Kent, Surrey and Sussex Labrador Retriever Club
Novice Working Test
Held at Broad Oak Farm on Sunday 17th June
Report by Rosemary Saddler
We had three Judges and five Tests. 28 competitors plus one Flatcoat Retriever.
Test 1 was, on paper, a straightforward mark in an open field. On the day it caused a few problems with 7 zero’s. The mark was thrown a good distance away but problems were created by the grass being very tall and thick. Even when the dogs got to the right side of the wind, they had to be pretty close to catch any scent. The other problem was accurate marking. There was a dip in the ground on the way out which distorted the perspective of where the dummy fell. The handlers found it difficult to get an accurate mark let alone the dogs.
Test 2 was a daunting prospect for the handlers. A blind without gunshot. The dogs had to go uphill through the long grass where they disappeared from view. The blind was on the hedge line under a hazel tree. The wind was favourable though and the majority of dogs achieved with good marks.
Test 3 was a mark and blind. The mark was thrown only a short distance away on the grass. The judge asked for the blind first which was at right angles and again only a very short distance away under a scrubby bush. There was very little scent to help although a lot of dogs were pulled away to the right. Only 3x20’s given which shows how much it caught the dogs out.
Test 4 was a mark into the pond. Not a lot of problems here with half the dogs getting a 20.
Test 5 was the walk-up. Four dogs (two judges) in a field of long grass. The two dogs on the right hand side performed first. Dog one had a mark in front on the right. Dog two had a blind on the left hand side of the line. This was then reversed with dog 2 having the mark and dog one the blind. The two dogs on the left hand side then changed over to the right hand side and followed the same sequence. You certainly needed a steady dog for this as each dog had to sit through 6 dummies. The mark was in long grass but at least the dog went straight away for it. The blind was also in the long grass and much harder to locate. Add to this that the judges were also marking the heelwork ! Certainly a Test to sort the ‘men from the boys’ ! There were 9x0’s. And only 2x20’s, one of which was the winner, Wendy Glue and the other was Wendy’s other dog who also showed extremely good marks but let himself down on Test 2, the blind without gunshot.
So very well done Wendy for a great performance. Her winner only dropped 3 marks. Joint second and only 2 marks behind were Trish Taylor with her 17 month old who I believe were running in their first Novice Test, and Mandy Smith. Mandy’s other dog also went well but struggled in the walk-up. Third was Joy Venturi Rose. Joy’s two other dogs went well too but both came a bit unstuck in the walk-up.
Only half the dogs achieved a score of more than 80, so the Tests were challenging. But the judging was very fair and 20’s were awarded in each test proving it was not impossible ! As always it is mainly the weather and scent conditions on the day that determine the difficulty or easiness of the Tests set. The weather and wind direction can also change throughout the day which can mean that the element of ‘Lottery’ can come into play. But the weather is not predictable and dogs are not robots. It is the challenge of assessing the weather and giving the right help to the dogs for each situation that makes working with our Gundogs such fun and so rewarding when it all goes right.
Thank you KSS and willing helpers for a great day out.
Test 1 was, on paper, a straightforward mark in an open field. On the day it caused a few problems with 7 zero’s. The mark was thrown a good distance away but problems were created by the grass being very tall and thick. Even when the dogs got to the right side of the wind, they had to be pretty close to catch any scent. The other problem was accurate marking. There was a dip in the ground on the way out which distorted the perspective of where the dummy fell. The handlers found it difficult to get an accurate mark let alone the dogs.
Test 2 was a daunting prospect for the handlers. A blind without gunshot. The dogs had to go uphill through the long grass where they disappeared from view. The blind was on the hedge line under a hazel tree. The wind was favourable though and the majority of dogs achieved with good marks.
Test 3 was a mark and blind. The mark was thrown only a short distance away on the grass. The judge asked for the blind first which was at right angles and again only a very short distance away under a scrubby bush. There was very little scent to help although a lot of dogs were pulled away to the right. Only 3x20’s given which shows how much it caught the dogs out.
Test 4 was a mark into the pond. Not a lot of problems here with half the dogs getting a 20.
Test 5 was the walk-up. Four dogs (two judges) in a field of long grass. The two dogs on the right hand side performed first. Dog one had a mark in front on the right. Dog two had a blind on the left hand side of the line. This was then reversed with dog 2 having the mark and dog one the blind. The two dogs on the left hand side then changed over to the right hand side and followed the same sequence. You certainly needed a steady dog for this as each dog had to sit through 6 dummies. The mark was in long grass but at least the dog went straight away for it. The blind was also in the long grass and much harder to locate. Add to this that the judges were also marking the heelwork ! Certainly a Test to sort the ‘men from the boys’ ! There were 9x0’s. And only 2x20’s, one of which was the winner, Wendy Glue and the other was Wendy’s other dog who also showed extremely good marks but let himself down on Test 2, the blind without gunshot.
So very well done Wendy for a great performance. Her winner only dropped 3 marks. Joint second and only 2 marks behind were Trish Taylor with her 17 month old who I believe were running in their first Novice Test, and Mandy Smith. Mandy’s other dog also went well but struggled in the walk-up. Third was Joy Venturi Rose. Joy’s two other dogs went well too but both came a bit unstuck in the walk-up.
Only half the dogs achieved a score of more than 80, so the Tests were challenging. But the judging was very fair and 20’s were awarded in each test proving it was not impossible ! As always it is mainly the weather and scent conditions on the day that determine the difficulty or easiness of the Tests set. The weather and wind direction can also change throughout the day which can mean that the element of ‘Lottery’ can come into play. But the weather is not predictable and dogs are not robots. It is the challenge of assessing the weather and giving the right help to the dogs for each situation that makes working with our Gundogs such fun and so rewarding when it all goes right.
Thank you KSS and willing helpers for a great day out.
