Aiden – Day 2 at Agility Trial

Today was day 2 of the Western Massachusetts Shetland Sheepdog Agility Trial. Unfortunately for EVERYBODY the day started with rain.

Aiden’s first class of the day was Time to Beat Preferred . He misjudged the entry to the weave poles after a jump. In T2B are not able to knock any bars down or go off course to qualify, but refusals and missed entries to the poles are okay as long as you complete the obstacle. When I called Aiden back to restart the poles he unfortunately took an off course jump which disqualified him. Other than that it was a good run.

Aiden next class was Masters Jumpers with Weaves Preferred. It was pouring. Aiden tried hard but ended up knocking three bars.

Trying our best to stay out of the rain

One thing about outdoor trials you are always at the mercy of Mother Nature.

The judge wheeling the course in the rain!

It started to clear up a little by the afternoon and Aiden’s next class was Masters Standard Preferred. He had a really good run…..but nearly went off course. I screamed his name and called him off the wrong jump.  As he came back to me you can hear the reaction from the crowd. The rest of the run went smoothly and Aiden qualified with 1st place and earned 29 PACH points.

The last class of the day was Premier Jumpers with Weaves Preferred. It was a difficult course with backside jumps, wraps and 270 degree turns. Aiden knocked the first jump but otherwise had a good run.

We don’t often trial in the western part of the state. All weekend long people that we don’t know came up to us to compliment Aiden. They all commented on his looks, drive, temperament and said he is what all German Shepherds should be like and asked where he came from. There was a UKC conformation trial at the same site. Several of the conformation competitors came over to watch the agility. A few stopped by and commented on what a great dog Aiden is. Of course we feel that way but it is nice when other people say it. We all know A-T GSDs are the best.