Walking Trials and Horseback Trials

[JayBird02]

I think in general the AKC could do a better job of marketing their events.

You may find some luck by searching each of the breed clubs in the state, gsp club or wa, etc. that kind of stuff.

I have done all of that and found a bunch of trials but not many walking trials. Did find a bunch of Hunt Test but I really would like to run a trial this spring.

[wildweeds]

Missed that potential opportunity, R.J doesn't handle trial dogs anymore. Retired from that aspect. Just trains now.

I know I could send my dog and pay to have someone like RJ campaign him but I'm not looking to spend that kind of money and honestly I take pride in knowing that I trained my dog.

[JayBird02]

Missed that potential opportunity, R.J doesn't handle trial dogs anymore. Retired from that aspect. Just trains now.

I know I could send my dog and pay to have someone like RJ campaign him but I'm not looking to spend that kind of money and honestly I take pride in knowing that I trained my dog.

Yeah I know but I might try to set up a couple of one on one trainings with him this spring once hunting season ends.

[Happy Gilmore]

there were a couple I know of last year. I'm just a retriever guy. I think a few more in Eastern, Or and a couple in Western/south Oregon.

There is a GSP Yahoo group which is pretty active. nwfieldtrialyahoo or something like that. I think they had two walking trials at my house last year.

[wildweeds]

Yahoo groups Northwest Field Trial Council

[jetjockey]

This is what I'm used to in trials, but I'm not sure how it works in the PNW.  This is the premium me from the Mid-Florida And Georgia Brit club spring trials.  The Georgia trial is a huge trial run on 8000 acres of PRIME native quail habbitat, with some released birds thrown in.  Yet it still encourages foot handeling.  There will probably be at least 5-6 Pros that show up and there are typically well over 200 dogs entered.  The Georgia trial will have 2 1hr All Age Championships, two 1hr Gun Dog Grand stakes (Open to all breeds), plus 4-30 minute stakes, (OP, OD, AGD, and OGD).  The reason I say all of that is to show that even a trial of that magnitude, foot handeling is still encouraged, with plenty of stakes where a good dog could be competitive when run off foot.

[jetjockey]

Mid Florida trial.  See line 11.

[JayBird02]

Looks like might need to move down South haha. I have called a few of the groups putting on trials and while they told me I could walk in a horseback trial I feel like they were trying to talk me out of it

[jetjockey]

While I can't wait to move out of the South, there's a reason several towns down here fight the title of "Bird Dog Capital of the World"!   Not only is everyone encouraged to participate, we run a lot of trials on wild birds down here,  which you rarely see in the PNW.  I got drawn for a quota hunt the end of December on the same plantation we will be trialing on this week, and we found 7 coveys during our quota hunt, in horrible weather (think nearly 100% humidity with temperatures hanging in the mid to upper 70's)..  There's a Shooting Dog Classic the week after the DiLane plantation trial at another Plantation in South GA that is managed specifically for wild quail populations. They will not release any birds for the trial, and there will be a lot of birds found.  Down here, trial dogs have to be good bird dogs to compete........... While I'm trying to figure out a way to reserect Sherman and let him roll through the South one more time after I leave, the one thing I will miss is the bird dog culture and the emphasis put on trialing and pointing dogs.  Down here, people really do help others out and bend over backwards to help people enjoy the sport....  Most of the time!

[JayBird02]

That's good to hear that people are so helpful. I know my first experience with an AKC event wasn't so great. I feel like I was treated like a second class citizen because I wasn't affiliated with one of the big trainers. I showed up with my dog and he ran well but I felt like an outcast. Second event I ran was better but I feel like the only reason why was because the judges knew the breeder of my dog. I think I'm going to run my dog this spring at a horseback trial but I'll end up walking it. The trial is being run in Ritzville this spring. Thanks for your input

[AspenBud]

That's good to hear that people are so helpful. I know my first experience with an AKC event wasn't so great. I feel like I was treated like a second class citizen because I wasn't affiliated with one of the big trainers. I showed up with my dog and he ran well but I felt like an outcast. Second event I ran was better but I feel like the only reason why was because the judges knew the breeder of my dog. I think I'm going to run my dog this spring at a horseback trial but I'll end up walking it. The trial is being run in Ritzville this spring. Thanks for your input

