Gundog Society trial cancelled

[John Lawton]

Well Maureen this is a late posting, I don't get on this site very much. It is terrible to cancel a trial after all the pre- preperation and expence that takes place prior to the trial, not many people understand or care on what takes place prior to a trial. been there, done that, but thats another tale.

It appears that a lot of people are missing the big picture.
What is it saying when people are not entering the trials?

For most people trailling is an enjoyable sport, it is a test of ability between you and your dog, over a set of standards thought up by the judicating judge of the day. Weather it be Novice, Restricted or All Age
You start off with 165 points and you slowly lose them by either you or your dogs misdemeaners. You all know how it goes.

The other part of trialling is the 'friendship' you make with other triallers. We all have the common interest in the pleasure in working our dogs. Some people like absailing off cliffs, others like Lawn Bowls.
We like the pleasure of our canine companions and thats the way it is.

In over twenty years of trialling dogs we have made many friends both local and interstate, naturally when we meet personally or over the phone we talk dogs. Speaking to friends north of the border over the past eighteen months or so, their has been some concern of the triallers with new dogs coming into the scene and then dropping off - Why is this so?

In the second breath, the comments made are that some Judges are setting a higher standard for the dogs to achieve. Are these so called high standards set that only a very small percentage of dogs can achieve on the set day, maybe so, but what happens to the other competitors who have entered and been eliminated in the first or second round. These competitors who have been eliminated continously drop out and go absailing instead.
It may be that the dog is a young dog coming through the ranks, needing experience or that the handler requires more guidance in dog handling for that stake he has entered - Think about it.

Is it time for the Judges to have a good look at the position they are placing the clubs and the competitors in? Lets look at that - A club hosts a trial, advertises it, orders pigeons, buys trophys and prints the sashes, organises the stewards (either by threat or bribary) A lot of time and expence, prior to the trial.
The competitors - read the schedual, look what stakes are offered and who are the judges. Triallers get to know the idiosyncrasies of certain Judges, doing this they decide whether to enter or not.

Back to the host club - Closing date comes and only two entries, expences have already been encured, the Judge and club offical may have already been to the site to check it out 'expence again'.
So where do we go from here?

Here you have a Judge standing in the middle of a paddock, runs set up, with his score sheet in his pocket and no one to judge.

Now don't get me wrong - The Judges are a very important part of our trialling scene, they are very unselfish, go out of their way to assist the clubs and incurr quite considerable expences themselves, plus take a lot of crap. Quite a few competitors don't comprehend what effort the judges put in.

Is it time the Judges work in with the clubs and allow the score sheet to decide the winner rather than mass elimination. Judges to set the runs to a reasonable standard, achievable by the majority of dogs, naturally some dogs will self eliminate themselves in the course of the trial.
I am not saying that the runs be made so simple that a pup can complete the runs. The runs should be of a standard according to the stake, with out being of an extreme ungettable proposal.

The competitors, as well as the clubs and also judges are an integral part of the trialing scene.
The clubs need the competitors for there entry fees to cover running expences, They are needed to assist on the throwers and to act as stewards, some are also required to assist in the food tent.

The bottom line being, that all Judges, Trial managers and Competitors have a good look at the direction we are heading before all trials cease to function.

[Maureen Cooper]

Thank you for your comments, John. What you say is so very true. We had a big discussion re the cancellation of our trial at our meeting this week and if we had had a property in the Sydney basin to use we would not have cancelled the Novice Stake but as I said previously, we have lost ALL our local sites and until someone can come up with one that's the way it will remain. It is very easy to criticise but not offer an alternative!

Peter (Doley) I have to say that with all trials in NSW, the handlers receive their running cards and directions( mud map) to the trial site which is NOT done in Victoria!!! Having competed many times over many years in Victoria, I had no idea where Switzerland, Loddings, King Parrot Creek were etc etc so when we return cards etc to newbies we like them to know where to go! Therefore closing date is longer to allow for this.

Maureen