Guildford Working Gundog Club - Special Puppy Test - 22nd April 2012
The test was held at Deerbridge house by kind permission of Liz and John Barnes who made up two of four judges with Toni Saunders and Sue Cradock.
Test 1 – A mark to shot with the dummy thrown into cover just inside the wood. The dog was sent from a distance of approximately 100 yards across a field and what looked like a reasonably straight forward test resulted in a number of dogs requiring handling. The dummy was in reasonably thick brush/bracken just about 6 feet into the wood but unless scented on entry the dog would hunt on expecting it to be deeper into the wood. A good one for those mad keen on hunting but harder work for the faster running dogs.
Test 2 – This test provided a real challenge to the 43 runners and helped show who were the very special puppies! The dummy thrower stood just outside the wood about 80 yards from the handler. He fired two shots, the first behind him into the wood to salute a blind and then the second to mark a dummy thrown into the lake to our left. Liz wanted the water retrieve first which in itself was a test as the dog had to run up the bank and launch into water that it couldn’t see from the start point. Then after delivering with a wet coat the dog was set up in the handlers own time and sent into the woods for the blind. Again, a number of dogs went too deep into the wood or struggled to be convinced that they should go anywhere other than back towards the lake.
Test 3 – A long mark to shot, approximately 100 yards through Elephant grass
Test 4 – A double retrieve two dog walk up. I understand that the test started with two marks to shot being thrown, one straight out in front, at about 80 yards and one thrown on the same line but much further to the right. To speed things up the dummies were thrown one at a time, so we had one forward each and then the second wider one, whilst walking up for each of the four retrieves. The wind was strong and almost head on for some of the second retrieves which made for some interesting runs.
The day was exceptionally well run and we were all back at our cars by 1pm for a run off between Gerry Price and Jacky Simpson for 3rd place, a challenging retrieve of a blind without shot of approximately 120 yards in a field of tussocks.
Thank you very much to the Guildford for a super day and for laying the most perfect weather for us. The rain clouds were gathering as we left but it had been a lovely fresh spring morning.
Well done to Jo Hawksworth for winning best puppy under 18 months and a COM. Congratulations to Mary Cooper for an exceptional performance with Firlewalk Cleo (sister to Stirling Davis’ Winston).
Results
1st- Mary Cooper – Firlewalk Cleo
2nd Mike Rollinson - Geordieland Kody with Woodruff
3rd Gerry Price – Loveridge Wigeon
4th Jacky Simpson – Tayfordwoods Gingema
COM Jo Hawksworth – Cottared Black Pebble
COM Wendy Glue – Tayfordwoods Saruman
Test 1 – A mark to shot with the dummy thrown into cover just inside the wood. The dog was sent from a distance of approximately 100 yards across a field and what looked like a reasonably straight forward test resulted in a number of dogs requiring handling. The dummy was in reasonably thick brush/bracken just about 6 feet into the wood but unless scented on entry the dog would hunt on expecting it to be deeper into the wood. A good one for those mad keen on hunting but harder work for the faster running dogs.
Test 2 – This test provided a real challenge to the 43 runners and helped show who were the very special puppies! The dummy thrower stood just outside the wood about 80 yards from the handler. He fired two shots, the first behind him into the wood to salute a blind and then the second to mark a dummy thrown into the lake to our left. Liz wanted the water retrieve first which in itself was a test as the dog had to run up the bank and launch into water that it couldn’t see from the start point. Then after delivering with a wet coat the dog was set up in the handlers own time and sent into the woods for the blind. Again, a number of dogs went too deep into the wood or struggled to be convinced that they should go anywhere other than back towards the lake.
Test 3 – A long mark to shot, approximately 100 yards through Elephant grass
Test 4 – A double retrieve two dog walk up. I understand that the test started with two marks to shot being thrown, one straight out in front, at about 80 yards and one thrown on the same line but much further to the right. To speed things up the dummies were thrown one at a time, so we had one forward each and then the second wider one, whilst walking up for each of the four retrieves. The wind was strong and almost head on for some of the second retrieves which made for some interesting runs.
The day was exceptionally well run and we were all back at our cars by 1pm for a run off between Gerry Price and Jacky Simpson for 3rd place, a challenging retrieve of a blind without shot of approximately 120 yards in a field of tussocks.
Thank you very much to the Guildford for a super day and for laying the most perfect weather for us. The rain clouds were gathering as we left but it had been a lovely fresh spring morning.
Well done to Jo Hawksworth for winning best puppy under 18 months and a COM. Congratulations to Mary Cooper for an exceptional performance with Firlewalk Cleo (sister to Stirling Davis’ Winston).
Results
1st- Mary Cooper – Firlewalk Cleo
2nd Mike Rollinson - Geordieland Kody with Woodruff
3rd Gerry Price – Loveridge Wigeon
4th Jacky Simpson – Tayfordwoods Gingema
COM Jo Hawksworth – Cottared Black Pebble
COM Wendy Glue – Tayfordwoods Saruman
