Barking dogs, bleating sheep and whistles filled the meadows at Schaapskooi ‘t Nabbegat in Zeeland this weekend. No fewer than 74 teams competed there on Friday and Saturday in the qualifying round of the Sheep Herding National Championships. The best sixteen were in the final on Sunday. “The relationship between owner and dog and that together you can manage to control a flock of sheep, that is a magical feeling.”
During the final, the aim is to get two ‘couples’, as a group of sheep are called, together and then guide them in a straight line through two fences. “Five of those twenty sheep have a band on and they have to be separated from the other sheep. You then end your round with them,” says Marcel van Oorschot, who co-organizes the event.
A jury will judge the whole thing. “The trick is to get the sheep to walk in the straightest lines possible. That is what the jury pays most attention to,” says Van Oorschot. Why does he like it so much? “Working with dogs in the outdoors, and being able to measure yourself against others at a competitive level.”
From water polo to sheep herding
Participant Pim Visscher from Zeist recognizes this. He has been herding sheep for about twenty years and is one of the sixteen finalists. “I played water polo at a high level and I was a bit exhausted. Then I came into contact with sheep herding.”
At first glance, water polo and sheep herding seem to have little in common. “The competition part makes it comparable. I also wanted to become the best at this and perform at a high level,” says Visscher. He talks passionately about his hobby. “The relationship between owner and dog and then also controlling a flock of sheep: if you manage to do that, it is such a magical feeling.”
Whistle signals and English language
Visscher communicates with his dog using whistle signals, among other things. “If I want him to go to the left, I whistle an upward tone. To the right is a flat tone and to stop is a very sharp tone. You also have a special sound to send the dog forward.”
The second pair of sheep that the dog has to pick up during the National Championships is 400 meters away. “With the wind behind us, we can still reach the dog with the whistle at a distance of one and a half kilometers,” says Visscher.
In addition to the whistle, many owners communicate with their dogs in English. Do those dogs understand English so well? “The dogs understand English well, but also Dutch, French and Italian,” Van Oorschot says with a laugh. “The sport originally came from the United Kingdom, so that’s where the English commandos come from.”
Build experience
According to Visscher, the biggest challenge is reaching the finish. “Everyone who finishes is very happy. It is difficult to accomplish all this. And then you want to do it as beautifully as possible.”
Visscher does not think that he and his dog Don will win the National Championships. “I really want to compete for prizes, but in this age phase of the dog that is not realistic today. You never know what the outcome will be, but I don’t think so.” Yet he looks back positively. “The experience we built really counts. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it.”