Saturday, May 19, 2012

Field Dog Junior

May 19th
German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Canada
CKC Field Test


Earned the third leg to complete my FDJ today! It was a scorching 27c so it was nice to be able to go for a brief swim in the middle of my test.

Here are the 8 categories of the CKC FDJ test: 
Desire to Hunt:     keen desire to hunt without constant encouragement
Style of Running:  distinctive of breed
Pace:                  consistent pace matched to terrain & weather conditions
Range:                hunts at a range suitable for a handler on foot; adjusts
                         range based on terrain to search quickly & thoroughly
Pattern:              searches forward; intelligent use of wind & terrain
Control:              responds to commands & movements of handler without
                         excessive/repetitive commands
Pointing:             locates game & establishes point long enough to 
                         demonstrate its natural ability
Reaction to Shot: dog exhibits alertness & eagerness at the sound of gunfire
                         (once a point is established and the bird is flushed (flies
                         off), the handler fires a blank starter's pistol into the air)

The dog must receive a minimum of 50% in each category with an overall score of 75/100. 3 Legs are required under 2 different judges. Dogs are run individually and have a minimum of 20 minutes and a maximum of 30 minutes to complete the test. [In AKC, the comparable title is Junior Hunter (JH) and the tests are called Hunt Tests (as opposed to Field Trials which are competitive events) - there are other differences in how the tests are structured as well.]
 

Thanks again to Mike Wilshire!

And thanks to all the judges and volunteers who make these tests possible.

2 comments:

  1. What exactly is a field test? Does it involve guns or no?

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    1. Hi Claire,
      For Field Dog Jr, the dogs must find a bird (preferably two, depending on the conditions) and establish a point. Once the bird is flushed either on its own, by the handler nudging it or by the dog (only level where the dog is not penalized for getting so close to the bird that it causes it to fly off) the handler fires off a starter's pistol for the sole purpose of testing for "steadiness to shot." I've updated the post with a brief explanation of the test. ~ Corrine

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