Activities for Border Collies

 This is a fast-paced dog sport where the handler directs the dog through an obstacle course. This is the perfect activity to showcase the dog's exceptional training and the handler's coordination because the handler directs the dog solely with voice commands, movement, and various body signals. The dog runs off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler cannot touch the dog nor the obstacles.

We offer discounted beginner agility classes for new members and members with dogs that have not already participated in the sport. We also participate in demonstrations at events and hold agility trials and fun matches.

 The modern Border Collie is the result of three hundred years of breeding for working abilities. They are the most widely employed stockdogs in the world and work sheep, cattle, goats, hogs — even poultry. Not all Border Collies are employed on working farms today and it’s important to maintain the dog’s natural working instinct. Attending trials and training clinics is a way to promote and showcase the Border Collie’s traditional herding ability. 

We organize herding instinct tests and introductory sheep herding lessons for members. If this is something you are interested in, please contact us for details.  

 Flyball is a high energy team relay race.  A flyball course consists of a starting/finish line, four hurdles, and a ball-releasing apparatus. Individual dogs run from the starting line, jump over the four hurdles, press a spring-loaded pad on a box that launches a tennis ball, catch the ball, carry it in their mouths as they turn, jump back over the same four hurdles in reverse order, and race to the finish line. At the finish line, the next dog on the relay team is waiting to take their turn. Each dog must return their ball and cross the finish line before the next dog in the relay can start their turn. The handler is the human participant who coaches and encourages the dogs on the team.

OVBCC owns flyball equipment and can set up classes or practice for interested members.

 Rally provides a fast-moving and motivational activity that demonstrates the competency of handler and dog in performing basic obedience exercises without requiring exact precision for success that we see in competitive Obedience. Rally is a fabulous sport to build a positive and  fun handler/dog bond. Teams competing in this sport are required to  quickly and accurately negotiate a course, moving from station to station, performing obedience exercises at each station along the way.  

 Freestyle is a modern dog sport that is a mixture of obedience training, tricks, and dance that allows for creative interaction between dogs and their owners. Over the past few decades, it has  developed into a competitive sport around the world. Competition rules are based on a variety of technical and artistic merit points. All routines are done free of training aids or leashes.  You’ve most likely seen these types of performances on television; talent shows, talk shows, and documentaries such as The Secret Life of Dancing Dogs (Disney, 2023) and We Are the Champions (Netflix, 2020).

 Also known as Frisbee dog, in disc dog competitions, the handler throws a disc that the dog must catch. Competitions involve different events, like distance catching and somewhat choreographed freestyle catching. 

Disc workshops and introductory lessons  are available through OVBCC to members.

 Skijoring, Bikejoring, Canicross, and Kick Sledding are similar to Dogsledding where both human and dog are working together to navigate a trail or race. The human drives the direction of the team, while their dog, wearing an appropriate harness, assists by propelling them forward.  Usually performed with one or two dogs, it’s a great way to be active alongside your Border Collie.

  Scent Detection, Ratting/Barn Hunt, Search & Rescue (SAR), and Tracking are sports designed to give the dog/human team a fun activity that mimics professional detection tasks. The human is the facilitator for the dog to hunt, seek, and figure out how to solve various nose sports puzzles. 

   Dock Diving, also called Dock Jumping, is a competitive event where dogs are judged on how far or how high they leap from a stationary dock into a body of water.