FHRP

Thanks RV. The water retrieve is done at every trial. Was the land retrieve on quail or pigeon or other game?

Congrats on the UD qually Kathq!!!

I got a Canon 350D in 2006 and upgraded the body at the end of last year. I learned a heap with that camera and got some great photos. I still believe you can get great shots out of the entry level DSLR's and even the kit lenses and for happy snaps there often isn't much reason to 'upgrade'.

So glad you enjoyed the day RV! How do they do the retrieve at WA field trials? I've only seen what they do at the Pointer & Setter trials in NSW, but the retrieve requirements are a bit different in the Utility Trials (and Vic has shooting trials )

Was in a bit of a hurry before Good luck this weekend mollipop and rubyroo! I hope that Molly copes OK with the work and we'd love to see you down here at the end of the month mollipop :D

The ACT Gundog Society has trials on July 30 & 31st: To be held in the Canberra area 30 July and 31 July 2011 Judges: Saturday Novice Kate Eltringham(Vic) Restricted Kate Eltringham (Vic) All Age Noel Eltringham (Vic) Sunday Novice Noel Eltringham (Vic) Restricted Noel Eltringham (Vic) All Age Kate Eltringham (Vic) Send entries to: Trial Secretary, 4 Shiels Place CURTIN ACT 2605 A stamped self addressed envelope should be included with your entry for details of site, map etc Entries close: Wednesday 20 July 2011 Entry fees: Novice: $14 Member/$16 non-member Restricted and All Age: $18 Member/$20 non-member Vetting: 8am-8.30am on the trial site. Trial start: 9am Inquiries: 0418 246 700

Thank you all for the congrats, I am so happy with Polo's first FT season. I saw the Dogs VIC article TSD, it's great that they publish Gundog stuff And they almost spelled my name right!

I am yet to trial a dog I have competed in Retrieving with in UD. I have done some UD glove work with both my retrieving boys though and unsurprisingly they have done the exercise easily. The Wagon Wheel lining drill would definitely translate to the Gloves IMO, however in retrieving unlike UD you can relign your dog if you're not happy with their initial position. In UD, it's about turn and send your dog! Of course it's best if your dog is in the correct position initially in retrieving too and it is part of training the dog. Now, if I could get my retrieve mad GSP to use his nose instead of snatch and grab in articles...

Brag alert Polo and I are recently home from our last Field Trial of the season. We went down to Sale for the GSP Club's exotic trial run on released partridge, pheasant & californian quail. The trials were both Open trials with some very accomplished dogs entered. Considering the dreadful weather conditions of gale force winds and then rain on Sunday, the heavy bracken cover which he's never worked before and the different game, Polo worked well, particularly on Saturday where he placed 2nd to win 3 more FTCh points and to gain his Novice Field Dog title!!! I am very pleased to say that his retrieving was near text book these trials although it did take until the second round on Saturday to get a retrieve as his earlier finds were on painted quail which could not be shot. His water retrieve on Saturday was by far the best of the three dogs that got that far, finally training was paying off Sunday he did not work so well, which has been the same for the other two weekends we've trialed, and his inexperience was shown up by the much more accomplished dogs. I am still pleased with him and he did a fantastic retrieve of a Pheasant that came down a long way out. We did not get through to the water retrieve on Sunday and considering just how foul the weather had become I'm not that displeased We have enjoyed our first season of Field Trialing and Polo has accomplished more than I dared hope for! Anyone with a Utility Gundog, you should really think about giving field work a go. There is nothing more these dogs love than using their natural ability and instinct to do what they were bred for.

Great news mollipop!! :thumbsup:

For short stays a dog proof yard isn't important. My first concern is that the dogs are allowed inside, and if I'm away for a weekend then it's usually for a trial and we spend little time at the accomodation apart from sleeping! In the past couple of months I've stayed in motels twice with two dogs (inside ) that didn't have a yard and it wasn't an issue at all. For a longer period of time then a yard would be nice, but not a deal breaker. eta. Even in houses I've stayed with dog proof yards I've never left them in the yard when I'm not there and rarely even unattended for toilet breaks! My dogs want to be where I am, and I also want to clean up after them ASAP. For exercise purposes we always go to a beach, park etc.

What a chatty bunch today! :D Hi Livertreats, I've been looking at your web site (of course I had to go searching after you mentioned it ;)) and what great stuff you've done with your dogs! You must be very happy with Rebel's ahievements already in retrieving! I really like reading the run down of the trials, wish there was more of it. RS, I'm sure when you decide to take the plunge and enter a trial you will enjoy yourself and wonder what took you so long ;) Although your girl may not be working lines, I still think you've got the breed most likely to naturally do well at the sport. I enter my dogs earlier than you might in competition, if I waited until I was 100% sure they would succeed I'd never get there ;)

Sorry, I'll give it a miss then. I went there on their opening weekend and happily selected some items to purchase, until I walked down the back to see the glass cases of puppies and kittens Their ad still says " We have a wide selection of puppies, kittens, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds and chooks plus all the accessories to suit."

