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A boat is used at the Started test (re-printed from the October - November, 2003 Judges Corner)
Scenario:
The Started judges decided that they’d run the dogs out of a boat at the
water test. Enough said! Question:
Can you really do that?
Answer: You
no doubt remember the classic movie, “A Connecticut Yankee in King
Author’s Court”. How
about, “A Southern Illinois Judge Holds Court at Yankee Waterfowlers in
Connecticut”? Yes, the licensed
judge was yours truly. And when
informed that my co-judge and I decided it would be great fun to run the
Started retrievers out of a nifty little “sneak” boat, a high-ranking HRC
official in attendance (who will naturally remain anonymous) actually did say,
“can you really do that?” In
all seriousness, I personally believe we don’t give our Started dogs the
challenges they need, nor the credit they deserve at many of our hunt tests.
The Started Rules and Guidelines, Purpose and Philosophy on page 29
states, “A Started Hunting Retriever should be able to do a simple dove
or waterfowl hunt…” On page 30, under Hunting Equipment, it says, “Hunting
equipment such as boats, decoys, duck blinds, calls, etc. will be used in
these tests”. As
judges, especially at the lower levels, we have a responsibility to construct
fair tests, and be careful our setups do not hinder the dogs’ performance or
cause training problems for young dogs. My
apprentice judge showed me a beautiful little cove that I agreed would make an
ideal Started water test site. He
indicated that despite several retriever clubs using the property, none had
ever run from that location due to the difficulty in accessing it because of
the muddy conditions. I asked if
the sneak boat I’d seen was available for our use and he said it was.
Here is what we did to make the dogs successful.
The boat was not floating, but set on firm, albeit very wet ground and
anchored with stout, well-camouflaged posts to make it essentially a very
secure and stable “platform”. It
had very low sides. Carpet was put in the boat bottom for firm footing.
Handlers could get in the boat, and kneel or sit on a stool or the boat
gunwale. By the way, another boat
was set on dry ground in the Started parking area and handlers were encouraged
to let their dogs practice getting in and out of it (and retrieve from it if
they wanted). The dogs were sent
from the boat, but of course only had to deliver in close proximity to it.
The marks were very visible, one thrown essentially off each end of the
boat to give good separation. The
dogs ran from the boat, breaking through light cover for the ducks that landed
in fairly open water. To our delight, but not surprise, not one handler said a
word about having to run their Started dogs from a boat and better still –
not one single dog had a bit of trouble doing it!
By the way, I can’t close this scenario without saying something about Yankee Waterfowlers HRC. They’re a great bunch of folks, despite many having difficulties pronouncing the word “dawg” properly. Enthusiastic, well organized, and with great dogs, they have wholeheartedly embraced HRC and our Purpose and Philosophy. They will provide a solid anchor and strong support to other clubs joining us from the New England area. Is there such a thing as judges going overboard to make a dog successful? Take a look at this Seasoned land scenario I was sent a while back and you tell me. |
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The Judges Corner - copyright
2006 All Rights Reserved Last modified: February 18, 2008 |