'Sheepdog Olympics' come to the Scottish Borders

Hundreds of dog handlers from 34 different nations are in the Scottish Borders for what has been described as the "sheepdog Olympics".

The Sheepdog World Trial 2026 started on Wednesday at Huntington Farm near Lauder and runs until Sunday.

Tens of thousands of spectators are expected for an event which has seen record entries with competitors come from as far as Japan and South Africa.

The first rounds have started ahead of Sunday's final, with all the events being live-streamed around the world.

Fiona McMillan, president of the Scottish Sheepdog Society and chair of the world trials, has been part of the organising committee.

She said: "The buzz that's been going about all week is just amazing.

"It's going to be a pretty stiff competition over the next three days - these are the guys at the top of the game, they're all national champions.

"You need to see these handlers and their dogs in action because there's nothing better really – especially in the place where the border collie comes from."

Emma Gray has become one of the faces of sheepdog handling in the UK through her books and television appearances.

Throughout the championships, the shepherdess will be providing expert analysis and commentary for the packed stands.

Emma, who is originally from Hawick, said: "It's amazing to come home to the Scottish Borders and have such a massive event on the doorstep.

"To have the biggest spectacle of sheepdog trials in the whole world here is just absolutely amazing.

"I think the border collie is absolutely like the Rolls Royce of dog breeds - it's super intelligent and they're adorable as well.

"I can't wait for Sunday to see those 15 dogs who reach the final compete in that massive field out there."

Chris Toner from Lochgoilhead has been named captain of the Scotland team.

He said it was great to host the competition this year.

"This is a pretty major thing to have in Scotland - it's the Sheepdog Olympics really," he said.

"We have people from all over the world and the best dogs and the best handlers so it'll be a very good event and we're looking forward to it. "

Farmers have worked with sheepdogs for thousands of years, however there are concerns the skills needed to train the herding dogs could be lost.

They take many hours to train and fewer farmers have the time or need to train them up.

In the trials, handlers demonstrate their dogs' ability to control sheep while a judge watches and assigns a score.

Most nations operate their competitions under the International Sheep Dog Society's rules developed over the last 100 years.