Are they still selling puppies and kittens?

How is Molly mollipop? I hope she is back to form soon, maybe for the ACT trials at the end of the month if not before!??

Make sure you report back on the day :D

GoldenGirl85, I don't know of anything specifially but you might like to contact the Field & Retrieing Association in QLD http://www.fraginc.net/default.asp They should be able to help you.

Awwwww, Zora is gorgeous RV!! I look forward to hearing about her gundoggy adventures Polo and I had another busy weekend in the paddocks, although based from home this weekend. We were both shattered after yesterdays efforts, I really should wear a GPS to see how far I walk (and times it by 50 for Polo!). Quail season is over in Victoria, so the trialing season is all but over too! Blink and you miss it ;) However, while the birds are still about and the snakes are asleep we'll keep training. I was very pleased with Polo both days, I seem to have control back, but the real test will be when he's actually shot over again and in a trial situation. His backing was very nice, although he does need a reminder now and then. Love hearing about your training TSD, I'm sure Em will do the 'family' proud when you start trialing her Scout's owner is very happy with getting that third Novice win, although it was quickly followed by 'sh*t, now we're in Restricted'

Some more photos from our weekend, some great shots in there. http://www.flickr.com/photos/psfts/sets/72157627057327770/with/5876215686/

Thanks everyone. We have been very lucky to have such a great season for birds this year, timed just perfectly for me starting field work with Polo :D Awwwww, isn't it so cute and amazing to see the pups pointing. One of the first dogs I ever saw point was my Flynn as an eight week old pup, I was absolutely amazed. It alsoe sealed my decision between the two pups I was picking from. A couple more pics from training on Saturday, your classic point pose

Polo is a very proud brother today :D His litter sister won the National Utility Field Trials held in Victoria this weekend!! Huge acheivement for Diane, their breeder and Lani's owner/trainer/handler, being the first female handler to ever win the National event. A home bred National Field Trial Champion, wow.... Polo's own brag pales in comparison, but he did win a club field trial today open to all Pointing breeds (no Ch points awarded). Polo was the only utility gundog entered and even beat two Field Champion Pointers :D Although we were eligible to enter the National in Vic, we certainly aren't ready yet A pic from today

Does that mean it can be watched at any time? ie, later on today? Someone in the chat said it will be there for 24 hours, but I'm not sure. I expect that Susan will only be in the chat for the set webinar times though.

It's no longer a live webinar, it's a recorded one. I'm glad I found out before taking time off work like I intended too!

That's the way I read it too. I don't like the new rule. To me it seems a backward step, a little bit like letting dogs jump off the up ramp to the a-frame or dog walk and then continue with a course fault rather than having to demonstrate that they can do the obstacle (contact behaviour and safety issues aside). Guess we'll be eliminated when/if we end up with that problem. Oh well....... If a dog jumps off the up plank of a dog walk it is a refusal, the same is if they miss a weave entry. If the dog jumps of the middle plank, it is a fault and the dog may not reattempt the obstacle without being DQ'd. To me the new weaving rules is in line with this. Correct entry and then pop, you can't reattempt the gap. Personally, I like for the most part that you keep going if your dog misses a pole, rather than going and trying to fix it up. The amount of time I've seen wasted in the ring with handlers going back (often to the start!) of the poles repeatedly, and the potential 'damage' done to unmotivated dogs is why I like that the weaves shouldn't be fixed. If I was having an issue in trials with my dog consistently stuffing up the poles, I would put him back in and then probably excuse myself from the ring. It is training in the ring afterall. NQ and DQ mean very little difference to me in agility, it's still not a pass. We are not told to leave the ring once DQ'd at our trials, unless the judge thinks you're taking an unreasonable amount of time (rare!). The only difference is I might scrape a place if we NQ not DQ, but they're not really the places I want anyway. So, under the old rules, I never or rarely went back and fixed weavers anyway eta. However I guess what I don't like (if my interpretation of the rule is correct) is that a dog that pops the 10th pole and a dog that pops at the 3rd pole will only incur the same one fault? If places come down to it, then a dog that attempts only 2-3 poles will potentially be faster than a dog that attempts 10-11 and therefor NQ place higher? Didn't it used to be a fault for every gap missed? What happens with a dog that does a couple, misses one, does a couple, misses another one etc. Hmmm, maybe I need to read/think more on this

Dummies do not need to be camo but must be of a subdued colour. It states in the rules that white dummies (and white pigeons) should be avoided wherever possible. I cover my 3 inch dummies in grey socks, so they are kinda pigeon coloured I can understand you taking issue with the dummies mollipop. We now have standards, and for a reason. Everyone has access to the rules.