There are two types of bird dog owners, those who train their own dogs and those who spend literally thousands having a trainer work and train their dog. There are pluses and minuses to both, but I think what you were seeing there were people who knew each other via a given trainer and as such you saw how clickish those circles can become. You can see this rise to the top on forums like this sometimes (this one not so much however) and it can often become a type written blood bath with competing training philosophies and even breed arguments if two trainers also breed two different types of dog. Those arguments usually erupt between people who buy trainers' services, not the trainers (at least not the more professional ones).

My suggestion would be to keep running your dog. Be friendly and accept any criticism the judges might have. The people worth talking to will eventually open up. Particularly if you show you're not a poor loser or the type that wants to put a few ounces of lead in the dog's head for not putting in a champion performance.

And if that doesn't work, look at other venues. While it doesn't have the same presence out here as east of the Mississippi, American Field does have sanctioned events out this way and there is still the NSTRA.

Having said that, I do think there really needs to be some more options for amateurs out here. Most of us don't own (and never want to) a horse or hunt a dog while riding on one.

[birddogdad]

it would be very nice, in general, to have a setup like Oregon's sauvie island for training in WA state. Having WDFW allow/promote training, planting birds, ect.. vs having to really work to make legit year round public access training happen up here in WA (vs paying high dollar private E WA ranch put n take fees).

[AspenBud]

it would be very nice, in general, to have a setup like Oregon's sauvie island for training in WA state. Having WDFW allow/promote training, planting birds, ect.. vs having to really work to make legit year round public access training happen up here in WA (vs paying high dollar private E WA ranch put n take fees).

There should be something like that on both sides of the mountains in WA. You shouldn't have to drive potentially six hours to such a site.

[bracer40]

That's good to hear that people are so helpful. I know my first experience with an AKC event wasn't so great. I feel like I was treated like a second class citizen because I wasn't affiliated with one of the big trainers. I showed up with my dog and he ran well but I felt like an outcast. Second event I ran was better but I feel like the only reason why was because the judges knew the breeder of my dog. I think I'm going to run my dog this spring at a horseback trial but I'll end up walking it. The trial is being run in Ritzville this spring. Thanks for your input

There are two types of bird dog owners, those who train their own dogs and those who spend literally thousands having a trainer work and train their dog. There are pluses and minuses to both, but I think what you were seeing there were people who knew each other via a given trainer and as such you saw how clickish those circles can become. You can see this rise to the top on forums like this sometimes (this one not so much however) and it can often become a type written blood bath with competing training philosophies and even breed arguments if two trainers also breed two different types of dog. Those arguments usually erupt between people who buy trainers' services, not the trainers (at least not the more professional ones).

My suggestion would be to keep running your dog. Be friendly and accept any criticism the judges might have. The people worth talking to will eventually open up. Particularly if you show you're not a poor loser or the type that wants to put a few ounces of lead in the dog's head for not putting in a champion performance.

And if that doesn't work, look at other venues. While it doesn't have the same presence out here as east of the Mississippi, American Field does have sanctioned events out this way and there is still the NSTRA.

Having said that, I do think there really needs to be some more options for amateurs out here. Most of us don't own (and never want to) a horse or hunt a dog while riding on one.

Couple of points here: yes you can run your dog in trials while on foot as others have stated but don't be fooled into thinking you'll be doing much actual walking. I followed an open gun dog brace @ Madras a few years ago and I was mostly running just to keep the action in sight. I did that to learn what it would be like to walk the brace's running. When my dog's braces were run I chose to use my friend's horse. Waaaay easier to follow the action.
I've also learned through asking lots of questions of the "long-time" trialers and HT participants that the actions of the handler can negatively impact not only their own dog's performance, but also their bracemate's performance. And it's pretty obvious when you walk through the campgrounds that many, if not most, of the trialers have a lot invested in the game. Just look at the rigs built to haul multiple horses, strings of dogs staked out and so forth. That's just the outward financial signs. Equally important are the long hours spent preparing for trials, traveling to and from them and so forth. Personally I prefer attending hunt tests because it suits my personal goals I have for my dogs. But poor and or inexperienced dog handling @hunt tests can also cause heartache for your brace ate as well.
I guess I'm sharing this not to promote or discourage a new person from participating in these events but to say that learning the rules and good practices through humbly asking lots of questions can go a long way to being "accepted" by the dog competition community.

