Herding Trial Terms Glossary - ANKC

ANKC Glossary of Herding Trial Terms - Australia

Attempt: When the livestock crosses the plane of the obstacle.

Balance: The point, usually opposite the handler, in which the dog has the most influence on the stock, to control the behaviour of the stock and move them in the desired direction.

Come-Bye/Go-Bye: A command to move the dog clockwise around the livestock--to circle to the left.

Course: A designated pattern of obstacles through which a handler directs the dog.

Cross- Drive: Moving the stock across the front of the handler.

Driving: Moving the stock away from the handler.

Fetching: Moving the stock toward the handler.

Flanking: Circling the sheep from the right or left to keep them in a group or change their direction.

Flight Zone: An invisible area around a group of stock into which a dog cannot pass without causing the stock to feel threatened and attempt to escape from the dog.

Flocking: The tendency of the stock to instinctively cluster together in a compact group that functions as a unit. Generally, cattle do not have a strong flocking tendency.

Gather: The dog collects the sheep from their scattered grazing positions into a compact group.

Graze: Allowing the stock time to settle and feed in a designated area. In course C the Graze is also a designated area of land (a noun) that the dog must keep stock within by patrolling the boundary.

Handler's Post: Point at which the handler and dog begin the run.

Heavy Stock: Stock that requires a great deal of pressure from the dog in order to be moved.

Herding Instinct: The inherited balance in a dog's temperament, between the predatory drive and the dog's submission to its master. The stronger the hunting instinct, the stronger must be the desire to comply with the commands of the handler.

Holding Pen: The pen on the outside of the course where the stock are kept before and after their use on the course.

Lift: The moment the dog reaches the opposite side of the stock and moves them toward the handler. Also, the moment between the outrun and start of the fetch.

Light Stock: Stock that are moved with slight pressure from the dog and have a flight zone a substantial distance from them.

Obstacles: Objects placed in strategic locations to make up a Trial course.

Off Contact: When the dog loses control of the stock, either by being too far away or by losing concentration.

Outrun/Cast: The dog runs in an arc to move from the handler to the balance point on the far side of the stock in order to move the stock back to the handler. A pear-shaped or semi-circular course taken by the dog to get to the far side of the flock

Pen/Re-Pen: To put the stock into a specified holding area.

Parallel Drive: Where the dog handler walks parallel to the dog and stock, when doing this a dog and handler are not permitted to go ahead of the leading sheep.

Retire: At the request of the handler, the run is ended.

Remove from the Ring: A Judge's decision to end the run because the dog is lame, sick, unproductive, not under control etc.

Excuse: A Judge's decision to end the run because the dog is attacking or attempting to attack the stock or gripping abusively.

Disqualified: A Judge's decision to end the run because the dog has attacked or attempted to attack a person.

Pressure/Power: The influence of the dog's presence on the stock. The authority of the dog's character. The extent of this latent force within a dog will determine the behaviour of stock and their flight zone for that particular dog.

Pressure Point: The exact position and distance the dog needs to be at in order to move livestock in the desired direction. This position is directly influenced by the livestock's natural inclination to be drawn to the pen from which they were released, a gate to pasture, a known food source, other livestock or a water
source if they are thirsty.

Read: The ability of the handler to understand and anticipate the thoughts of the stock and/or the dog in order to maintain control over both. The ability of the dog to anticipate the behaviour of the stock.

Run: Each individual dog's Trial performance.

Settle: Allowing the stock time to calm and adjust to the situation.

Shed: The dog separating the livestock and holding a group or individual for a specific length of time. Separating certain animals from the flock or herd.

Tending: The supervision of the flock by the dog while the flock is grazing. A style of Herding used when pastures are unfenced and the dog serves as a living fence.

Wearing: When the dog moves livestock forward by moving back and forth behind the group. It is also used to mean holding back animals that have been separated from the main flock.

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