Top dogs line up for South Canterbury challenge

Dog triallists and their dogs from around the country will converge on Springbank Farm, Levels Valley, near Pleasant Point, this month.

The Levels Collie Club will be hosting a Tux Handy Dog Challenge and Tux Yarding Challenge on October 12 and 13, in conjunction with Hilton-Gapes Valley Club.

''We've got top triallists from Southland to Whanganui coming,'' Cris Calder, on whose property the event will be held, said.

Among South Canterbury's hopes will be the competition's convener, Kevin Ashworth, Des Lysaght, Hamish Steele and Peter Boyes.

The handy dog challenge requires six sheep being put over an obstacle course and into a pen with a time limit of 10 minutes, with a judge scoring the effort. The yarding challenge has six sheep with a time limit of 11 minutes.

''It's a two-day event with the finalists running off for the title on Saturday afternoon.''

Those in the yarding challenge will also compete for a trophy which used to be awarded as part of the Timaru A&P Show.

The Tux competition is run nationwide and five events, are being held in the South Island to select finalists for the New Zealand championships.

Three open dogs and one novice competitor from each island go to the national final.

The next Tux event is at the Ashburton A&P Show on October 26-27 and the South Island and New Zealand finals will be held in Seddon, Marlborough, from January 25 to 28 next year.