dracina Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Hi all: Could someone please explain to me the "double-lift"; as in "double-lift championship"? I do not know what this means. What is it, what does it look like, and what purpose does it serve? Thanks! Karrin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracina Posted September 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 I am replying to my own post, because I think I just figured it out! Is it when the dog goes out, lifts and gathers one set of sheep and brings them to the handler; then goes back for a second set of sheep? Karrin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stockdogranch Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Two sets of stock. One set first, with the direction of the outrun specified. Once the dog brings them through the fetch panels, the dog has to drop them there, take a "look back," and then take the opposite outrun from the first to go get the second packet of stock (which hopefully has been set (in a different location, of course) while dog is bringing the first set). Once the second set has been brought through the fetch panels, both groups are combined for the rest of the course. A double lift sheep course will usually require an International shed--some of the sheep have collars on them, and the handler and dog must separate them from the uncollared ones. The ones with the collars are then penned. That's the quick and dirty version, A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracina Posted September 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Perfectly understood- thanks! Karrin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pearse Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 Hi all: Could someone please explain to me the "double-lift"; as in "double-lift championship"? I do not know what this means. What is it, what does it look like, and what purpose does it serve? Thanks! Karrin The use of "championship" usually means that the top x number of handlers from the previous trial(s) will runoff in the double-lift to determine the overall champion. Sometimes the qualification is by top x combined scores; sometimes top y scores from each trial. In the UK and Ireland, the top finishers in the four National trials qualify for the International Supreme which is a double-lift trial and from whence the term "International-style shed" is derived. In the US the top 150 dogs by points qualify for the National Finals and run in the first round. The top forty from the first round qualify for the semi-final round, and the top 17 from the semi-finals qualify for the double-lift to decide the champion. In Canada, it's the top ten dogs from the two qualifying trials at the National Finals. Occasionally, you can find a double-lift trial that is not a Championship. Jim and Lola Chaffin used to hold an open double-lift trial at their trials in Wisconsin but stopped (I think) when the entries got too big to make it practical. Now they "just" host four Open trials (for which we are all very grateful). Not all double-lift trials have a true International shed (20 sheep, 5 collared), and not all use ten sheep in each packet because not everyone has two or three hundred sheep handy. Pearse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaBluez Tess Posted September 1, 2009 Report Share Posted September 1, 2009 We have had several trials up here (4 that I know of) that had Double Lift. You had to qualify with two high scores from the Open runs and they took 8-16 dogs into the Double Lift. I managed to run in three of them (2 with Nan and one with Lucy) and just missed getting into the fourth Double Lift by 7 points. We would have made that except I gave a wrong flank that cost us 7 points!! First Double Lift, we placed 5th and we did the International shed backwards so time ran out and I ran Nan. Pearse won that one with is Riel!! I licked my wounds and studied what went wrong. The next Double Lift was with Lucy and she never did a double lift or International shed. We got down to one unmarked sheep in the shedding ring and timed out. We got 8th and since Lucy had never done most of the components of a Double Lift, I was very happy how well she did. She had one of the best drives. At home, she does drive 5-70 sheep all the time so that part was easy for her. I studied some more (especially in the aras where I lost points) and then just ran in a third Double Lift with Nan. We did great and got 2nd, just missing first place by three points. I screwed up on one fetch and missed the panels and that was 8 points. We got the international shed and the pen. Nan only lost 4 points on her drive. My goal is to make the Double Lifts at the Finals with Nan and Roo. I am still studying!! I will admit the first time I sent Nan on the Double Lift, I was thinking "Oh sh*t" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracina Posted September 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Thank you for explaining this! I am afraid that the only double-lift I have ever known had to do with wine. I am looking forward to seeing this (the dog variety, not the wine...OK, maybe the wine) on Monday in Portage. Karrin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaBluez Tess Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 I just posted photos of the "On the River" Double Lift with Nan http://deltabluez.blogspot.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Double lift? It's what my face needs, and some other body parts do, too. Joking aside, it is wonderful to watch. The Bluegrass has the double on its last day - every dog will have run twice on the Open field, and the top 20 combined scores run in the Double Lift Final. And, yes, the winner is declared the "Champion" and the second place dog is the "Reserve Champion". Now that's *my* definition of a Border Collie champion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dracina Posted September 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Joking aside, it is wonderful to watch. The Bluegrass has the double on its last day - every dog will have run twice on the Open field, and the top 20 combined scores run in the Double Lift Final. And, yes, the winner is declared the "Champion" and the second place dog is the "Reserve Champion". Now that's *my* definition of a Border Collie champion. After reading the descriptions and perusing Diane's blog entry and photos (thanks, Diane!), I have to say I agree- definitely champion stuff. The double-lift is very far in the future for me, but it doesn't hurt to study up. Thank you to all that gave such detailed and informed explanations to my question. Each time I ask something, and get such great answers, it just makes me even more determined to learn in earnest. When I started out, I never had the inclination to trial: my husband and will be moving to a small farm within the next few years, and I just wanted my dogs trained up to help out. But, I am afraid that the inevitable has happened: I am turning into a stockdog addict. I took both my dogs out over the weekend, and Jack is making some very good progress. I highly doubt that he will ever be an open dog (he probably thinks, "I highly doubt that she will ever be an open handler"!), but I suppose stranger things have happened. He's really doing a fine job! I am thinking that we might try it out next summer at a novice trial- but we (mostly me!) still have a long way to go before that can happen. My other boy, Marcus, "worked" for the first time in a rather long time on Sunday....and it was his first time working off the leash (!) and in the big field. He definitely has a bit of fire, but the natural skill does not seem to be as strong. It is still too soon to say, and I will try him out again. Hopefully, he will start to understand that he must bring the sheep TO me, not chase them AWAY from me. He was awfully proud of himself afterwards, though! The double-lift may never be known to this pup, but he sure tries hard. Again, thanks again for the responses! Karrin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura L Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Thank you for explaining this! I am afraid that the only double-lift I have ever known had to do with wine. I am looking forward to seeing this (the dog variety, not the wine...OK, maybe the wine) on Monday in Portage. Karrin Karrin, my personal favorite local wine is Wollersheim's Prairie Fume`. Wollersheim Winery is a family run winery in Prairie du Sac and they've got a couple of good wines. When I was younger I helped pick grapes a couple of times, that was fun. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 Dracina, I had never heard of a double lift either until a few weeks ago I got to see Diane (Deltabluz Tess) and other handlers compete in a double lift at a local trial. It was amazing. Just the distance to go out to the seperate herds and bring them though gates to the handler was amazing and then to be able to drive the herd through gates and cut out some sheep and shed them, wow, it was the first trial I had ever watched and it was amazing. For someone who has only started their dog on sheep a few times, wow, the relationship between the dogs/handlers is intense. I hope you enjoy watching, I'm sure you'll learn a ton, I know I did. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaBluez Tess Posted September 3, 2009 Report Share Posted September 3, 2009 The lovely photos that you see were taken by Julie!! She showed up so I roped her into taking the pixs!! Julie (BTW- we got 2nd place with that run- just missed first by three points) Diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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