Love ABC’s Muster Dogs? The National Sheepdog Trial Championships come to Canberra next week

Posted on 11 March, 2022

Are you one of the millions of Australians whose heart melted as you watched the kelpie pups of ABC’s Muster Dogs find their feet as working dogs?

If you’ve been living under a feel-good TV rock, Muster Dogs is a new reality show on the ABC that follows a litter of purebred kelpie pups as they’re trained to become tip-top muster dogs by farmers around Australia.

It has highs, lows, laughs and maybe a few tears and it’s an eye-opening look at life on the land—from the sunny Top End to rural Victoria farmland. And if you’re a fan (or maybe just like dogs in general) have we got the event for you.

A beloved fixture of Canberra’s March calendar, the National Sheepdog Trial Championships kick off this Monday 14 March at the Hall Showground—and it’s the perfect (free!) public holiday day out for the whole family.

With a day packed with sheepdog trials, you’ll never run out of things to watch, and a constant supply of freshly baked scones with jam and cream.

How do the dogs compete? We’re so glad you asked.

Each dog begins their trial with a perfect score of 100, and has 15 minutes to motivate three sheep around a set of obstacles and into a pen to finish.

Points are deducted when the sheep don’t cooperate, stray too far from the course or refuse to go into the pen.

 

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With each owner having a unique relationship with their dog and their own way of communicating commands, each trial is a chance to see this fascinating human-dog connection in real time—just remember to not shout, clap or cheer until the sheep are safely locked in their pen.

And it’s not just happening on Monday 14 March—the championships will continue each day until Sunday 20 March, with the 2022 National Sheepdog Trial Open Champion ‘crowned’ with the Duke of Gloucester Sash on Sunday 20 March.

While the trials on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 March are free to attend, there is a $7.50 entry free for 16-10 March, with week-long passes available for purchase.

Imagery: facebook.com/NatSheepDogTrialACT