First Field Trial

Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:12 AM

Well we headed off to Dorset at 6'00, Tinky and Ellie in the back with big sister Jay Jay as we couldn't leave them home all day.

We arrived on time so was able to get the pups and Jay Jay out for a quick toilet and stretch before the field secretary called us together to brief us all and introduce the land owners, judges and guns.

We was number one on the cards so after a walk up to mixed crop field, we were off and running .

It was a dense crop but she worked it well, though who forgot to put on her waterproofs and who is so short that she got saturated up to the knees? you guessed it, it was I.

She did a Meerkat impression to mark the fall of the bird and marked it well, straight there even though the dense of the crop meant we could not see her or it. With first run done I was a happy relaxed bunnie

Second run was in the woods and sadly I got a bare patch of wood that didn't hold anything and a short run as time was moving fast on the day. Did however get to retrieve a bird on the other runs side.

She took a wonderful line and was working towards it when a misunderstanding between the judge and gun meant she was stopped, once they had sorted things out I was able to send her and the sweetie that she is was not put off by all the misunderstanding, took the line and went straight there.

Our first trial was done and we were all happy.

Jay Jay got awarded a Merit and the guns who get to award a dog they think to be the best dog of the trial, told me afterward that they had placed Jay Jay in 2nd place. I was very pleased :)

She has only had one weeks worth of training in 9 weeks, what a little gem.

One of the professional guys came up to us and said 'well done', left me like a grinning idiot. Also told by one of the professional that the trial would be the hardest novice trial we would ever do, that trial being particular hard work for all the dogs.

I think apart from myself and one other person, the other competitors were all known and very well known trialers, but we were certainly put at ease by them.

We meet some cracking people and that was our second time we had meet with the Dorset Working spaniel club and both times I was made to feel relaxed.

Cannot thank the club, Judges, guns and Landowners enough for giving us such a

Cracking Day