Judges' Reports on the Queensland Championship

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Judges' Reports on the Queensland Championship

Postby Alan Donovan » Sat 23 Oct 2004 11:39 am

2004 Queensland Retrieving Championship

JUDGES: Elio Colasimone and Trevor Lodder

Venue: Leyburn

Trial Manager: Mr. Don Nicol
Trial Secretary: Mrs. Jackie Duffy
Chief Steward: Mrs. Georgina Golle
Property Nominee: Mr. Terry Crane

T. Lodder : Report for RUNS 1, 3, and 5.

As a judge, I like to test the handlers and dogs on some of the extreme retrieves that you might find on a days’ duck hunting. It is our responsibility to give everybody a fair go, as these handlers have spent not just hours, but years, and many miles of travel, to bring these dogs to this standard of work. Congratulations to the winner, placegetters, and finishers.

I would like to thank my extremely competent co-judge, Elio Colasimone, on a job well done. Thanks also goes to all our stewards, who helped over the weekend. A special thanks to Amy Lodder, my gun steward. Mention must be made of Terry Crane, a man of many talents, not only for having birds and equipment ready, but for also providing a welcome cold beer at the end of the day’s judging. In the evening, he organized the Lions AFL match on the big screen, in a Rugby League owned hotel! Also, we enjoyed ourselves at the pool table!

RUN 1 – Triple Mark
First two birds a walkup – Handler and dog head towards a long stretch of water – the first bird is cast 10 metres in front. The handler fires, then reloads and walks on, turning left . The second bird is cast left to right, across the water, 50 metres in front. The handler fires, reloads, and moves left again to the front pegs. The third bird is cast at 120 metres, left to right across the water. The pick up order is long bird, angle across water, then middle bird and close bird. This is a test of memory.

RUN 2 – Double Fall
The first bird falls on land over a rise, at 130 metres. The dog is sent to retrieve this first bird. 2/3 of the way out, a second bird rises from beside the dog, and lands 40 metres to the side, into the water. The dog is to collect the first bird, before being sent for the second one.

RUN 3 – Double Blind and Mark
Two shots are fired, while the dog’s view is blocked by a tree. The handler and dog then move into the open, and the handler shoots at the bird, which is cast at 50 metres, right to left, landing in the water, and screened by the tree. A line to the first blind is 120 metres through the water. The second blind is on the land, at 80 metres, on the same side as the handler. The pick up order is the water blind, the land blind, and then the short mark. This is a test of control.


E. Colasimone Report: RUNS 2 4 6

Ostensibly a Championship Retrieving Trial attempts to judge the relative quality of work of potentially the best dogs and handlers in the country over terrain and during exercises that that simulate natural hunting.

Reality often does not allow that close a match. However, at this Championship the Condamine River –12kms from Leyburn provided excellent terrain and conditions typically encountered on a duck hunt.

It was a genuine pleasure to watch the elite in the sport-both dogs and handlers show a range of high order skills as they went about their tasks.
It was also great to co-judge with a highly experienced judge and astute handler such as Mr. Trevor Lodder.

Congratulation to all who had a hand in putting the championship together.
Congratulations to competitors who entered and of course very high praise to the winner Mark Davis and RT CH. Beereegan One Tree.

Well done placegetters and anyone who actually finished.

RUN 2. Double Mark and Blind

An ideal spot for ducks to congregate –a little bit of backwater beside a curve in the river.
The handler leaves a dog behind a tree and goes to check the edge of the river.
Simulates disturbing a duck, fires –this becomes the blind (70m). Reloads.
Handler calls the dog up and fires at two passing birds. The first one long (70-80m), the second short (30m). The first mark falls out of view of the handler and requires some astute judging of depth, perseverance and initiative for an effective retrieve.. The terrain is interesting and handlers and dogs are not aware that both the river and another unsighted small body of water have to be crossed.
The dogs are firstly required to pick up the long mark avoiding the distraction of short mark.
The blind which is located in grass at the edge of river drop off is picked up next. The river curves significantly to the right so a true line should take a dog along an angled run cutting across the drop off. A poison bird sits a third of the way around the top. Dogs taking a true line showed little interest in the short blind nor were distracted by the poison bird.
The short mark was purely a memory exercise.
The high scoring dogs showed good depth of marking and initiative, good lining and handling and good memory.

RUN 4: A double rise and mark

A handler and dog crossing open cover fire at a flighted bird (50m).
The handler ignores that bird for the moment and heads with the dog to follow contour of the river.
While walking the handler takes another two birds …of which the dog has only seen one but has heard the two shots fired (80m).
The handler now has three birds. One out of sight -forward and to the right where the grassy river flat drops into the river bed and the other two in some high grass across the other side of the river just where the river does a right turn and the crossing is relatively shallow.

Dogs are required to pick up the sighted bird across the river first. As the dog is returning the steward places the unsighted bird in appropriate proximity.
The dog is required to return to the same area and pick up the second.
Finally, the dog is required to show some memory skills, marking ability to pick up the first mark from a relocated position.

Dogs that scored well had the “one more” concept well ingrained in the double rise. Their search pattern was usually quite tight and the work on the first memory bird from a relocation was sharp and efficient.

RUN 6: Double mark spilt by a blind.

The cream of the days crop arrived for the last test.

Handlers were required to leave their dogs at a high point leading to the drop off to the river. The handler left the dog to check likely duck spots and fires at a blind from below (110m), this triggered a flight (110m) on the high flat across the river that was seen by the waiting dog.
The handler calls the dog below and fires at another flighted bird up the river from one side to the other (120m).

Order of pick up is the blind, the bird up the river and the bird across on the high flat. The blind is located between the two marks.

For ease of handling on the blind, handlers are required to relocate to a higher position.

Good handling, good marking and memory were the key to success.


PLACINGS

1st No. 25 RT Ch. Beereegan One Tree Lab.(D) 259pts
M. & W. Davis

2nd No. 34 RT Ch. Kadnook The Pride of Cork Lab. (D) 254pts
G.Tawton

3rd No. 3 RT Ch. Reveiter Jet Kite Lab. (D) 249 pts.
N. and K. Eltringham

4th No. 14 Kadnook Tanks Aheap Lab.(D) 245pts
R. and P. Tawton

5th No. 23 Ashlake Bennalong Lab (D) 235pts
J. Palmer

6th No. 29 Beereegan Gunbower NRD Lab. (B) 226pts
R. Kennon

7th No. 12 Tallowood Ochre Lab. (B) 212pts
B. and S. Pritchard
Alan Donovan
 
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