Stephanie,
That's a small collie. I had a shot of it with a large-ish sheltie. Looked pretty funny.
Julie & James,
They're not supposed to touch, or even chase the sheep. Depending on level, judge and the weather in china, they can loose points or be excused. Gripping (biting) is a real no-no in the ring, but necessary sometimes in farm life.
A "real" farm dog was in the ring today with a sheep that wasn't cooperating, so the handler let him grip. He didn't let go fast enough though and got dragged along a bit.
The handler is also the owner of the farm and the sheep so she'd rather let her dog show the sheep who is boss than win her class.
The same dog took high in trial even with that bad run.
