Level 1
1st Nancy Chalmers – George – 100
2nd Julie Bytheway – Jess – 100
3rd Marie Tompkinson – Bertie – 99.8
4th Jane Page – Dinah – 99.75
5th Kate Wilkes – Tali – 80
6th Gloria Bonnell – Jade – 80
7th Sue Taylor – Sunny – 80
8th Chris Whitehead – Harley – 80
9th Paul Kempson – Rizzo – 79.9
10th Harold Latusek – Zack – 79.75
11th Kate Wilkes – Skye – 79.5
12th Rebecca Jayne – Freddy – 79.5
13th Julia Reeves – Dandy – 79.5
14th Helen Taylor – Skylar – 79.4
15th Penny Harris – Lyra – 79
Level 2
1st Elizabeth Beaumont – Chandra – 100
2nd Carole Millington – Teddy – 100
3rd Jean Tuck – Zac – 99.75
4th Chris Bennett – Santi – 99.75
5th Jean Tompkinson – Neah – 99.75
6th Mary Allen – Alfie – 99.65
7th Keith Clowes – Monty – 99.65
8th Jan Martin – Mattie – 99.3
9th Alison Deakin – Lola – 89.55
10th Carole Thornley – Zoe – 89.4
11th Jean Tuck – Maddie – 79.5
Having a trial in a winter month always causes some anxiety – will it snow, will the trial be able to run. But I had no need to worry. The weather was quite mild, with the one rain shower coming before searching began. The weather was less favourable in the afternoon as the it was very windy but that didn’t put the dogs off. The wind did affect the fencing for the exterior search which some dogs found a tad worrying. I heard one of the scented items blew out of the search area, disintegrating into three pieces – was that the blue bucket that had a rather large hole in it by the end of the day 😊
This time we were allowed use of the little room opposite the kitchen and this seemed well used by competitors – giving them a chance to chat and have a drink.
There were 21 level One competitors and 11 in Level 2. However, with 2 very efficient judges and 3 very efficient runners the searches flowed smoothly and nobody had to wait around for long. The standard at Level 2 was very high with everyone passing. I was pleased to see Carol Millington come second in this trial as, at the last trial, she had to withdraw her dog from the exterior search due to his worry about the shooting that went off as he started searching. I was also interested to see that Liz Beaumont had come first with Chandra. I judged Liz in November and that time she came first with her other dog. I shall watch your progress with your dogs with interest.
This was the first time I have run a trial with 2 judges. The drawback I found is that time gets condensed so all jobs have to be completed in a shorter period of time. Tracy Ridgeway had offered to help at the trial and, not only was she an excellent scribe all day long, she also seemed to be there when I had multiple jobs to do, offering to do whatever needed doing. Thank you so much Tracy – you made my job so much easier!!
Thank you also to my other two scribes, the very able Helen Hepple and also Carole Millington – first time scribing and looking like she had been doing it for years. And, as we found out the next day, suffering from pneumonia – such dedication!
The smooth flow into the searches was down to the runners; in the morning Chris Bennett and Jean Tomkinson. Then in the afternoon I was runner for one search whilst Maurice Millington was runner for the other 3 searches, (including doing the running for 2 searches at the same time – a man of many talents). Thank you all – you were fantastic!
And thank you to the South Staffs people who cleared up the kitchen and little room.
Finally thank you to my two fantastic judges who were lovely with the competitors taking time to give feedback which I know was much valued.
It is always lovely to see how considerate people are of their dogs and this trial was no exception. Not everyone qualified at Level 1 – it was lovely to see how people entered looked for the positives – what they have learnt, what they can take away. In particular I was impressed by Sarah Morgan’s attitude to both the successful and unsuccessful searches and Paul Kempson’s attitude that he had come to learn.
Thank you to all you competitors for entering and for the lovely comments you made about the trial – much appreciated by all, especially myself!
I arrived at Little Haywood Hall to find Dolores in organisational mode with 101 jobs to do to ensure the smooth running of this Trial but she took the time to show me round the venue which was set back from the village and very spacious and very nice.
I had the pleasure of co-judging with Ellen Ward Lindley and we decided that over the day we would judge all four search areas between us so in the morning I was overseeing Tables & Chairs and the Exterior Search. We were introduced to our fabulous team of helpers who were Tracey Ridgeway and Carole Millington scribing and our runners were Chris Bennett and Jean Tomkinson. They were all fabulous and I’d like to thank them very much.
Dolores called a judges’ meeting where we met the competitors for this L1 Trial. It was a huge entry with 21 competitors but they all had smiley faces and were brimming with enthusiasm. As usual we had a mix of dogs who were very new to the sport and others who were more experienced and a whole array of breeds!
I started with the Tables & Chairs and most dogs sniffed out the right one although the floor proved to be a great distraction with many handlers having to work hard to get their dogs back to the chairs, which to be fair, most did very well. Notable teams who impressed me in this exercise were Sue & Sunny, Paul & Rizzo, Nancy & George and Kate & Tali.
