Was it cold and wet! Even so 27 handlers brought their dogs to Twigmoor Woods and enjoyed a morning’s training and the competition in the afternoon.
Sue Lowe trained the Puppies, Vicki Strawson Novice 1, Julie Campbell Novice 2 and Will Hales the Open dogs. Our afternoon judges were Will Hales, Julie Campbell, Mike Birchall and Sue Lowe.
Test 1 The puppies had a short single mark. The other groups had a mark with a dummy put in the same place as the dog was returning. The more experienced the group, the greater the distance.
Test 2 was a one dog walk up for puppies with a mark and a two dog walk up for the other classes with a mark and a blind at varying distances.
Test 3 The puppies had a mark just into the edge of cover. Novice 1 had a double mark, picking the last one down first, Novice 2’s double was over the same distance but the first one down was picked first. The open test was over a greater distance, again picking the first one down first.
Test 4 For the puppies, it was a mark just a short distance into cover followed by a white dummy thrown in the same place as puppy returned to handler. Novice 1 had a mark along a bank followed by blind (which could be seen by handler) over the dyke. Novice 2 dogs worked over a greater distance and picked the blind first. The distance for Open dogs was greater still.
Results:
Puppy:
1st Tom Sagar with Jinks
2nd Alan Lord with Blue
3rd Rob Robinson with Jack
Novice 1:
1st Marc Salt with Otter
2nd M. Lord with Tay
3rd Mike Williams with Sasha
Novice 2:
1st Richard East with Skye
2nd Barry Wilkinson with Bailey
3rd Jane Sawyer with Splash
Open:
1st Margaret Pearce with Ebor
2nd Nessa Thompson with Willow
3rd P. Marriner with Sky