Last Updated on March 9, 2014 : :
The natural choice of working dog for most shooters in the UK would be one of our native breeds such as a Labrador or a hard hunting spaniel but there are other choices. One of the largest collective breed groups of gundogs are known as the HPR’s (Hunt, Point, Retrieve) and they include amongst others the Weimaraner, German Short, Long and Wire haired Pointers and of course the Italian Spinone.As may have already been gathered the breed types all originate from the continent; however in most cases there are now some working English breed lines. The essence of a working HPR is that the dog should be able to hunt in a quartering pattern using the wind; this should be further than a spaniel but not as far out as an English Pointer or Setter. Once it has scented its quarry it should lock on point and on command flush the bird for the Gun. It should then retrieve the shot quarry to hand. Many deerstalkers use HPR’s to follow up wounded deer; they really are a versatile shooting companion.
Many of the breed groups hold working tests and trails throughout the year and the Italian Spinone Club of GB is host to one of the largest and best-attended events. This year was a record breaking test with nearly 120 entries covering 13 different breeds. One of the tests was the “Special Beginners” To be eligible for entry both the handler and dog must have never entered a working test. The judge, Eunice Lambert was able to give some tuition and also undertake a simple assessment of the dog’s obedience and working ability. It is important for all working dog enthusiasts that new people and new dogs are bought in to the fold and classes such as this encourage newcomers to enter their dogs and also to gather advice from more the experienced handlers. Shirley Mattravers and her Hungarian Vizsla “Hunterstone Coral Cloud” took top honours and could be one to watch out for in the future.
The puppy test consisted of a hunting and retrieving phase and simple sit and stay then after lunch water retrieve from the river. Most HPR’s will hunt quite naturally and with experience and training this ability is honed, it is widely accepted that retrieving is a skill that can be a problem and one that needs to be developed and encouraged in a young pup. Most of the dogs worked well in the hunting tests and two in particular caught the Judge’s eye. A GSP owned and handled by David Burden and Larry Wilk’s German Longhaired Pointer “Aranys Baiser” scored top marks.As the test progressed it was clear to everyone watching that there were some very promising young dogs on display. Test 3 was a sit & stay and it was a credit to all of the handlers that the majority of the dogs scored top marks or dropped just one point. The water test was quite simple and all of the pups managed to successfully retrieve the dummy.
As the handlers and dogs returned back to the registration tent rumours started to circulate that there had been a “clean sweep” of the placings. Larry Wilks and his three 17-month-old German Longhaired Pointers had performed consistently all day. “Aranys Baiser” was given first place and with 97 points out of a possible 100, a fine achievement. “Aranys Buchse” was second and “Aranys Bootsman” third.
One of the interesting things about watching an HPR test is being able to observe a number of different breeds and their differing working styles. In the Novice class there were, amongst others the usual GSP’s, Large Munsterlander and Spinone’s but there was also a lesser-known breed…the Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer. This dog owned and handled by Janet Ford worked quite well throughout the day, unfortunately it dropped too many points at the water to enable it to gain a placing. Suzi Burton found that fate played a role in her success during the day. The Weimaraner bitch “Trubon Bren Taruf” had been bred by Suzi and unfortunately the new owner had been unable to keep her and she was returned back to the breeder. Although Suzi is an experienced handler this was the first working test she had entered with this particular dog and after scoring the highest marks in the hunting and water phases this enough to ensure first place. Alison Ruggles and her Hungarian Vizsla were second with the GSP “Hillanhi Emilia of Nutwith” third.
One test in the Graduate class proved to be more than a challenge to many of the dogs competing. A blind retrieve was placed around seventy-five meters in to some rough grass, the dogs were sent over a jump and then had to be handled out into the field and sent back on to the retrieve. It was noticeable how many of the handlers approached the test expressing reservations about their dog’s ability, however the judge, Mike Milton gave plenty words of encouragement without compromising his position.
Any dog that couldn’t be handled on to the dummy were taken to the area by their handler and allowed to hunt and locate the retrieve. Although some of them failed the test all them had a successful retrieve and Mike pointed out that it was important for the dogs confidence that they succeed when asked to undertake a task. The placings were split between three breeds, first was Gavin Palmer and his Large Munsterlander “Gyllbeck Zygaena”, second Nigel Dear’s Hungarian Vizsla and third the Long Haired Weimaraner belonging to Bernice McGee. Any dog of any ability can enter the Open Test although it is normally the more experienced handlers and dogs that compete at this level, with four more demanding tests the dogs have to be consistent throughout to get in to the placings. The blind retrieve proved difficult for a number of the dogs and this was mainly down to the handlers not be able to get their dogs in to the general area of the dummies.
The water test proved interesting as many handlers normally train their dogs in either lakes or ponds and this test was set in a reasonably fast flowing river. Two dummies were thrown in to some slack water and the dogs sent to retrieve each one in turn. The experienced dogs swam across the flow and then made their way along the bank edge, the less experienced dogs struggled against the flow and some made hard work of the test. Again the results were split across the breeds, A GSP belonging to Pete Terry came first, “Biff” a Large Munsterlander owned and handled by Annie Jones came second and a Vizsla handled by Karen Maurice came third.
Working tests are all about giving dogs and handlers the opportunity to put all of their training skills to the test; they are also about meeting like-minded people and simply talking about dogs. The atmosphere at the ISCGB Working Test was superb and there had obviously been a lot of effort put in to the pre-planning of the event and most of the credit has to go to the Spinone Club field trial secretary Alix Johnson, also the Chief Steward Mr Michael Beaven who had the unenviable task of setting the tests. Thanks were also given to The Hampton Estate and Derek Beaven the gamekeeper.