Eastern Slopes Spaniel Association

Judging Situations, a starting point.

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These answers are my current leanings as a judge and I am always ready to learn.

Wayne B

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1. Dog sent on a long sailed out retrieve – dog comes up short circles back ¼ way back to the handler – sits down, waiting for handler direction: handler gives right hand back and dog buttons retrieve.

1a. Short mark

1b. Gave up looking.

1c. Handled perfectly back to fall.

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Answer: Perseverance is noted in the rule book as a valuable quality.  Obviously, this is not perfect. Retriever terms call this behaviour ; “Popping". Typically, it occurs when a dog has been trained to handle and there has been a little too much training.

Now judging it will depend on some factors.

Comes up short; how short? Five yards on a ninety yard retrieve? No big deal.

a) Was the bird visible to the dog? b) Was the line of flight visible?  c) Blind fall?   Make note of this and judge accordingly. 

Handling:  A+.  A quick handling job is preferable to a dog wandering a field aimlessly searching.

The balancing act will be how to manage the lack of perseverance and good handling. The dog is not eliminated because it “popped” nor for being handled.

In the end, judges take the notes and compare all the performances on the day. If other dogs persevered and pinned long sailing retrieves, they will place higher.

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2. Throw out of an honor dog that brace bird was dropped close to dog.

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Answer:  What is close?  Do you punish a dog for a gunning error? I would mark a dog up that was able to handle a particularly difficult situation.  I would not eliminate a dog for a gunning error.

It will depend on a variety of factors not just proximity of the fall.  The flight path of the bird; the dogs path of travel; the type of cover.  a) Wide open country and the dog in question is moving slowly and has seen the bird coming.  b) Thick trees, grass or bush and the fall is a complete surprise.

If  the fall is within 5 yards of the dog, it will get a complete pass from me. I guarantee that the gunner will be looking at me very sheepishly apologizing to the handler and promising not to do it again.

 

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3. Water retrieve – failed to enter initially – after much coaxing dog makes retrieve – does it place, drop down, no placement?

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Answer: In Canada the Water work is a Series and is judged like any other series.  This situation would be noted. If the bird is collected, it did not fail the retrieve. Placing or not, will depend on all the other work on the day not this single instance.  Does bold to cover include water? I think so. I do not expect a dog to perform a flying leap crashing into the water. A purposeful entry is preferred.

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4. When to call a passed bird

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Answer: This one is a pet peeve of mine actually.

A blatant infraction:

You are walking in mid-calf high grass, hunting straight into the wind, and the judge taps you on the shoulder. She draws your attention to the planted pheasant sleeping on the ground between you and themself. Your dog is ten yards in front of you, quartering back and forth, and had just “covered” this ground. This is not a bird that ran in from somewhere. It is sleeping dead center of the course and your dog just failed to scent that bird.

 

This decision is predicated on the fact that your dog was not, immediately prior to this announcement, working a moving bird down the course. You can not expect a dog to work two birds at once.

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It is also rather blatant infraction if the handler steps on the bird, literally, and it flushes.  The handler has advanced the line and the bird has been flushed by the wrong member of the team.

Use the same caveat as earlier regarding moving birds/two birds at once.

(Lord help the gunner that moves forward of the handler and steps on a bird)

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You know the rules. You are responsible to find all the birds on your course.  Don’t be leaving game on your course.

14.12 In game finding, the dog should cover all his ground on the beat, leaving no game in his territory.

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You will note in this instance, it is quite clear that the line of progress has passed the bird.  The dog has been provided every opportunity to hunt its “line of quest” to the handler’s satisfaction and the handler has proceeded forward, advancing "the line".

The Line is comprised of the handler and their guns, with the judge immediately behind. The judge(s) may be positioned to the right and/or left.

