GSD Match

Look at the reach on that dog!

We got up before dawn on Saturday and drove two and a half hours to Reddick, Florida. As I mentioned last week, the White German Shepherd Dog Club of America held their Nationals last weekend. (BTW, it's not nearly as grandiose as the GSDCA Nationals I want to attend next year.) Amongst all the fanfare, they held a match for "colored" German shepherds.

It was cold! This was quite the surprise since it had been in the high 80s the week before. Trooper got out of the car sure that everybody there was going to kill him. Sigh. Fortunately, the place was filled with dog people. They were very understanding about the eight-month fear period. Nobody spooked Trooper, but everybody vowed to touch him before the festivities were over. In about four hours Trooper had 20+ people pet him (and give him chicken). By the end of the day, he was cautiously approaching people on his own. Yay!

Trooper took first place in his group. He shied away from the physical exam. Fortunately, the judge was a professional handler who has been with German shepherd dogs for decades. He was kind but firm. Trooper was not allowed to be a shithead -- much to his dismay.

Run, Trooper, Run

Trooper and another dog had a run off to get Winners Dog. And we ran a lot!

• First we ran separately.
• Then the judge had us run together, the other dog front.
• We ran together again, Trooper in front.
• We ran down and back several times so the judge could see the dogs coming and going.

I thought I was going to die! When all was said and done, the other dog got the ribbon. I'm sure that Trooper's shyness -- and my running out of steam -- were deciding factors. Dammit.

Trooper's movement is absolutely beautiful. Hubby tried to take pictures and watch at the same time. I'm posting a couple that best show Trooper. (Pay no attention to the dying woman at the other end of the leash.) The judge commented on how Trooper got better as the day progressed and suggested that we run him before a show to warm him up and get the nerves out. OMG, more freaking running! Someone needs to get back on the treadmill.

Who's a good boy?

I think the best part of the day was all the people I met. Several I have only known on Facebook and via email. It was great to put faces to names. Others I'd only heard about from mutual friends. And there were some people I had never known before -- but I expect them to be good friends in the future.

The day also resulted in a coup for my GSD club. One of the breeders there hosts a BBQ Gala every April. She invited my club members to come down and get to know the GSD fanciers in her area. She also thought it would be great if our club would host a German shepherd conformation match at the same time -- right there on her ranch! The show committee approved and I agreed to head it up. (You know, because my plate isn't full enough already!) We'll be uniting Northeast and Central Florida dog groups. How great is that?! I'm so excited and have already started planning.

So, that was half of our very busy weekend. I'll share Sunday's adventures later. See you around the ring! -- K