It’s a timed competition where Border Collies (primarily) herd sheep through an obstacle course, with accuracy and efficiency, demonstrating the skills required by working dogs.

For a really thorough answer, click here to read descriptions of the courses.

You can get there by car, shuttle bus, or bike! Grass Creek is located half way between Kingston and Gananoque on Highway #2 East. You can take a shuttle bus from three different locations in the city or we have bike racks if you ride out to see us and plenty of parking if you drive your car.

You can use Visa, Mastercard, American Express, debit or cash at the gate! Once inside the fence, you will need cash for most of the craft and food vendors and some of the activities (the lure course has a nominal fee, as does DockDogs if you wish your dogs to join in the competition). Some vendors do take credit cards or cheques, and there is also an ATM on site should you need to access cash.

Besides the trials competition, there are all kinds of activities for kids of all ages. We have the DockDogs competition, Agility demos, a Canine Lure Course, K-9 Unit demos, a sandy beach, swimming, and so much more! This event truly has something for everyone! Camp groups are more than welcome to come out. See the full schedule for details.

We welcome dogs, in fact, we kind of cater to them! We have vendors with pet supplies in case they get hungry, water pools for dogs to cool off in, activities for them to get involved in (give the dockdogs or lure course a try!) or get them interested in agility or trialling if they want to sit and watch! And, they even get in free (as long as they are on a leash!!)

We have a wide variety of local food trucks and vendors on site, with lots of healthy options and the usual festival favourites – salads and sandwiches, hotdogs, sausages, baked goods, icecream, or whatever your taste buds crave. Or, you can feel free to bring a picnic lunch along with you and enjoy it by the water or while watching one of the Festival attractions.

PLEASE NOTE: We don’t sell bottled water on site – we are a sustainable event - but if you bring a water bottle (or buy one at the trials) you can drink fresh cold drinking water FREE all day long from our Utilities Kingston Water Buggy!

Kingston has a huge variety of hotels, campgrounds, B&B’s nearby. You can visit www.visitkingston.ca for more information.