The dog will repeatedly pass birds if it is working the wind properly or the pheasant changes direction as it is pursued and moves through cover to evade the dog. That is not a fault. It is the proper use of wind and is the hallmark of excellent game finding ability. Game does not move in straight lines, and they certainly do not avail themselves of the flag line. The dogs natural ability used to pursue these moving birds, is of great value and, the more difficult the puzzle, the more esteem for the dog’s talent.
 

When game is moving on the course it is advisable for the judge to be reluctant to call a passed bird.  Where did that bird actually come from?  How quickly can a Pheasant move half the width of a course/beat?

There are too many occasions where I have witnessed judges calling a passed bird in a head and cross wind where the bird flushes in front of the handler.  How was the bird pressured up? Was it between the handler and the dog?  Did the wind change?  Did the cover change?

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There are so many variations of this issue we could fill pages.

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“The line” provides the demarcation point for judging a passed bird and that is determined by the handler’s position.

Passed birds or game left on the course needs to be evaluated with some serious thought into the circumstances.  If in doubt, I always side with the benefit of the dog.  True deficiency in nose will not cure itself by the next bird or series.

 

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5. Discuss actual examples of hopper birds and your call on each.

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Answer:   Weak birds are an unfortunate circumstance that occurs when we use pen raised birds. Wild birds would not present this problem.

We have traps/pick ups when the dogs are so quick the bird does not have a chance to get into full flight and escape. We expect bold flushes and hard driving dogs and in combination with weak fliers we require the judge to consider what is really expected of the dog. What is the dogs bird?  In western Canada we have plenty of barbed wire fence posts and they provide an excellent reference point to assist us with assessing height.  I ask myself: Can the dog leap into the air and catch the bird?  Fence post high or lower it is the dogs bird.

A combination of height of the birds flight, velocity and distance gained from the dog are the major factors considered.   I had an All Age dog flush a Pheasant on top of a grassy hill with a moderate slope. The dog pursued the bird following the flight for 120 yards down the slope. The bird was only six inches above a dogs standing head height during its entire flight and the bird and dog were never separated by more than a few feet until it was eventually trapped and retrieved.  No whistle was blown by the handler.  A+

If the bird gains separation from the dog through height or some distance and is pulling away, I will expect the dog to stop or be stopped.

Tough scenarios certainly occur when the bird is literally in the dogs face and the handler blows a whistle and the dog "ignores" the command.  (Under control at all times) This is at minimum “dirt.”  The dog is actually doing its job, the handler failed.  If the bird is literally in the dogs face, it is handler error and I will note it.  Further testing of the dogs steadiness will be noted during further opportunities.

Another unfortunate circumstance, is the steady dog on a popper and the handler waits to be tapped or sent.  The bird may have lost plenty of scent during this short flight and the dog is losing ground with any delay.  If the handler is frozen, I will tap them or tell them to hunt on. I am hoping for the dog all the way. Get me the bird. 

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6. Trail out a runner and doesn’t produce that runner.

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Answer:  Who knows what a Pheasant will do and we do not see everything that happens down the field.   Wild flushes occur all the time. 

There are two different scenarios that come quickly to mind. 

The dog makes the nest and immediately sets out on a trail and takes the moving bird and goes off the course and after some distance, say fifty yards, the dog starts searching aimlessly.After a moment or two you tell the handler you will meet them back on the course.  I have had nervous and savvy handlers start to tell me stories at this point. I usually smile and listen. In one case, I asked the handler if he would like to know what actually happened.  Indeed I had watched the bird volunteer from the exact spot his dog lost the bird. It occurred just prior to the handler coming to the line.  It was an A+ piece of dog work. Handler, not so much.

 

The popper. Now, as a judge, I have seen the bird go up and come down on the course and the dog found it once and now has to find it again. I am cheering for the dog and hoping they make short work of it. If not, there is some serious note taking and if the bird is not produced I can not ignore the fact.

