Thankyou to Stacey for inviting me along to judge the level 1 and 5 trial at Haynes.Level one,I co judged with my partner in crime,Gloria Bonnell.
Thankyou also to Stacey and Chloe who both did an excellent job of scribing for me on the day.
It was a lovely sunny morning and I was pleased that I had been tasked with the exterior searches in level 1.
A white dog was used prior to the searches commencing
Level 1
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Exterior
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I laid out some 14 items on the car parking area of the venue.The 3 named items in question were laid out diagonally from front left, to far right of the start line.These were a brush from a hoover head,a foot pump and a wicker basket.The scent was hidden in the foot pump placed centrally within the area.All competitors were made aware of the three items,no one declined the offer of being told…
14 of the 18 teams competing successfully found the hidden scent.A few dogs became a little distracted,leaving the area several times.A couple more handlers were guilty of getting in their dogs way and blocking the scented article.
Some excellent handling and searching by the majority.A lovely exhibition of a flick back provided by Rolo,leaving Sarah in no doubt where the scent was hidden.Others to note,were Emma and Rupert and Jill and Bryce.

Vehicle
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The vehicle used in this search was also sited in the large car park of the venue.
It was positioned side on to the start line,the scent was hidden in the front grill,approx 25 cm(12 “)from ground level.
There was little breeze blowing towards the start cones,with several dogs picking it up fairly quickly.
Wendy and Daisy,5 seconds…….
I am pleased to say all 18 teams found the hidden scent.
9 dogs in total in under the seconds.
Some lovely searching all round,good display by Bev and Mac,Bev being very patient and holding back a few seconds to before making the call.
It was my pleasure to judge these lovely upcoming teams,and I am sure that they will go on to greater heights.

Following a short lunch break we moved onto level 5 in the afternoon.
There were 12 teams taking part,all teams were given a tour of all three areas and a white dog was used prior to all searches commencing.
I decided to use the full length of the building,for the exterior search,this is adjacent to the main entrance and car parks.
I commenced with the exterior search in order that competitors , could then roam freely,use kitchen and toilet facilities when we had finished.
Exterior
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This area comprised of the full walled length of the building,numerous doors,down pipes,vents and large plant pots.
5 scents were hidden,comprising of 3 gun oil and 2 cloves,5 minutes was allocated
The scents were hidden,1 behind a large plant pot adjacent to the wall and foyer entrance,no.2,behind,and at the base of a down pipe,no 3,in the hinge of a door,approx 50 cm,(2’) from ground level,no 4,in a crevice between a door and wall,at ground level ,and lastly no 5,behind another down pipe at the extreme end of the search area,approx 40 cm,(16”) from the ground.
There was quite a strong breeze blowing from left to right,towards the start line.
We had a few false calls caused by the scent being blown through and behind the first large plant pot,glad to say that handlers realised after making the calls and directed their dogs around the pot to the source.
Overall some lovely handling and searching.This resulted in 8 teams finding all 5,1 finding 3, 2 finding 4 and 1 finding only 1.
Excellent displays by ,Ruth and Dot,Rebecca and Marvel and Mandy and Mac,in 82,89 and 92 seconds respectively.Nice methodical search by Nikki and Theo.

Interior 1
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Moving on to interior one,this comprised of a small foyer,2 small changing rooms and small shower block.3 scents,2 gun oil,1 cloves were used.3 minutes was allocated.
Scent 1 was hidden under door at entrance to 1st room,no 2 on the rim of a fire bucket,halfway along the room on the left hand side, 3rd was also hidden under a door at entrance to 2nd room.
Several handlers blocked the first scent initially, by walking into the room with theirs dogs.5 of the teams found all 3, 6 finding 2 and 1 finding 1.
The fire bucket proved to be challenging to some,1 handler even calling her dog away from it twice.Some spent a little to much time in the shower room,going around several times.
Anne and Missy led the way home with an excellent display,finding all in 69 seconds.Rebecca and Marvel,Ruth and Dot and Gloria and Dylan also providing good handling skills,correctly identifying all 3 hidden scents.

Interior 2
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This search area was in the main hall,comprising of the full length of the front of the raised stage,made up of brick wall and cupboards.A storage room at the side of the stage.I also laid out some 8 chairs,the length of the stage and set back approx 2 meters,forming an oblong search area.
4 hides ,2 gun and 2 cloves,and 3 mins 30 secs was decided apon following a clean sweep by the white dog in under 2 minutes.
2 of the scents were hidden In the brickwork ,1 at either end of the stage.no 3 ,behind the door to the storage room ,stuck to the bottom of a set of ladders and no 4 was placed on the base of one of the chair legs.
A mixed bag here,with 7 teams finding all 4, 3 finding 3, 1 finding 2 ,and one handler decided in the interests of her dog to retire.
Never the less a good display of searching all round.
Rebecca and Marvel leading the way home in some 105 seconds.
Excellent displays also shown by,Mandy and Mac,Anne and Missy,Lena and Angel and Nikki and Theo.Well done Gloria for holding her nerve, when Dylan gave what looked like a good indication to us onlookers ,on the wrong chair,this didn’t fool Gloria ,and Dylan decided to indicate properly on the adjacent correct chair…Well done.