The Irish national sheepdog trials are being held over three days from 11 to 13 August on the farm of Robin McNinch near Larne, Co Antrim.

In the singles class, 150 dogs are running over the course over the three days. Each run has a 15-minute maximum time limit for handlers to command their dog to move five sheep around the course. Every run is scored by two judges, with the two scores added together to give a mark out of 220.

Brace class

There are also nine handlers competing in the brace class, which involves running two dogs at the same time to complete a series of tasks with 10 sheep.

The highest score in the singles class takes the title of Irish national champion, with the top 15 competitors in the singles and top two in the brace class qualifying to compete in the international sheepdog trials in Gwynedd in Wales in September.

A qualifying system is used based on results from local trials throughout Ireland to decide eligible competitors at the Irish national sheepdog trials each year also.

Watch a video explaining the various stages of a run and the scoring system in the singles class below.

Results from the event will be reported on www.farmersjournal.ie over the weekend.