MENDOCINO CO., 9/21/26 — More than 100 attendees packed the stands at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville Sunday morning to watch sheepdog trials where dogs take turns herding three sheep through a timed course.
The Mendocino County Fair sheepdog finals were held on the last day of the fair. Catlyn Gilman and her dog Ellie took home first prize over seven other contestants.
The audience reacted audibly to the competition. When the sheep dodged the entrance to a pen or a funnel, sympathetic sighs rang through the stands, but when a dog completed a task, jubilant cheers and applause filled the covered seating area.
Ron Stark, whose 10-year-old dog Moss made the first run, said competing in sheepdog trials requires “a lot of training from a young age.”
“The first thing you do with a young dog is try to get them to go around sheep in a small, controlled area,” Stark said. “They learn how to flank left and right, and they get comfortable going around the sheep. Then they learn how to build a balance. They’re flanking around behind the sheep, and they’re balancing the sheep to you.”
Stark said dogs have varying temperaments with sheep, and once the handler feels comfortable with progress in a small, round pen, they move on to a bigger area and eventually introduce whistle commands.
Stark said he has seven border collies and has been doing these competitions for 16 years. He placed fifth in this year’s finals on Sunday.
Thank you for the article on the sheep dog trials that took place last Sunday. We listened to the live coverage on KZYX but it was great to see photos of a few of the dogs we heard about. Again, thanks.
I went to the sheepdog trials. As I live on the coast, and got stuck behind a row of slow tourists, then had to park all the way up by Pennyroyal Farms, I missed the first half. There were WAY more than 100 people when I got there. Both the main grandstand under the roof, and the additional bleachers in the sun were packed, and there were people standing 2 to 3 rows thick along the fence. As I was there alone, I was able to squeeze in between two groups in the grandstand; if I’d been with a friend, we would have been standing.
Ellie, who won the trials, if I heard correctly, was 9 years old. She’d had a lot of experience, and she lucked out and got some relatively docile sheep. One of the other dogs was butted by a sheep, and thrown about 3′. They generally use sheep that aren’t used to being herded by dogs, and they can be obstinate if the dog is trying to get them to go somewhere that they perceive as dangerous, like the shoot and the pen.
Is anyone else out there old enough to remember Bob Campbell and his red border collie Arch? Now that was the best dog I’ve ever seen. Back in the ’70’s or early 80’s.