PART TWO
Take your hunting dog to a competition Trials and tests challenge both of you
By ROSS MCLAUGHLIN Questing for quarry is a search for a
game bird such as quail, chukar, pheasant, grouse, or even pigeon. The point is to see if, and how, the dog works to fi nd its quarry. Is the dog under good control? Are the dog and handler working as a team? Did they fi nd the quarry? There is also a water test to see if the
dog will swim a given distance and retrieve the bird, and how well and willingly the dog performs. There may even be a small handling exercise where the dog will have to fi nd a “dead bird” in a given area. Flushing hunt tests have three levels but,
as with everything, these are multiplied by the number of different organizing clubs. Every testing group has its own basic tests and diffi culty levels, but all commence at beginner/puppy level, then intermediate dog level and culminating in a master level. You may compete at an entry level until you acquire 3-4 passes and then move to the next level. As in retriever hunt tests, you and your dog are judged by a set of guidelines with a straightforward pass or fail. Also similar to retriever fi eld trials,
fl ushing dog trials are competitions between your team of you and your dog, and all the other teams that are there. There will only be one winner and three other placements − four happy teams, and everyone else will have to wait until the next weekend. It is a determination of the teams that best
handle the challenges that happen while you are out hunting with your buddy running his dog right beside you in a braced run. Add in another dog, three guns, two judges, a couple of shaggers, a crowd of interested folks, and from this rodeo you must come out on top − often referred to as Hunt tests on steroids. If you’re interested in seeing what your
18 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
Springer Spaniel is capable of doing, join the Outaouais Sporting Spaniel Club for their Sunday training sessions, weather permitting, or call Ed Hassett for more information: 613 256-6728.
www.bounder.ca
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