The Continental Sheepdog Championship ® (CSC) is an annual trial, organized by the Continental Sheepdog Society (CSS), in which National teams selected by working sheepdog organizations from Continental European countries can enter with a limited number of competitors.

The first Continental Sheepdog Championship ® took place in Switzerland in August 1985 on the initiative of the Swiss lady Odette Lieber and with Jim Easton (UK) as judge.

In a meeting held in connection with the trials in Geneva among the participating countries it was decided to establish the Continental Sheepdog Championship (CSC) and the aim was to repeat this very successful event annually. Thus, the initiative of Odette Lieber led to the founding of the Organizing Committee of the Continental Sheepdog Championship, ( CCSC ), which is responsible for the organization of this European Championship.

For many years, Philip Hendry, Chairman of the ISDS, chaired the CCSC until Jim Easton, his successor, took over. Joséphine de Jong from the Netherlands was secretary of CCSC for many years. Her successors in office were Liesbeth Wijburg and later Rikke Andersen and Maco Hoogenboom.

To make the CCSC and the organizing of the CSC more manageable a new constitution and setup is under development. The name has been changed to Continental Sheepdog Society (CSS). A new board has been elected to handle the daily business. A great loss happened when Jim Easton, who had an immense impact on the development of the CCSC/CSS, sadly passed away, therefore - as his successor - Dr. Viola Hebeler, Germany, is chairing the society. Also a new secretary is now in charge.

The CSS decides whether the trials of a country applying for membership are organized according to the CSC-rules and whether the trial level is high enough. In the first year, two teams (each dog and handler) may participate; their results will decide if more teams are welcome the following year.

The Continental Sheepdog Championship ® has grown from a small competition with only a few countries taking part into an event with now 17 participating countries running three days of qualificationtrials and a forth day with a Final doubble-gather trial. Now an event that fully can match the famous Internationals in the UK.