The Exterior Search was next and there was a great secluded spot at the side of the hall which was reasonably sheltered from the wind which lent itself very well to this search. However, being on grass proved a major challenge for several dogs who did make a find but chose not to inform their owners because the environmental smells proved more rewarding! Work will have to be done with these dogs to build drive and performance in this area of the sport. Many dogs did manage this search well and notables here for good team work and handling were Marie & Bertie, Helen & Skylar, Penny & Lyra and two Wow! moments for me were Gloria & Jade who found it in 5 seconds and Kate & Skye who found it in 10 seconds! For enthusiasm, speed and drive Marie’s Bertie is most definitely one to watch for the future!
Congratulations to all who entered. Even if you didn’t qualify I hope the experience was enjoyable for you. A special well done for the winners Nancy & George and to the close runners up Julie & Jess.
Level 2 started as soon as the Level 1 presentation had finished and I was judging the Vehicle Search and Boxes & Bags.
I started with Bags & Boxes and the following competitors demonstrated good handling skills – Carole with Teddy, Liz with Chandra, Jan with Mattie and Mary with Alfie and Chris’ Santi was super quick and gave a lovely indication.
Outside I discovered the wind had picked up and was swirling with gusto for the Vehicle Search but this didn’t put off our intrepid Level 2 dogs in fact it seemed to help them! The three cars stood alongside each other with the one in the middle being blank. Almost all of the dogs found both scents in quick times and my Wow! moment came big time with Liz & Chandra which was amazing to witness! Liz let Chandra off the lead at the start and she ran straight to the first scent and held a beautiful freeze to indicate. Liz brought her back out to reward then sent her in again where she repeated the same behaviour for the second find and all in 29 seconds! Congratulations to Liz & Chandra who went on to take 1st place.
We had a 100% qualifying so well done to all the competitors. The standard was high and I could definitely see the step up in expertise with dogs having to find 8 scents in this Level instead of 4 at Level 1.
My afternoon scribes were Tracey Ridgeway and Helen Hepple who were great as was Maurice, our runner. Many thanks guys. Finally, I’d like to thank Dolores for inviting me to judge and organising a great Trial.
Keep up the good work folks. Hope to see you soon! 😊
Karen Denton
I was thrilled to be asked by Dolores to judge at Little Haywood alongside Karen Denton, and even more thrilled that the weather was on our side (considering the time of year)
As mentioned by Karen, we decided to split the 4 searches between us so that we both did all 4 over the course of the two levels.
For Level 1 I started with the car search, and my lovely scribe for this was Tracy Ridgeway who did a wonderful job of keeping me in check. I’m always so sorry to have to deny the find if the dog is too far out, but it conversely it is fantastic for me to watch handlers with a true grasp of when their dog is still working out where the source is verses actually indicating. Julia with Dandy, Keith with Lexi, Jane with Dinah and Harold with Zack all had to wait for their dogs to go to source, but doing so really paid off. Chris with Harley particularly impressed me with how happy Chris was to let Harley dictate where they searched on the car; while most dogs didn’t choose to change direction, Harley did, so to see Chris work with this and trust her dog was fantastic.
Boxes and luggage was next and Carole Millington was my super efficient scribe. The choice of whether to leave the lead on or take it off for interior searches can be tricky for some, but realising your dog is struggling with your choice and needs you to correct it is tough during a trial, so it was great to see Sarah & Richard, Mary with Alice and Carole with Spice be able to do this. It is also lovely to see handlers letting their dogs adjust to an environment they find difficult, especially when time is precious.
The handling and teamwork in this trial was a joy to watch. Congratulations to everyone who qualified, especially to our winners, Nancy & George.
After a quick lunch we began our Level 2 searches. I took this exterior with Helen Hepple as my trusty scribe. The wind was up and yet every dog found both hides which was most impressive to watch. The fencing we were using to mark the search area was causing a couple of dogs to be slightly anxious but it was delightful to see the care and compassion from their handlers, giving the dog the extra time and space needed. Watching people care about their dog first and winning second is always a delight. The teams that stood out the most to me on this search were Liz with Chandra, Jean with both Maddie and Zac and Jean with Neah.
Stepping out of the cold the table, chairs and perimeter search was my last one of the day. Tracy was again scribing for me. Repeating my theme of enjoying watching good relationships, Carole with Teddy really stood out for me on this search. Teddy was spooked by a noise and Carole quietly and calmly let him know everything was okay, he carried on and gave two beautiful indications. Other teams who stood out on this search were Chris with Santi and Jan with Mattie.
The standard was exceptionally high for this Level 2 trial and I look forward to seeing everyone progress as I have no doubt they will.
Thanks to the runners, Chris and Jean in the morning and Maurice in the afternoon, who were utter champions, getting everyone to us in good time.
