Gun dog retrieving trials

Sportsmen and dog clubs from Northeastern Oklahoma have influenced Dennis Drullinger in his original creation of Gun Dog trials. This collaborated development has refined a competitive and enjoyable way to extend what has become an all too short bird-hunting season. The concept of the gun dog trial is simple in nature. It takes on a team approach.

Handler and his dog competing to earn points. The same holds true for Gun Dog… you and your dog must earn points by pointing, flushing, and retrieving of birds, no points will be free. This type of trial has gained tremendous popularity because it takes the subjective nature of judging out of this sport. Gun Dog as mentioned above is quite simple. Points are awarded as follows:.

Spaniels hunt closely to their handler — they quarter crisscross or circle in front of the handler. Spaniels adapt their hunt after wind and terrain. The zigzag pattern is not a goal in itself, instead the important thing is that the whole ground is scanned. When the spaniel finds game she flushes it so that the animal flies up or runs away and then the animal can be shot. When game is flushed the spaniel should stop and remain on the spot — steadiness is vital for the spaniel.

Retrievers work only after the shot and should then retrieve the game to the handler. Unlike the spaniel the retriever should be able to independently hunt in a large area and retrieve game to the handler. In official field trails in Sweden they always use either warm game shot during the hunt or cold game shot before the field trail , but that can vary from country to country.

The dog must be steady, that means not leave the handler without permission. A spaniel must also, as mentioned above, be steady when birds fly up. In other words, the demands are very high on the dog during the hunt, field trials, and gun dog training. During the hunt and on field trials, the dog should be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible.

Hand signs, signals from the whistle, or verbal cues may be combined in different ways, and there are no rules saying that you have to use a certain signal or that a behavior has to be done in a certain way. Contrary of the obedience competitions, you may move around and do a lot of visible hand signs during the gun dog training.

Retrieving trials where any registered Gundog is required to retrieve articles of fallen game with varying degrees of difficulty according to the level attained from beginner through to national Championship. Here again are varying degrees of difficulty according to the level attained. For further information, contact Dogs West. Acknowledgment is made to the Victorian Canine Association for permission to reproduce and edit this article.

Home » Activities » Retrieving. Gundog Trials The ability and intelligence of well bred and well trained Gundogs is remarkable. There are two types of trials conducted in WA: Retrieving trials where any registered Gundog is required to retrieve articles of fallen game with varying degrees of difficulty according to the level attained from beginner through to national Championship.