[WIBackpacker]

Some photos I took last weekend of the C Course trial at the National. I was lucky (crazy?) enough to be both the timer for the scribe and the last-minute-pinch-hitter photographer, which meant I was able to walk the entire course behind the judge, hear all comments and point deductions, time the grazes, and be up close and personal with every run. SO COOL.

It was an awesome experience. It's one thing to talk about structure, movement, independence, bidability, and intelligence in the dogs..... But seeing it come together is really something. Enjoy the photos.

GSDCA C Course by , on Flickr

GSDCA C Course by , on Flickr

GSDCA C Course by , on Flickr

GSDCA C Course by , on Flickr

GSDCA C Course by , on Flickr

GSDCA C Course by , on Flickr

GSDCA C Course by , on Flickr

 

[ksotto333]

How cool, love the pictures and seeing a German Shepherd with the sheep. Nice job.

 

[Cassidy's Mom]

So cool!

 

[sebrench]

Great photos! I'd love to see that in person.

 

[dogma13]

Great pictures!

 

[ausdland]

Very Nice to see working dogs work.

 

[dogfaeries]

Love this!

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

Do you know what breeders these dogs are from?

 

[WIBackpacker]

Cowboysgirl I can send you a PM when I get home, get myself put back together and sort everything out.

Next year this will be in Colorado, then in 2020 back to St. Louis. The herding comittee is ALWAYS looking for volunteers, anyone interested who can go, should go.

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Nationals is so much fun, glad you got to go!

 

[Jenny720]

Really great photos working very natural! Nice adventure.

 

[WIBackpacker]

Nationals is so much fun, glad you got to go!

Are you (were you?) here?

We just wrapped up our last agility runs.... awesome week. Met so many neat dogs and people.

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Are you (were you?) here?

We just wrapped up our last agility runs.... awesome week. Met so many neat dogs and people.

I haven't been able to make the Nationals for a few years. Works a bit better for me somewhere middle to East coast.

 

[mspiker03]

Cowboysgirl I can send you a PM when I get home, get myself put back together and sort everything out.

Next year this will be in Colorado, then in 2020 back to St. Louis. The herding comittee is ALWAYS looking for volunteers, anyone interested who can go, should go.

Now Colorado is more doable. Lets meet there next year!

(although I am not sure I want to compete against you lol)

 

[WIBackpacker]

I haven't been able to make the Nationals for a few years. Works a bit better for me somewhere middle to East coast.

Ohh ok. I have nothing but nice things to say about the agility crowd, they were great. And welcoming.

Now Colorado is more doable. Lets meet there next year!

(although I am not sure I want to compete against you lol)

HA. We can be very nervous and very highly caffeinated together LOL.

I think the woman who will be hosting herding nationals next year won high BHOT GSD this year, and that dog ran on Advanced A Course and Advanced C Course. Just... wow. So impressed.

 

[mspiker03]

HA. We can be very nervous and very highly caffeinated together LOL.

I think the woman who will be hosting herding nationals next year won high BHOT GSD this year, and that dog ran on Advanced A Course and Advanced C Course. Just... wow. So impressed.

I hope they keep it there and not change their minds like a few years ago.

 

[WIBackpacker]

I hope they keep it there and not change their minds like a few years ago.

Yeah. I'm not up to speed on the whole battle, but there are a few people that have been fighting really hard to make sure that the venue selected for the show is a venue with suitable C and A courses available within a reasonable driving distance.

A Course was held about an hour West of Purina this year, and C Course was held on the grounds but with a separate flock that isn't overrun or treated badly by people who enter untrained or out of control dogs week after week after week.

The "general purpose" flock at Purina has a reputation for being totally screwy and neurotic (for those reasons).

Pretty much everyone agreed that the sheep used for every event last week, from test level to trial level, were workable and honest. Plenty of challenge, and there were a good number of runs that NQ'd, but all the different events the sheep did respect dogs that worked well. You need to go next year.

 

[Keylogh]

That looks pretty open, the road is only suppose to be 10 ft wide, not 10 yards.
Were graze times a minimum of 20 mins? How many sheep were used? & how many advanced runs were done?..
Thanks

 

[WIBackpacker]

That looks pretty open, the road is only suppose to be 10 ft wide, not 10 yards.
Were graze times a minimum of 20 mins? How many sheep were used? & how many advanced runs were done?..
Thanks

I want to say the narrow road segments were around 10-12’ wide. The pic above was the traffic road, maybe 25’ width - where the vehicle passed up and back in Advanced and was parked in Started.

I believe the judge asked to mark the wide graze at 15 minutes (?) but I’m stretching my memory a bit. A few of the dogs struggled with the placement.

I’m not certain of the flock size, the same sheep were used for all entries. I believe there were 8 runs each day (Saturday and Sunday), with maybe 5 advanced and 3 started, if I remember correctly. There was at least one waitlisted dog (I think she would have been another Advanced run).

 

[Keylogh]

Thanks!
Do you know who was judging C course?
Wow, surprised judge allowed so much room for vehicle pass, good advanced dogs only need 10'. Wide graze also should have been minimum 20mins. Do you know what most of the scores were ranging? Last ?? - did they have any duck runs on A or C course?
Thanks again!