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Treats at the retrieving line... from the October - November 2000 Judges Corner In the following scenario, a handler arrives at the line with a pocket full of treats for the dog!
Scenario:
The handler had used a training method that encouraged giving the dog a
treat as a reward for a good performance. This
handler arrived at the hunt test with a pocketful of treats for the dog,
intending to give the dog the treats while it was running the test. Question:
Is it acceptable/legal to
give your retriever treats while in the holding blind, at the line, after
completing a retrieve, after completing the test? Answer:
After receiving her e-mail
asking for my opinion, I promised Michelle I would think about this issue and
reply promptly to both her and the concerned handler.
After a short deliberation, I offered my opinion that the answer was no
to both acceptable and legal on several grounds, which I explained fully. I also
posed the question to field reps/national seminar instructors Bill Rath, and
Paul Ramponi as part of some correspondence regarding seminar revisions.
Both thought I was making this up and/or testing them in some manner.
I assured them the question was serious, and I was making a legitimate
inquiry. Only after receiving my
reply did Michelle tell me there was in fact an HRC hunt test in 1994 where a
Started handler was failed for giving their dog a treat.
A formal complaint was filed, with UKC backing the judge’s decision
(the hunt committee concurred) to uphold the failure, determining that no treats
were allowed during any portion of the test, and basing the failure on
sportsmanship, calling the treats training equipment. There was a lot of
dissention about the complaint with several club members feeling a warning was
more in order. The handler was
pleading the case that since you can use treats in obedience, you should be able
to use them in hunt tests. Apparently
the handler was wrong, as treats are not allowed in UKC obedience or agility
tests. Maybe I was the one being
tested! Some of you might have
already read my reply on the message board, but many have not.
Here is what I said. Keep in
mind I sent Michelle my reply before learning about the 1994 test where the
Started dog was failed.
I gave my opinion that in the holding blind, it mattered very little if
the handler wanted to feed the dog, but under judgment, it was a definite no at
Seasoned, Finished and beyond for several reasons which I will explain shortly.
I offered my opinion that while not pretty, and a poor habit to get into;
I might overlook a treat at Started. Generally
considering the four Started marks to be separate tests, we allow the handler to
touch the dog, pat it’s head, give it a kiss, or whatever after each retrieve.
I guess I would have to fall into the camp that felt a warning for
handing out a treat was more in order than a failure at Started.
Bill Rath had an excellent point when he said that this falls into the
category of “we can’t put it all in the rulebook”, so the judge has to use
their head. He also said that,
“if this happened while I was judging and I wasn’t prepared for it, I would
probably warn the handler that treats were unacceptable.
While the handler might argue, there would be no more treats at the
line”. While Bill and I both feel
a warning might have been in order for a first offense, especially by a Started
handler, I respect UKC’s decision to back the judges on the formal complaint
in the 1994 incident. I
offered three points about the legality of feeding treats during the test.
I stated that I believed we could not consider a treat a “training
aid”, since it was not something used to intimidate the retriever.
I did say that with a little imagination, it might be considered training
“equipment” (see the rules on Sportsmanship on page 20 of our rulebook),
which is not allowed during a test! I
also stated that while the rulebook says a handler can use hand signals, voice
or whistle commands to encourage the retriever, it does not mention treats.
Finally, I brought up a question about one of the five desirable traits
of a hunting retriever - desire. On
multiple marks, can a judge make a determination (should they have to) whether
the retriever is getting a treat for completing a retrieve, or getting one to
encourage it to go get the next bird? For
me, watching a dog get a treat to retrieve would be like watching the seals at
the zoo. I feel if a dog needs
treats to retrieve, it is not ready for our hunt tests.
How do all of you readers feel about this? There are two more things to consider. I don’t have any problem with treats for the judge or hunt test marshal! I like my donuts with chocolate on them and my coffee black, thank you. And there is always the remote possibility of physical abuse of the retriever to ponder if the handler is feeding any treats other than those produced by Purina, our national dog food sponsor! (Just kidding again).
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2006 All Rights Reserved Last modified: February 18, 2008 |