Trial Classes

Trial Classes:

The various trials recognised by the Association shall be:

  • Junior Handler- for competitors under the age of 21.  Junior Handlers may also enter the Encourage class, but not the Novice.
  • Encourage Trial- for workers that have never won a recognised trial. Two Encourage wins are now permitted, the status of the dog is not considered.
  • Novice Trial- for registered dogs that have not won a trial other than an Encourage trial.
  • Improver Trial- for registered dogs that have never won a trial other than an Encourage or Novice trial.
  • Open trial- for all registered dogs owned by financial members of a recognised Working Sheepdog association.

Junior Handler and Encourage classes are usually run over a modified course with some relaxing of the rules to assist the worker to experience time on the competition arena. Other classes are generally run on a standard South Australian course detailed here.

Time allowed for each run can vary according to the size of course and number of entries but is usually 12 to 15 mins.

See the Constitution and Rules in the Documents tab for more detailed information regarding classes and courses.