After weeks of rain it was good to have some dry and calm weather for this Level 7 trial at Salwarpe today. It’s a very nice venue offering plenty of scope for a higher level trial. We had 8 contenders 1 of which was a NFC entry.
Interior 1 consisted of a large storeroom which was filled with stacked tables and chairs as well as a freezer and some cupboards and a good sized kitchen. I placed 3 hides in the kitchen and 1 in the storeroom where I also put the decoy in a hole under the corner of a cabinet. The scented article was (GO) and was in the frame of a chair trolley. All 8 dogs found this scent. In the kitchen the 3 scents were in a steel cabinet (GO), 7 dogs located this one, under the shelf of a kitchen trolley (T) which 4 dogs found and just behind the door of a cupboard (C) and all 8 dogs got this one. Jo, Paula and Peter were all correct in calling the area clear . Well done to the three of you.
The Exterior search was the entire length of the building but only had 2 hides. The time allowed was 2 minutes which meant the handlers had to work their dogs efficiently before time was called. (GO) was hidden at the back of the bench and 7 dogs found this one. The other (T) was in a small wall between some paving and the concrete slabs. 6 dogs located this one before the time was up. The decoy was in an air vent. 5 dogs benefited from the ‘all found’ bonus.
Interior 2 was the main hall which contained 6 hides to find in 6 minutes. Going from left to right the first was under the second step to the stage (GO) and all the dogs got this. The next was in a grey pipe (GO) and again, they all found this one. The next was in a net (T) and they all got this. Saw some super knocks here with the dogs turning 180 degrees to check it out. The next was in a handle hanging from the handrail (T) and 4 dogs were successful here. The next was in a patio door (C) and they all got this one and the last was in a folding camp chair (C) and they all remembered to search the middle items and were all successful here too. 5 dog teams benefited from their ‘all found’ bonus. The decoy was under the stage.
The standard was very high, the handling was fabulous with lots of empathy and understanding of the dog’s needs. Not one dog indicated the decoys which showed some excellent preparation beforehand. This resulted in all the teams qualifying and everyone going home happy.
1st Paula & Bonnie Jazz
Paula’s reading of Bonnie Jazz has improved immensely since the last time I saw her. She totally smashed it scoring the maximum 150 points! It doesn’t get any better than that and she topped the day off by achieving her Excellence title too! Massive congratulations Paula!
2nd Vicky & Dexter
Vicky very nearly got herself in a panic in the final search as she knew she was on her way to qualifying if Dexter could find a couple more hides! However, she didn’t pass this on to Dexter but instead gave him so much encouragement to keep going that she not only qualified but came 2nd! You deserve it Vicky! Well done.
3rd Jo & Cora
Well the empathetic handling and reading of Cora that Jo displays is wonderful to watch. Cora is totally blind having lost her eyes and therefore wears goggles to protect her face. Jo speaks to her so quietly and clicks her fingers to communicate to Cora where she wants her to search. Cora loves her scent work and they have an extremely impressive relationship. Well done Jo.
4th Lynn & Dixie
This was Lynn’s first L 7 trial and what a way to start! They both work quietly and effectively and won a well deserved rosette. Well done Lynn.
Pauline worked Tess very well around Tess’s slight nervousness of a soft toy. The scent was quite close to it but Tess got enough encouragement to negotiate around it to locate the hide.
Heather & Rudi only just missed qualifying at their last L7 trial but Rudi had a good day and did Heather proud by working hard to get their qualification today.
Fiona’s Sage managed himself very well on the wooden hall floor, which I understand he hasn’t been happy on so two achievements here – a qualification and a bit more confidence on a surface he’s not sure of.
Peter & Coco. This team would have qualified but Peter is nearly at Excellence in L6 so he worked Coco NFC today.
Congratulations everyone. Your handling skills are superb and you’re well set for L8.
I’d like to thank Bridget for a very well managed and smoothly run trial. Also my thanks go to Nikki, my able scribe and her lovely dog, Cara, who did the white dog duty blind for me today.
Glad you’re feeling better Harry. Looking forward to seeing you back on the circuit again soon.
