It was a pleasure to judge the competitors at Longham on Saturday 26th September for Level 1 & 2, even if the weather was less than favourable. A lovely venue and plenty of space to set out searches. Nerves were held in check for the most part by the handlers and the dogs.
It was a real mix of trial experience but great to see people new to the sport having a go at their first Level 1 Trial and I hope that the feedback I offered gave them some insight in to their team game.
There was some really lovely handling at both levels but one thing that stood out to me a lot was how much the handlers were ‘nagging’ their dogs whilst they were searching. Remember folks, once your dog gets its nose in gear, you are just an observer, your job then is to wait until they tell you they have made their find. Don’t be another distraction in an already distracting environment.
Sarah & Bodger romped home at Level 1 with a clean sweep and full marks, having seen this lad a couple of years back, it was clear how much work had gone in to perfecting his skills in a search set up. Well done.
Little Lacey the Cocker Spaniel and handler Gwen also stood out for me, keen and eager little dog who had no doubt what the job at hand was and at just a year old, the handlers skill was evident.
Level 2 the rain lightened a little and with the lack of available vehicles a wall search was the order of the day and what a wonderful wall it was!! Full of little holes and gaps to get a hide in. The dogs done so well on this, not one of the boys left a mark and the dogs and handlers worked out their best way to work it. Fantastic handling all round on this element.
Rosemary and Harley worked really hard and for a PBGVD it was a hard task to stay on task with the wind blowing such awesome scents his way.
The exuberance of Horace was the total opposite of Harley but handled well by Blanka and hopefully my comments will have some impact on the trained final response for this lad.
Prince and Sarah were methodical and worked really well as a team deserving of their first place.
Loryn and Chekka proved how much scentwork can benefit all dogs of all ages and all fitness levels, coming back from a spinal stroke this beaut of a collie was enthusiastic and keen and had an amazing time.
To all who took part, well done and congratulations. I could waffle on for ages about all of you but these reports are supposed to be brief.