Greene County became the center of the world for fans of border collies this past weekend, with several national champion dogs and handlers gathered for field trials on a farm near Baileyton.

"This is the best, toughest competition in the U.S., outside of the national championship," said Craig Rogers, of Patrick Springs, Va., a competitor at the Brandon Farm Cattledog Trials. He added, "If we had three guys from out west here, it would be the national championship."

Judges were members of both the American Border Collie Association and the U.S. Border Collie Handler's Association (USBCHA), said Dean Holcomb, of Clemons, N.C., near Winston-Salem, who is vice president of the USBCHA, which sanctioned the event.

Competitors from as far away as Pennsylvania and Maryland were trying to amass enough points to qualify for the national championship next summer in Scotts Bluff, Neb.

Host Richard Brandon said 100 percent of the entry fees were given back in cash prizes, and the overall high point winner took home a special belt buckle commemorating the event.

"This is an annual event," Brandon said. "We're trying to generate more interest in the border-collie breed."

Despite unseasonably cold weather, an enthusiastic group of spectators gathered on Saturday to watch the spectacle of highly trained black-and-white dogs herding cows through a series of gates in a large field.

Spectators had an elevated perch from which to watch, even if they stayed inside of warm vehicles, as a few did.

The women of Baileyton United Methodist Church provided food, and did a brisk business in hot chocolate and coffee.

Five of the top 20 dogs from last year's national championship were on hand.

"Most are working dogs," said Rogers. Border collies, considered by at least one study to be the smartest of dog breeds, will herd almost anything, but most often are used to herd cattle and sheep.

Steve McCall, of Glade Springs, Va., was on hand with his dog, Jessie, twice a national champion, and before that, twice a reserve national champion, the title for dogs under two years old. He also brought a younger dog, Reba.

Brandon had set up a large meadow with sections of fencing to create gates. About 40 cows were held in an adjoining pasture. As each dog and handler got ready, two men on horseback brought three cows out to a salt lick, about 300 yards away.

At the signal to start, the handler sent the dog to the far end of the field. To reach the other end, the dog had to go to the outside of an orange barrel, rather than taking the direct route, or else lose points.

Once at the far end, the dog's first job was to get the cattle away from the salt lick and drive them the length of the field, through two large openings.

Then the dog, taking commands from its handler, had to take the cows halfway back, then turn them and take them across the field, and through two white fence sections set close together.

Once the dog accomplished that, the next objective was a funnel-shaped chute. The handler and dog had to keep the cattle close together and herd them through the chute in the middle of an open field.

If the cows got separated and one went through the chute alone to the open other side, the others would see no need to go through and would try to join the first one, costing points.

The last task was putting the three cows inside a small enclosure, in the middle of the field. The enclosure was close to a gate that the cows learned, as the three-day competition progressed, would lead to another pasture where they could graze unmolested.

Some handlers used whistles to "talk" to their dog, others used hand signals, some simply shouted, and a few did a little of all of the above.

Believe it or not, several dogs and handlers made perfect runs, including Bill Reed of Collierville, near Memphis, and Rogers, completing all their assignments. Dogs and handlers were given eight minutes and 30 seconds to complete the run.

In the case of a perfect run, the winner was the one with the most time left. Brandon said Reed was the overall high point champion for the weekend. Reed and his dog were also the 2005 National Champions, Brandon said.

Brandon said most of the dogs that competed in the event are working dogs.

Some handlers, like McCall, use dogs exclusively to move dairy cattle. Brandon said he uses his dogs to retrieve cattle that get lost or stray from where they're supposed to be grazing.

Obedience training starts when the dogs are eight to 10 months old, and training takes 15 to 18 months. Brandon said most trainers start by herding sheep, which can't hurt a young dog the way a cow can.

Border collies are medium-sized dogs, with an agreeable temperament that makes them friendly around friendly people and children. They are natural herders, and though not normally aggressive, they know how to get serious when the need arises.

McCall said that for a border collie to be a good cattle dog, it has to not only be well trained, but also to be brave enough to move the cattle, and smart enough to lay down and leave the cows alone when they are headed in the right direction.

To win in competition, the dog and the handler must perform as a team, and each must do its job. A big factor in winning is being able to "read" the cattle, said one competitor. Other things being equal, handlers who work regularly with cows have an edge over those who work mostly with sheep, or work only occasionally with cows.

"In general, the fellow with the most livestock wins," said Rogers. Rogers said McCall, who has border collies working with him on his dairy farm "every waking hour," has a distinct advantage. But that did not stop Rogers, who normally works with sheep, from making a perfect run with cows.

McCall said his dog, Jessie, is so much of a working dog that she can see no advantage to going to the outside of the orange barrel on her way to first contact with the cattle, and that costs him 10 points nearly every time.

McCall jokingly said he believes he could explode dynamite in front of Jessie on her bee-line route to the cows and she still would take it.