Judges Report

Level 4 – Judge Justine
Good standard on the level four at Marston this afternoon…
I set up the tables and chairs and perimeter items search & the vehicles. Firstly the tables and chairs, I created a unique search space upturning a table and a chair and adding the rest in a random pattern plus the usual perimeter items… Decoys were a dog harness as one of the perimeter items and a piece of cardboard in the upturned table, neither of these caught anybody out I’m pleased to say. Altho the set up proved tricky for some the standard was good and was an enjoyable watch for myself and Barbara (thanks for being scribe 🫶)
The Vehicle search consisted of a ride on lawnmower parked long ways with a vehicle either end. Each with a target odour. Was a blustery day but the high standards meant everybody found all the odours albeit with a large variant in time (not that time particular matters to me!). It was wonderful to see dogs search off lead and continuing on after their first alert and would love to see more people have confidence in their dog to do this too. (This is why I placed the reward zone some distance away in order to reward those of you who were brave or confident enough to work on! The lawnmower attracted interest as even I could smell the grass on it but although it was checked thoroughly it evoked no wrong alerts 😉
Well done everyone was a pleasure to watch such a fine range of breeds doing their thing.
If I was to give a subjective opinion, it might be to ensure competitors always read the guidelines!! Also, have confidence in your dog, try not to breathe down their neck, you’ve gotten to level 4 because they know odour! Continue to believe, train well and have fun with your beautiful pooches.
Thanks to Kate for the invite and Cas for dutifully delivering each team for their search. A smooth trial 👍🐾