Sheep dog trials return to Albany Agricultural Show after two year absence

After a two-year absence, Western Australian Working Sheep Dogs Association members are excited to return to competitive trials as part of this year’s Albany Show.

Trials will take place throughout the show with between 150 to 200 runs expected to be held across the four classes: open, improver, novice and encourage.

Great Southern Working Sheep Dog Club vice president Marianne Rogers organises the Albany trials.

She said the she knew association members had missed making the trip in 2020 and 2021.

“We’ve had a lot of disruption to trials so it will be great to be back,” she said.

“The National Sheep Dog Trials were recently held over in Tasmania where it was very wet, so I’m sure everybody is looking forward to coming to Albany where it might not be so wet.”

Ms Rogers said the top classes will do their runs earlier in the weekend “because we want to give the them a really fair go”.

“We’ll then go onto the junior classes, but then have the final for the top class at the end,” she said.

“People will be able to see a whole range of dogs working, which is always quite interesting.”