Dog Sports & How To Get Involved In Trialling

There are a wide variety of official dog sports available in Australia, and as such an athletic, intelligent breed the Border Collie is capable of participating in multiple if not all of them. They have been known to travel from the show ring into an obedience trial and then out to a farm the following day to help move stock. We encourage you to learn about the world of trialling in dog sports - a fantastic way to build and strengthen your bond with your dog, provide them with plenty of mental and physical stimulation, and achieve fantastic things together. Trials begin at basic, achievable levels designed to consolidate the foundation skills in each sport, before progressing to more challenging and intricate work to showcase your ability as a handler and that of your dog, celebrating the work you have done together training to achieve qualifying passes and titles in your chosen sport(s).

To enter your dog in a trial or test, you must be a member of Dogs SA (or your relevant state governing canine body), and your dog must be listed on one of the following registries:
  • If your dog is from a Dogs Australia breeder on the Main or Limited Register, they are eligible to be entered and compete in any trials. Only Main Registered dogs may enter Conformation (shows) however.
  • If your dog is from a recognised working dog association or kindred body that caters for working, sport or performance dogs, you may apply for them to be listed on the Sporting Register. You must be a Dogs SA member and the application must be accompanied by their pedigree/registration certificate as registered with the Kindred Working Dog Body. See here for the list of recognised associations.
  • If your dog is neither of the above, you will need to apply to add them to the Associate Register available to any unregistered purebred or crossbreed dogs registering to participate in trials. You must be a Dogs SA member and the application must be accompanied by their sterilisation certificate and microchip details.
Links to the Dogs SA application forms for the Sporting and Associate Registers can be found at the bottom of this page.

​Below are the most common disciplines Border Collies participate competitively in.
Click on each for further information and rules.
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Conformation
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Obedience
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Agility
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Tricks
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Rally
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Herding
Click below to learn about some other activities that Border Collies can and often do train and compete in.

Learn More

Want to know how to get involved in trialling in one or more dog sports? Check out our video then the links below!

Our 'All About' Series

All About Dog Sports

In an effort to promote information about the various sports available and encourage people to give them a go, we have been releasing videos introducing dog sports.
​Stay tuned for new additions as they are developed!