Judge’s report Level 7 Salwarpe
After weeks of rain it was good to have some dry and calm weather for this Level 7 trial at Salwarpe today. It’s a very nice venue offering plenty of scope for a higher level trial. We had 8 contenders 1 of which was a NFC entry.
Interior 1 consisted of a large storeroom which was filled with stacked tables and chairs as well as a freezer and some cupboards and a good sized kitchen. I placed 3 hides in the kitchen and 1 in the storeroom where I also put the decoy in a hole under the corner of a cabinet. The scented article was (GO) and was in the frame of a chair trolley. All 8 dogs found this scent. In the kitchen the 3 scents were in a steel cabinet (GO), 7 dogs located this one, under the shelf of a kitchen trolley (T) which 4 dogs found and just behind the door of a cupboard (C) and all 8 dogs got this one. Jo, Paula and Peter were all correct in calling the area clear . Well done to the three of you.
The Exterior search was the entire length of the building but only had 2 hides. The time allowed was 2 minutes which meant the handlers had to work their dogs efficiently before time was called. (GO) was hidden at the back of the bench and 7 dogs found this one. The other (T) was in a small wall between some paving and the concrete slabs. 6 dogs located this one before the time was up. The decoy was in an air vent. 5 dogs benefited from the ‘all found’ bonus.
Interior 2 was the main hall which contained 6 hides to find in 6 minutes. Going from left to right the first was under the second step to the stage (GO) and all the dogs got this. The next was in a grey pipe (GO) and again, they all found this one. The next was in a net (T) and they all got this. Saw some super knocks here with the dogs turning 180 degrees to check it out. The next was in a handle hanging from the handrail (T) and 4 dogs were successful here. The next was in a patio door (C) and they all got this one and the last was in a folding camp chair (C) and they all remembered to search the middle items and were all successful here too. 5 dog teams benefited from their ‘all found’ bonus. The decoy was under the stage.
The standard was very high, the handling was fabulous with lots of empathy and understanding of the dog’s needs. Not one dog indicated the decoys which showed some excellent preparation beforehand. This resulted in all the teams qualifying and everyone going home happy.
1st Paula & Bonnie Jazz
Paula’s reading of Bonnie Jazz has improved immensely since the last time I saw her. She totally smashed it scoring the maximum 150 points! It doesn’t get any better than that and she topped the day off by achieving her Excellence title too! Massive congratulations Paula!
2nd Vicky & Dexter
Vicky very nearly got herself in a panic in the final search as she knew she was on her way to qualifying if Dexter could find a couple more hides! However, she didn’t pass this on to Dexter but instead gave him so much encouragement to keep going that she not only qualified but came 2nd! You deserve it Vicky! Well done.
3rd Jo & Cora
Well the empathetic handling and reading of Cora that Jo displays is wonderful to watch. Cora is totally blind having lost her eyes and therefore wears goggles to protect her face. Jo speaks to her so quietly and clicks her fingers to communicate to Cora where she wants her to search. Cora loves her scent work and they have an extremely impressive relationship. Well done Jo.
4th Lynn & Dixie
This was Lynn’s first L 7 trial and what a way to start! They both work quietly and effectively and won a well deserved rosette. Well done Lynn.
Pauline worked Tess very well around Tess’s slight nervousness of a soft toy. The scent was quite close to it but Tess got enough encouragement to negotiate around it to locate the hide.
Heather & Rudi only just missed qualifying at their last L7 trial but Rudi had a good day and did Heather proud by working hard to get their qualification today.
Fiona’s Sage managed himself very well on the wooden hall floor, which I understand he hasn’t been happy on so two achievements here – a qualification and a bit more confidence on a surface he’s not sure of.
Peter & Coco. This team would have qualified but Peter is nearly at Excellence in L6 so he worked Coco NFC today.
Congratulations everyone. Your handling skills are superb and you’re well set for L8.
I’d like to thank Bridget for a very well managed and smoothly run trial. Also my thanks go to Nikki, my able scribe and her lovely dog, Cara, who did the white dog duty blind for me today.
Glad you’re feeling better Harry. Looking forward to seeing you back on the circuit again soon.
Karen Denton