years of competition were strictly field trials, but with the desire to compete, I started participating in arena trials as well. At that time there was only one arena class, which was the open, which quickly encouraged me to become a better trainer and handler in order to compete against the more experienced handlers. Currently, I see participants commencing at the arena trial level initially, prior to jumping up and competing at the field trial level.
Here in Alberta, there are several sanctioned indoor arena trials throughout the province during the long cold winter months. These indoor arenas have allowed handlers to attend regular and frequent training sessions and fun nights and encourage them to participate in ASDA (Alberta Stock Dog Association) sponsored clinics, private lessons etc.
Currently there are a variety of classes suited for all levels of handlers and dogs, starting with the Novice-Ranch, the Pro-novice, Open and occasionally a pee wee class suited for the very young inexperienced but aspiring handlers! The arena trial popularity in Alberta is somewhat due in part to the Scott family (Milt, Kier and Samantha) in Airdrie who organize monthly sheep and cattle trials throughout the winter. Also, recognition goes to the Kopps (Elvin and his daughter Lindsey) and their families who organize and host a winter series of trials featuring all classes which are also well attended. Both the Scotts and the Kopps host training nights and lessons, and fun throughout the long winter season.
Throughout the summer, there are various outdoor and indoor arena trials held at various venues throughout the west, often at Rodeos, Local Fairs, Highland games, and other smaller venues. The Alberta Stock Dog Association assists in organizing, sanctioning, and promoting these events which in turn encourages new participation and exposure. As an example, the Calgary trial draws a packed arena which, when full, holds about 3,500 spectators so it is very exciting to watch as well as compete. The trials at both Calgary and Agribition are live streamed which provides worldwide exposure. These are excellent events to showcase our great dogs, thereby increasing the popularity and direction the hobby is heading. With the recent popularity of arena trials, we've seen an increase in entries at the field trials as well, particularly in the novice and pro novice classes.
The training of our dogs to be competitive whether in an arena or at the field trial level takes perseverance dedication and time. To be successful in either venue, training should have no shortcuts. The dogs need to outrun correctly, need to listen, need to stop when asked, need to flank properly, need to cover and apply the necessary amount of pressure, in order to have a positive impact on the sheep or cattle so as to not upset the stock. They need to handle the different types of pressure in an arena such as the closeness of sheep, going along a wall or corner, crowd noise, etc. Perfect timing is imperative between the handler and dog as the arena courses are often tight and restricted. Some dogs are better suited than others depending on the venue (field trial or arena trial) that they are competing in. I won't make comparison between the two but currently I see the arena trial's a stepping stone for beginner handlers prior to participating at the field trial level.
If you have a dog that excels at both field, arena and even on cattle, then that’s an added bonus!
Most arena trials are judged on points and time. Essentially the most points in the quickest amount of time wins. The courses are set up with varying degrees of difficulty depending on the class and so rules often vary, depending on the trial. Grips are frowned upon and usually result in a disqualification. Poor dog work, chasing of stock, over working of the stock again will and should result in a D.Q. Missed obstacles can be re-attempted at some trials, but at other trials, the handler may be forced to move onto the next obstacle if the preceding obstacle is missed. When competing, attending the handlers’ meeting and understanding the rules, as well as knowing the course, is strongly encouraged as each trial and course varies.
In most cases, following the pattern with a nice smooth and quick fault/point free run will put you in the top placings. Competing in arena trials is a very good initiation to hopefully get used to the competition, have some fun, meet new people and see some nice dogs, doing what they are bred to do. And perhaps the added bonus might be to encourage handlers to take the next step into competing and being competitive in field trials.