And finally thank you to Dolores for inviting me to judge. It really is a privilege to get to witness some amazing relationships and fantastic work.
| T&C - A/F | T&C - H | T&C - T | ES - A/F | ES - H | ES - T | VS - A/F | VS - H | VS - T | B&L - A/F | B&L - H | B&L - T | Marks | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A/F = Alert Find | H = Handling | T = Time (seconds) | |||||||||||||
| Tables & Chairs | Exterior Search | Vehicle Search | Boxes & Luggage | Totals | |||||||||||
| Level 1 | A/F | H | T | A/F | H | T | A/F | H | T | A/F | H | T | Marks | Time | |
| 1st | Nancy Chalmers – George | 20 | 5 | 19 | 20 | 5 | 20 | 20 | 5 | 19 | 20 | 5 | 13 | 100 | 71 |
| 2nd | Julie Bytheway – Jess | 20 | 5 | 33 | 20 | 5 | 20 | 20 | 5 | 49 | 20 | 5 | 30 | 100 | 132 |
| 3rd | Marie Tompkinson – Bertie | 20 | 5 | 26 | 20 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 5 | 16 | 20 | 4.8 | 37 | 99.8 | 92 |
| 4th | Jane Page – Dinah | 20 | 5 | 45 | 20 | 4.75 | 24 | 20 | 5 | 40 | 20 | 5 | 97 | 99.75 | 206 |
| 5th | Kate Wilkes – Tali | 20 | 5 | 22 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 5 | 26 | 0 | 5 | 39 | 80 | 94 |
| 6th | Gloria Bonnell – Jade | 20 | 5 | 49 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 50 | 80 | 121 |
| 7th | Sue Taylor – Sunny | 20 | 5 | 28 | 20 | 5 | 31 | 20 | 5 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 51 | 80 | 134 |
| 8th | Chris Whitehead – Harley | 20 | 5 | 45 | 20 | 5 | 38 | 20 | 5 | 29 | 0 | 5 | 147 | 80 | 259 |
| 9th | Paul Kempson – Rizzo | 20 | 5 | 31 | 20 | 5 | 35 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 20 | 4.9 | 38 | 79.9 | 127 |
| 10th | Harold Latusek – Zack | 0 | 4.75 | 75 | 20 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 5 | 19 | 20 | 5 | 16 | 79.75 | 123 |
| 11th | Kate Wilkes – Skye | 20 | 4.5 | 47 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 5 | 26 | 0 | 5 | 75 | 79.5 | 158 |
| 12th | Rebecca Jayne – Freddy | 20 | 4.75 | 24 | 20 | 4.75 | 34 | 20 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 87 | 79.5 | 158 |
| 13th | Julia Reeves – Dandy | 20 | 5 | 30 | 20 | 4.5 | 17 | 20 | 5 | 52 | 0 | 5 | 75 | 79.5 | 174 |
| 14th | Helen Taylor – Skylar | 20 | 4.5 | 44 | 20 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 4.9 | 30 | 79.4 | 98 |
| 15th | Penny Harris – Lyra | 0 | 4 | 48 | 20 | 5 | 33 | 20 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 79 | 100 |
| Level 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 1st | Elizabeth Beaumont – Chandra | 20 | 5 | 48 | 20 | 5 | 35 | 20 | 5 | 29 | 20 | 5 | 75 | 100 | 187 |
| 2nd | Carole Millington – Teddy | 20 | 5 | 51 | 20 | 5 | 51 | 20 | 5 | 69 | 20 | 5 | 39 | 100 | 210 |
| 3rd | Jean Tuck – Zac | 20 | 5 | 61 | 20 | 5 | 58 | 20 | 4.75 | 6 | 20 | 5 | 51 | 99.75 | 176 |
| 4th | Chris Bennett – Santi | 20 | 5 | 19 | 20 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 4.75 | 118 | 20 | 5 | 23 | 99.75 | 178 |
| 5th | Jean Tompkinson – Neah | 20 | 5 | 23 | 20 | 5 | 90 | 20 | 5 | 103 | 20 | 4.75 | 93 | 99.75 | 309 |
| 6th | Mary Allen – Alfie | 20 | 5 | 45 | 20 | 4.9 | 32 | 20 | 4.75 | 101 | 20 | 5 | 43 | 99.65 | 221 |
| 7th | Keith Clowes – Monty | 20 | 5 | 117 | 20 | 4.9 | 64 | 20 | 4.75 | 60 | 20 | 5 | 61 | 99.65 | 302 |
| 8th | Jan Martin – Mattie | 20 | 4.9 | 47 | 20 | 4.9 | 58 | 20 | 4.75 | 115 | 20 | 4.75 | 139 | 99.3 | 359 |
| 9th | Alison Deakin – Lola | 20 | 4.9 | 65 | 20 | 4.9 | 39 | 20 | 5 | 54 | 10 | 4.75 | 63 | 89.55 | 221 |
| 10th | Carole Thornley – Zoe | 20 | 5 | 44 | 20 | 4.9 | 18 | 10 | 4.75 | 239 | 20 | 4.75 | 55 | 89.4 | 356 |
| 11th | Jean Tuck – Maddie | 20 | 5 | 52 | 20 | 5 | 27 | 20 | 5 | 61 | 0 | 4.5 | 75 | 79.5 | 215 |