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Sightings from the Saddle
By Sandra L. Hoesel © October 2000
"A Dose of Reality"
There has been a misconception among some handlers that as long as the dog * finds * a bird on the Junior course it will qualify. Not necessarily...
Junior level dogs are expected to hold point for a minimum of 3 - 5 seconds. This is normally enough time for the handler to get within normal gunshot range. If the dog chases the bird and catches it, that is considered acceptable at the Junior level, as long as the dog does not chomp the bird before it flushes. There is no retrieving criteria, so be happy and proud if your dog demonstrates a Master level retrieve, just remember you will not get any credit for it!!
Handlers should "kick up" birds. One problem inexperienced handlers (or experienced handlers with aging eyesight) have is locating the bird from time to time. Look at your dog. Where is your dog's nose really pointing? Take into account the wind direction and speed, as well as the type of cover you are in. Gunners in hunt tests are not supposed to tell you where the bird is, so if you have been depending on that, forget it! Rely on your dog. I have seen many handlers call the dog off a bird that is really there, simply because they didn’t read their dog correctly as to the location of the bird and gave up. You should have spent enough time working with your dog to know when he is on hot or cold scent.
If you cannot get that bird in the air with your foot, ask the judge if you may grab the bird and throw it into the air. Usually the judge will recognize the problem you are having and grant you permission to do so. Be sure to fire your blank gun at the Junior level, or shoulder your gun and follow the flight of the bird at the Master level. In all stakes a blank gun must be fired on any back course bird contact.
I have seen some mystifying handler errors while judging field events. The handler should KICK up the bird – not poke at it on the ground with his gun to get it to fly. The reason the handler carries an unloaded shotgun at the Master level is to demonstrate the dog’s ability to stand through the shot and the fall. The gun is NOT carried in lieu of a flushing whip! Dogs are very perceptive to cues and signals – clean and consistent handling in all situations increases your success rate.
If you feel you have to get down on your hands and knees to look for a bird, ask your judge first. It looks very suspicious when I ride around a corner to find a handler on the ground in front of his dog on point. I cannot tell if that handler is truly looking for a bird, blocking the dog from grabbing the bird, cupping the bird in his hands, or worse yet, planting his own bird.
I actually had this happen recently and the handler complained to me he was on the ground due to a "bad situation" and he should get to work his dog on another bird as it was a very hot day with no wind. Of course his dog was on point, right on top of the bird. Darn right it was a bad situation if you haven't trained for it! This handler went on to argue his point of another situation by telling me that due to the proximity of the bird to the dog, the dog was not going to hold point. (hhmmm – we are in a Master stake aren't we??). That’s the great thing about this sport - you cannot exactly predict the weather or what a bird will do, but you can sure be creative in your training! Think of every situation that could possibly or even not possibly occur (Murphy's law – these are the one's that do occur most frequently) and set up the situation during a training session. You and your dog will be much more comfortable if one of those "weird situations" does come about during a test.
Use the rules to your advantage. If you cannot find the bird for whatever reason you can always heel your dog off and send him in another direction to find another bird. It is not like a field trial where you are done after your dog has had two unproductive finds. The issue here is if that handler hadn't made such a stink about the situation and had told me he could not produce a bird and asked if he could heel the dog off, I would have probably told him that would be fine. He may have gotten through that test by running the alternate scenario and getting his dog on another bird. Remember to qualify, a bird MUST be produced, a dog standing point is not enough.
An AKC Hunting test is a timed event. Bird contact is the name of the game – make that your first priority. Birds on the back course count. You can get a call back for a retrieve or an honor in the Senior or Master stakes if need be. Once you have had bird contact, don't take the dog to a corner of the field to run it around in circles just to keep it out of trouble. The judges will tell you to hunt your dog.
Here's another tip…..handlers tend to tell judges exactly what will happen out there. More often than not this is negative information and the dog will fail, or the handler will fail the dog out of a qualifying score just like they told us! Most judges are optimistic about each and every dog that breaks off the line that day. If you have anything to say about your dog, tell us something positive and then go out and prove it! Your dog is merely a reflection of you..
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