2006 Spring Golden Retriever Club Field Trial
Last weekend was the Spring trial hosted on by the local Golden Club. This was a particularly exciting weekend for me because my friend Sandy and I had our first judging assignment. The two of us were judging the puppy stake on Sunday together.
Saturday, both of us went out to the grounds in the morning, scoped out several fields, and setup our tests. I racked my brain that day trying to remember everything I have learned to date about dog work. The challenge of the puppy stake is that you can get everything from a young dog that has never picked up a bird to older dogs running derby setups. We tried to design our marks so that everyone would be able to play.
After we were done, I went and watched a few of the other stakes. Derby was running its first series still, a single flyer about 175 yards out. The line was stationed at the top of a hill, and the gunner station was at the crest of an adjacent hill. The dogs had to run down the slope and up the next in moderately heavy cover. Several dogs ran to the gun and hunted out, a few kept very nice lines the whole way. A little later, I went over to watch the Amateur stake. They had just finished the land marks and setup a tough land blind that cut the side of a hill. I also got news that the Open finished, and my friends Andy and John won with their Golden to make him a new AFC! There was a lot of excitement over that.
Sunday, Sandy and I met back up at the grounds to go over our tests and get the equipment setup. It took a bit of time to explain everything to the novice workers, but everyone was a good sport and we appreciated their help. We got started about 30 minutes late. Woops! Everyone was into the groove by the second series and things ran much smoother after that. The final series seemed to fly by. We deliberated on our placements for a bit, and then went back to the clubhouse for the best part - awarding the ribbons.
It was a real honor to be asked to judge for the club and Sandy and I both had a lot of fun. It was a learning experience to view the stake from the perspective of the judge’s chair. There were some really nice dogs entered, and it was great to watch them work. It was also a lot of fun to see the thrill in the eyes of the novice handlers as their young dogs went out and did a nice job making them very proud. It was rewarding to see the smiles on their faces at the end of the day.
It was a long day, but a fun one, and I only hope everyone that came enjoyed it also. I guess Sandy and I didn’t too bad of a job for out first time judging, rumor is they are going to have us back next year. I am looking forward to it.