This past Friday we loaded up the car and headed off for a weekend of hunt tests.  These tests were just a little too far away for a comfortable commute so we opted to stay in a hotel near the tests.  We wanted to beat the Friday afternoon traffic and get to the hotel with enough time to settle the dogs before bed time, so we left work a little early.  It seems the natural guarding instincts of our Chessies come out whenever we stay at a hotel.  They are at alert all night long and check out any sound.  Of course when you are at a hotel, there are usually lots of sounds: doors closing, cars, people talking, etc.  If we stay at a hotel with interior corridors, they are usually just concerned about sounds, but if the room has a door which opens to the outside, they will position themselves right in front of the door.  They usually let their guard down the longer we stay, but the first night can be sleepless.  Sleepy dogs (and people), at a hunt test is not always a good thing.

Earlier in the week the weather was predicted to be mid-80’s…not too bad for August.  Unfortunately, the weekend weather was actually hazy, hot and humid.  Heat and humidity when you are sitting out in a field all day can make for a long uncomfortable day for the dogs, the handlers, the spectators, and the judges…especially the judges.  While we can go off and try to find the breeze or some shade, the judges spend their day judging dogs.  Often times they have little to no shade and are on their feet all day long.  I don’t always thank the judges in my posts and I absolutely should!  Here’s to them!  Without their dedication, there would be no tests.

I also want to give kudos to the Kalamazoo Valley HRC  for putting on this test.  They are a new club with few members and this was their first licensed hunt test.  They did a great job!  All the members were cheery and friendly even though they were working their butts off in the heat and humidity.  Our Marshall Mark was awesome!  He must have walked a million miles to let people know where their dogs were in the running order just so the dogs and handlers would not have to spend a lot of time waiting in the heat.  The club hired a boy scout troop to work as bird boys and they were very hard workers.  I think in two days there was only one “no bird” at our stake when a bird got hung up on the winger.  That is really fantastic considering how many birds were thrown this weekend.  Good job boys!

The HRC Seasoned test is quite a bit different from the AKC Senior test.  We never really watched a Seasoned test, so even though you may read the rule booklet, (or watch a few tests on youtube :)), it is not the same as actually seeing a test.  We were a bit surprised by some of the differences.

One difference that did not surprise us is that the handler is required to fire a gun loaded with a popper shell over the dog at an HRC test.  In the Judges talk before the start of each series, gun safety is stressed over and over.  Great care is taken to explain things that will result in a warning (two warnings and the dog fails), and things that will result in immediate failure and the handler being barred from handling any other dogs that day.  For a first time handler it can be a little daunting.  The handler has to load the gun, fire at the marks and blinds, make sure the dog stays at heel, make the gun “open and safe”, set the gun in the stand, and then send the dog.  Of course, after a series or two, handlers seem to take it in stride.

There are other differences from the Senior test.  We had expected that there would be a duck call to signal a mark in the field as there is in a Senior test.  That was not the case.  The only thing the dog had to cue off of was where the gun was aimed.  However, the ducks are launched with a high arc so they are clearly visible, (if the dog is looking ;)).  Another difference is that if the Seasoned standard states something will be judged, it is a separate part of the test.  For example, the Seasoned test requires a walk-up, so it is a thrown as a separate mark and judged accordingly.  The Senior test walk up is just part of approaching the line while the marks in the field are thrown.  Also, Seasoned dogs are brought to the line on lead and the judges tell the handlers before the test where that portion of the judging will take place.  Senior dogs are brought to the line off lead and remain off lead for the entire series.  (Hopefully this will be more clear when I explain the mechanics of each test later in the week.)

There are also scoring differences between Senior and Seasoned tests.  There are certain things that would be a big problem in a Senior test, (may or may not be a failure, but would definitely be scored very low), which are not as big an issue in a Seasoned test.  For example, I saw dogs blink birds, and/or return to their handler to be resent.  As long as they got the bird, it was OK.  I also saw dogs go to the area of the old fall before going to get the mark still in the field, or get almost to a mark and then go off to another mark.  In  a Seasoned test they do not penalize popping (the dog stopping to look back to the handler for guidance).  They also allow switching, (or dropping one bird to pick up another).  Doing any of these things in a Senior test would be a problem.  However, there are certain things that they are fairly tough on scoring.  Handling to the blinds needs to be fairly crisp and too many cast or sit refusals will result in a failure.  They also do not want much hunting on marks, even though it is in the area of the fall.  They would prefer the dog be handled to a mark rather than hunt much.

So how did the 2 brown dawgs handle these differences?  You will have to come back later this week to read the details.   (You already know that they passed one of the tests.  :))