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Moving birds repeatedly taken to the center line and crossing on to the bracemates course. What can you do, the dog has done excellent work and just can’t get a flush. I will not wear this dog out by demanding it do five times the work of every other dog in the trial. I will be looking to make sure that the brace mates are changing constantly because they are working double the number of birds. If not, I am now going to be wondering about the dog tracking planters scent from the center line. And possibly leaving game on the course.I will be making note of the situation the next time I come down this section of the course. Lots of birds on the course suddenly, no birds on the course again, etc.

 

7. When to call interference

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Answer:  I have seen people get quite hung up about the center line and the interference that crossing it might be causing.  “Mind the Center line…”

If you are within ten feet of the flag line I do not see an issue, unless the other dog is present in that space and working a bird.  Drifting across the line while quartering is not interference unless it is impacting the other dog.  If my handler running the offending dog and that dog is in front of the Bracemates handler, we have a big problem. “Get your dog back here.”  If it is not corrected immediately it is usually self destructive, as a poached bird and elimination is imminent.  Repeated requests on my part not being heeded will be noted. I will ask the handler to bring their dog in and  set themselves up properly.  If the dog persists, I will excuse them from further consideration.

Interference on the part of the handler is an aspect of trialing that annoys me to no end.  LOUD handling. The handler blowing their whistle and having the other dog respond to the commands.  That is interference.  I certainly note it.  Nervous handler or poorly trained dog having the “Hup” whistle blown repeatedly during an honour and it stops the bracemate.  #$%^&!!!

 

8. Dog returning to handler with a trap, spots another bird and goes after that, losing the initial bird, gunner shoots the flushed bird and dog retrieves that one and initial bird runs away.
 

Answer: This is a strange one. If a bird gets away from a dog, do we call it a failed retrieve?  The rules give clear instructions to the guns on this point. If the handler touches the bird it can not be shot, otherwise take the bird. 

Guns are not supposed to be shooting while a  dog is on a retrieve.  Is a trap a retrieve? Why was the bird shot? Perhaps, the gun thought it was the trap escaping. Can’t blame the gun if they did not see it happen.  This shot confuses the whole situation.  If the bird that was trapped had managed to fly, would there be an issue? No, it should be shot and retrieved.  If, there was no shot bird, the dog should be sent to hunt the bird it had originally contacted.   If the initial bird were a shot bird I would prefer that the dog ignore the second find on the way in. 

I have had a similar situation occur where a dog traps a bird, is bringing it in and flushes another bird. The dog spits the live trap out (which takes flight) and the dog focuses on the flushed bird waiting for a shot  and retrieve.  The guns are so distracted by all the goings on that they do not get either bird shot.   The dog was steady, showed excellent nose and drive. Indeed, showed excellent nose on the second find while carrying another bird.   Can you imagine calling a failed retrieve on a trapped bird being released?  If that were the case, in order to be consistent, every trap that gets away must be called a failed retrieve and each dog eliminated.  It happens, it's not an eliminating fault.

 

9. Short shot birds, dog breaks

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Answer: Was it the dogs bird?  Is the handler about to send the dog on a popper anyway? Why was it shot at that point?  If it is a popper I would reserve penalty on the dog on this bird.  I’ll be watching on the next bird.  If the dog is not steady on a good flush then it is eliminated.  I will also be asking my guns to not be dropping birds in close proximity to the dogs.   There are instances when a gun shooting a popper just before it lands may be the right decision. Very hot conditions, thin cover, etc.  But, never too close to a dog no matter what. Guns have a job to provide retrieves that are most advantageous to the dog.

As a judge I hope for strong high flying birds, just like the handler and the guns.
 

10. Two shot birds that your dog flushed.

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Answer:  What an opportunity. Tap them. Dogs choice, what ever the dog was watching.  The dog comes back with one, I am  happy.  Will I send for the other?  You bet.  If they are both dead birds within a reasonable distance and it will not hold the trial up, I will have that dog sent or handled to the second bird.  A regular days shooting, but closer to perfection, right?

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