Factors to be considered when evaluating a bird dog’s performance in a field trial!

By: Brad Harter

There are many factors to consider when judging a bird dog field trial stake. All of these factors need to be considered and put into a reasonable perspective with each other to the degree that this can be accomplished.

In each type of stake on each set of grounds, certain factors in a dog’s performance may become more dominate than others.

In puppy stakes the future potential of the youngster should be the primary consideration. Enthusiasm, willingness to hunt cover, natural ability to go to the front and athleticism should be of major importance when selecting puppies for placement. Natural qualities that can be enhanced with proper training should be paramount in consideration when placing puppies.

The focus in derby stakes should continue to be on potential, just as it is in puppy stakes, with more emphasis on the ability of the youngsters to find and begin to handle game. Polished manners of the all-age or shooting dog should not be a factor in placing derby contenders. A willingness to accept training and the inherent natural abilities which will make training and polishing of the youngster easy in the coming year should be evident in derby age dog considered for placement.

The all-age dog, as defined by William Brown and others of an earlier era, may indeed be one of the more difficult performances to evaluate. Little is often seen of the true all-age dog, yet enough of that dog must be observed to make any form of judgment as to the winners in a given stake. Today all-age dogs are being run on many different types of grounds. Consider the piney woods of South Georgia, the expansive prairies of the Dakotas and Canada, the rolling hills and twisting courses of northern Kentucky, the mile long cotton bottoms of southern Mississippi and the rocky, spacious mountain sides in Idaho. This terrain factor alone dictates that all-age dogs must have the intelligence to adjust to the country and to the conditions which they are running in. Whatever the terrain, the major factor separating the all-age dog from the shooting dog or gun dog becomes the simple fact that the all-age dog must use their country to the fullest extent. They should show boldness, initiative, independence and a willingness to explore the country to the front that pushes the limits of the land. Yet they must still demonstrate an intense interest in their handler and acknowledge both the location and presence of this partner.

In derby, all-age and shooting dog stakes, a dog’s performance can be divided into three main parts as defined by Dr. P.R. Bolton in years past. These same standards are as applicable today as when they were written so many years ago.

#1. Ground work: The dog under judgment should demonstrate intelligence, speed, range and stamina. Speed, range and stamina are evident to most individual’s observation. Intelligence is best demonstrated in sound, productive application. Asking the simple question as to whether the dog is going to cover likely to hold birds is often the best way to evaluate intelligent application.

#2. Bird work: The dog under judgment should find and locate his game accurately with intensity, staunchness and class. Poor location, a lack of intensity or sloppiness in handling game should not be tolerated.

#3. Training: The dog under judgment should hunt to the course, respond to his handler and show steadiness and polished manners both when pointing game and when backing his brace mate.

All three of the above factors of a dog’s performance must be taken into consideration when placing dogs in a selected manner. If only a single factor of a dog’s performance can be evaluated, an accurate judgment of that dog’s true and total ability can not be made.

Judges can not and should not judge what they have not observed. In that same light, a judge can not judge what he or she has not seen or observed with their own eyes!

A failure to observe ground work, bird work or the desired level of training will prevent a judge from making an accurate evaluation of any dog’s performance.