pruew wrote:Recently I was discussing the falling numbers in rials with a young friend who is comparatively new to the sport and does not own a computer. His suggestion was along the following lines:
That we do have a pass system for NRD and RRD. To gain a NRD the dog would have to obtain 'pass' points in (say)10 trials judged by (say) 5 different judges
What we could do is model the title system along the lines of Obedience, where you need 3 passes of 170 points or more for any of the 3 classes, CD, CDX and UD. A dog does not have to win the ring to qualify for these titles, only pass with 170 points or more.
The same could be done for retrieving where for novice it could be 5 trials of greater than 132 points (80% of 165 points), and as Prue points out by at least 3 different judges. All Age being a much harder event could be reduced to greater than 120 points. The titles gained could be NRD, RRD and ARD (All Age retrieving Dog). The RT CH to remain the same as it is now being the premier title to be gained.
As can be seen the retrieving situation is that much more restrictive which I'm sure puts people off and we never see them again. No wonder Obedience competitions are that much more popular.
The bulk of the retrieving trial fraternity are just thumping their head against the proverbial brick wall.
The argument that "it's been this way for ages" just does not apply if we want retrieving to continue.