[AspenBud]

That's good to hear that people are so helpful. I know my first experience with an AKC event wasn't so great. I feel like I was treated like a second class citizen because I wasn't affiliated with one of the big trainers. I showed up with my dog and he ran well but I felt like an outcast. Second event I ran was better but I feel like the only reason why was because the judges knew the breeder of my dog. I think I'm going to run my dog this spring at a horseback trial but I'll end up walking it. The trial is being run in Ritzville this spring. Thanks for your input

There are two types of bird dog owners, those who train their own dogs and those who spend literally thousands having a trainer work and train their dog. There are pluses and minuses to both, but I think what you were seeing there were people who knew each other via a given trainer and as such you saw how clickish those circles can become. You can see this rise to the top on forums like this sometimes (this one not so much however) and it can often become a type written blood bath with competing training philosophies and even breed arguments if two trainers also breed two different types of dog. Those arguments usually erupt between people who buy trainers' services, not the trainers (at least not the more professional ones).

My suggestion would be to keep running your dog. Be friendly and accept any criticism the judges might have. The people worth talking to will eventually open up. Particularly if you show you're not a poor loser or the type that wants to put a few ounces of lead in the dog's head for not putting in a champion performance.

And if that doesn't work, look at other venues. While it doesn't have the same presence out here as east of the Mississippi, American Field does have sanctioned events out this way and there is still the NSTRA.

Having said that, I do think there really needs to be some more options for amateurs out here. Most of us don't own (and never want to) a horse or hunt a dog while riding on one.

Couple of points here: yes you can run your dog in trials while on foot as others have stated but don't be fooled into thinking you'll be doing much actual walking. I followed an open gun dog brace @ Madras a few years ago and I was mostly running just to keep the action in sight. I did that to learn what it would be like to walk the brace's running. When my dog's braces were run I chose to use my friend's horse. Waaaay easier to follow the action.
I've also learned through asking lots of questions of the "long-time" trialers and HT participants that the actions of the handler can negatively impact not only their own dog's performance, but also their bracemate's performance. And it's pretty obvious when you walk through the campgrounds that many, if not most, of the trialers have a lot invested in the game. Just look at the rigs built to haul multiple horses, strings of dogs staked out and so forth. That's just the outward financial signs. Equally important are the long hours spent preparing for trials, traveling to and from them and so forth. Personally I prefer attending hunt tests because it suits my personal goals I have for my dogs. But poor and or inexperienced dog handling @hunt tests can also cause heartache for your brace ate as well.
I guess I'm sharing this not to promote or discourage a new person from participating in these events but to say that learning the rules and good practices through humbly asking lots of questions can go a long way to being "accepted" by the dog competition community.

I learned that the hard way last year. I entered a dog, a Pointer I rescued years ago now, in a FUN trial. The dog has always been a personal hunting dog, he doesn't really even get the command "whoa," but he always finds and points birds. We got braced with a much better bred and trained Pointer, the dog was calm and quiet while mine was going ape just wanting to get at the birds. We turned the dogs loose and my dog proceeded to out find and out point the other. The problem? The birds planted were poor flyers, like you could throw them in the air and they would fall to the ground and just run around until someone's dog came unglued and retrieved them, and with the competition of another dog, one mine had never hunted with before, my dog broke point almost every time and took out the birds. To make matters worse the one bird that the guy's dog did point got taken out when mine decided to stop backing and went after the bird again.

I hunt that dog alone typically. He had never been in that kind of a situation before and while he shamed the other dog in bird finding and pointing, he fell apart in all the wrong areas. The guy I was braced with was pissed but was forgiving enough given that it was, after all, a fun trial. I can only imagine if that were the real deal.