I am a newbie, live in Hampshire with a 3 year old Labrador who has been trained as a gun dog. I do not shoot but would like to see how he performs in local competitions. However, apart from a couple of farm open days where I have entered Benson in events such as scurries I have found little to challenge him. Any advice would be much appreciated. Roger
Re: Competitions I've never competed myself but I do know the Hampshire Gundog Society run Working Tests and Trials if that's your bag. They have a website And Benson is a great name and a very handsome boy! Welcome
Re: Competitions Benson is a very handsome chap. Quite dignified Good luck with the competitions, hope you find something that suits. Jac and Lilly (never-in-a-million-years-would-make-it-as-a-gundog) black lab girl at 3 and a half.
Re: Competitions Hi Roger, welcome to you and Benson. What a handsome lad What sort of practical experience has Benson had so far?
Re: Competitions Hi Pippa, Benson has been to weekly gun dog training classes for the past 18 months; I would say that he responds well to commands but is easily distracted by other dogs (particularly females!) probably because his owner is not stern enough in correcting him. Benson is the classic breed, more of a front row forward so is slower than the lighter, wing three quarter working dogs. He is well exercised and not overweight. We both have time on our hands and would like to take part in events/competitions without getting too serious about it! We live in Winchester. Roger
Re: Competitions Hi Roger, I assume then that Benson has not been introduced to the shooting field. Which is fine. But, to enter field trials, which are run by the Kennel Club, you first need to gain field experience. You might find this article helpful: Getting into gundog fieldwork. The Kennel Club runs Working Tests during the summer months. These are also tests of a trained dog, but as they are usually run on dummies and not under shoot conditions, it is possible to compete without so much field experience. The standards are still quite high, and you do need to train specifically for the tests. All KC tests/trials require you to have pedigree papers for your dog, and are run through a network of Field Trial Clubs across the country. You'll need to join some of these clubs to take part. You can find a list on the KC website. You might find it helpful to have a one-to-one session with a gundog instructor, and ask him to assess your dog and tell you what stage he is at in his training. A pro trainer will also help you prepare your dog for fieldwork, introduce gunfire, steadiness to game etc. You might also want to consider taking the Gundog Club's Grade Four and Five retriever tests as these are designed to take your dog up to open Working Test standard, and will aid you in your training progress. Lots more info on the Totally Gundogs website.
Re: Competitions We're in Winchester too Whereabouts do you train and walk? Am always interested to find some more places to walk and train!
Re: Competitions [quote author=editor link=topic=3256.msg35082#msg35082 date=1384263373] Hi Roger, I assume then that Benson has not been introduced to the shooting field. Which is fine. But, to enter field trials, which are run by the Kennel Club, you first need to gain field experience. You might find this article helpful: Getting into gundog fieldwork. The Kennel Club runs Working Tests during the summer months. These are also tests of a trained dog, but as they are usually run on dummies and not under shoot conditions, it is possible to compete without so much field experience. The standards are still quite high, and you do need to train specifically for the tests. All KC tests/trials require you to have pedigree papers for your dog, and are run through a network of Field Trial Clubs across the country. You'll need to join some of these clubs to take part. You can find a list on the KC website. You might find it helpful to have a one-to-one session with a gundog instructor, and ask him to assess your dog and tell you what stage he is at in his training. A pro trainer will also help you prepare your dog for fieldwork, introduce gunfire, steadiness to game etc. You might also want to consider taking the Gundog Club's Grade Four and Five retriever tests as these are designed to take your dog up to open Working Test standard, and will aid you in your training progress. Lots more info on the Totally Gundogs website. [/quote] Hi Pippa, Many thanks for your comprehensive and helpful response which was much appreciated. Already looking at joining a local Field Trials Club and will let you know how we get on. Roger
Re: Competitions [quote author=bbrown link=topic=3256.msg35083#msg35083 date=1384263473] We're in Winchester too Whereabouts do you train and walk? Am always interested to find some more places to walk and train! [/quote] Hi Barbara, We live in Oliver's Battery and walk Benson on the open ground behind twice a day, early morning and midday afternoon. I use Cox Croft Gun dogs at Compton run by Roger Edmonds who also breeds working Labradors. Look forward to meeting you some day. Roger
Re: Competitions Oh lovely we've not been up there. We're in Teg Down so we walk up Lanham Lane straight from the house and I pop Riley in the car to Farley Mount(over by the monument) or Stockbridge Down. We have a few other spots too but these are our usual haunts
