On 25th April the FCRS Southern Area held breed specific working tests for Flatcoated and Golden Retrievers on the Penshurst Estate in Kent, by kind permission of the landowners Lord and Lady de L’Isle. Our judges Chris Marshall and Dick Pettett set four interesting and challenging tests for Special puppies, NDNH, Novices and Open dogs, each of which was based upon a shooting scenario.
Although we had a smaller entry than we had hoped for the judges reassured our competitors that they were competing against the tests, not each other and that any awards would be made to worthy winners. In all we had 32 dogs entered, with 20 FCRs and 12 GRs. Special puppy and NDNH ran in the morning and Novice and Open in the afternoon.
Despite waking to fog and cool temperatures, the day was warmand sunny with a light breeze. The woods on the Penshurst Estate were a stunning sea of bluebells with that heady aroma of an English Bluebell wood in late spring.
The morning tests were:
Test 1 – the Special puppies had a marked retrieve with shot, followed by a memory replace retrieve in the same area, pickedafter the mark had been delivered. The NDNHs had similar mark and memory retrieve over a greater distance. The marks were not easily seen in woodland with the distractions of a pheasant pen around.
Test 2 for the Special Puppies and NDNH was a blind retrieve with shot along a track through the bluebells.
Test 3 for both the Special Puppies and the NDNH was a water retrieve from the Medway with a shot fired, a splash in the water, and a floating dummy. The dogs had to negotiate a steep bank in and out of the water, which some struggled with.
Test 4 for the Special Puppies was an individual steadiness and heel work exercise while the NDNH undertook a two dog walk up with retrieves both in front and across the line.
At the end of the morning the following awards were made:
In Special Puppy
1st and the Bakadam Trophy was awarded to Tanya Beard’s FCR bitch Tychosmoon’s Light The Way. Tychosmoon’s Light The Way also received a special award for a puppy under 18 months, running in Special Puppy.
No other Special Puppy awards were made.
In NDNH
1st was Georgina Hallett’s GR dog Draco Dragon
2nd was Katie Aldred’s FCR dog Bakerstreet Charlie
3rd was Helen Cobby’s FCR bitch Waverton Ice And Fire, and
4th was Julie Graham’s GR bitch Chilzer Tilley
After lunch we were joined by a smaller group of Novice and Open Dogs who completed tests as follows:
Test 1 for the Novice dogs was a distraction mark into cover with a long blind up a track at 90’ to the distraction. The blind had to be picked first. The Open dogs had a similar exercise with a longer blind and a 45’ angle to the distraction.
Test 2 for both classes was double semi blind in the woods, with the Open dogs covering a greater distance. The retrieves were thrown with shot but the dogs could not see the fall of the dummies, only pull to shot and/or hear the fall. The Novice dogs handlers had the opportunity to observe their dogs and nominate which retrieve they would pick first. The Open dogs had to pick the first dummy to fall first.
Test 3 was a retrieve from the Medway and a marked retrieve on the bank. The Open dogs’ retrieve was a blind which had to be picked first. The Novices had a mark on the water to pick before their retrieve from the bank.
Test 4 for both groups was a two dog walk up with retrieves picked in front of and across the line at long distances through grassland. The ground was gently undulating and the fall of the dummy was not always evident to the dogs.
After tea and cakes were served in the sunshine the following awards were made:
In Novice
1st place was awarded to Sue Jackson’s GR dog Pandapaws Jamie
A CoM was made to Liz Pope’s GR Dog Chilzer Crosby
Sadly in Open no awards could be made.
The highest scoring Flatcoat of the day was Katie Aldred’s FCR dog Bakerstreet Charlie and Katie and Geoff were awarded the Varingo Trophy.
The FCRS are hugely grateful to the landowners Lord and Lady De L’Isle and to their estate’s keeper for permitting us to use this beautiful ground. Thank you too to Skinner’s for their sponsorship of our event. We should also like to thank our judges who were supportive and encouraging but rigorous in their judging. And a massive thanks is due to Tania Braddock, Colin Coley, Jenny Cooper, Jane Gray, Gary Pettett, Jo Smithand Graham Stanley who came to help out, firing shot, throwing dummies, placing blinds, and assisting with setting up, packing up and helping with admin and catering. Our day would not have happened without them and we are very grateful.
Sarah Young