Working Trials
Working trials is open to all breeds, cross breeds and mongrels over 18 months old.
There are 5 stakes and dogs will need a certain number of points to qualify at each level. It is possible for a dog to come first in a competition, but not qualify. The stakes have 3 groups, except the Patrol Dog Stake, which has 4, and the dog must pass each group in order to qualify.
COMPANION DOG STAKE (CD)
This is the first level and the dog will be marked on the following:
Group 1 - Control
Heel on Leash - Unlike obedience heelwork in working trials the dog is expected to look where they are going rather than up at the handler.
Heel Free - The handler should not give a continuous heel command, for example keeping the left hand on the hip. The dog should walk to heel following an initial command until told to do otherwise.
Recall to Handler - A test of the steadiness of the dog and the control the handler has over the dog. The dog is required to quickly return to the handler on command and sit in front of the handler, until commanded to heel.
Sending the Dog Away - The handler is required to show that he can set his dog up to run in a straight line in the directions specified and take the down, sit or stand command (at the handler's discretion), when given. This exercise is normally performed in the middle of the field and the Judge can choose any point for the handler to send the dog to. This can include crossing a boundary, e.g. into an adjacent field. For a Companion Dog the minimum distance is 20 yards.
Sit Stay - 2 minutes preferably with the handler out of sight.
Down Stay - 10 minutes with the handler out of sight
Group 2 - Agility
Clear Jump - The jump is 3ft x 3ft and unlike agility the dog is required to complete the jump from a static start and then take the down, sit or stand command once over the jump. The bar on the top of the jump is not fixed so the dog will be penalised if it doesn't clear the jump.
Scale - The scale is a 6ft fence that the dog is expected to scrabble over and then take the down, sit or stand command once on the other side. Then on the handler's command come back over the fence and again take the down, sit or stand command.
Long Jump - The long jump is 9ft long, so always make sure your dog is warmed up before performing this exercise. Again the dog will jump from a static start position and then take the down, sit or stand command once over the jump. The handler must stay behind the jump, and cannot follow the dog to the finish position.
N.B. In CD and UD Stakes dogs smaller than 15 inches at the shoulder will be given shorter jumps for the 3 above exercises.
Group 3 - Retrieving and Nosework
Retrieve - The dog is required to go out at speed and retrieve the dumbell and return it to the handler sitting in front in the present position. The handler will take the dumbell and finish the dog to heel, when asked by the Judge. The dog will be marked down for mouthing the dumbell or playing with it on the way back.
Search - In CD the search area is 15 square yards and contains 3 articles and the dog must find 2 articles in 4 minutes to qualify. The handler may work his dog from the outside of the square, which is clearly marked with a peg on each corner. The Steward will have walked around the perimeter of the square and walked in various directions in the square. The articles will be placed, not thrown into position. Articles that may be used include, a wooden clothes peg, a small square of fabric, a small metal disc, basically anything that won't harm the dog's mouth when retrieved. Ideally the handler will keep quiet while the dog finds the articles however 5 marks can be gained per article retrieved, compared to a total of 5 marks for handler's style and control.
N.B. The same area will not be used again for another dog until the following day, nor will the same articles be used for another dog.
UTILITY DOG STAKE (UD)
The UD stake is the level up from CD and includes some different exerices.
Group 1 - Control
Unlike CD, there is no Heel on Leash test or Sit Stay and the Send Away increases to 50 yards minimum. The other exercises are the same as the CD stake, with two additions.
Retrieve - Same exercise as the retrieve in group 3 of CD stake.
Steadiness to Gunshot - The handler commands the dog into a sit, stand or down position. On the Judge's command the handler will be asked to leave the dog. The gun will then be fired and the dog is expected to stay in position.
Group 2 - Agility
These exercises are the same as in the CD stake.
Group 3 - Nosework
This group has the biggest difference between CD and UD. There is no retrieve, the search is slightly different and there is the addition of tracking.
Search - In UD there are 4 articles in the square. The size of the square is 25 square yards. There are 7 marks available for each article and a total of 7 marks for handler's style and control.
Track - The track will be a single line, which may include turns, for example:
In UD stakes the track will be approximately 30 minutes old and contain 2 articles, at least one of which needs to be recovered by the dog to qualify. There is a marker to indicate the start of the track. A Steward will have walked the track placing a second marker not more than 30 yards from the start to indicate the direction the track has been laid. The two articles will then be placed along the way with one in the first half of the track, and the second article at the end of the track. The track will be approximately half a mile long.
To start the handler will put a harness on the dog and attach a long line to the harness. The dog is required to pick up the scent of the Steward on the ground (air scenting is not appropriate for this exercise as it can cause the dog to miss out sections of the track). The handler needs to be sure that when the dog sets off they are going in the correct direction so they will let the line run out about half way before letting the dog pull them along. It is important for the handler to keep the line taut at all times, the line can run behind the handler. Each time the dog changes direction the handler will wait and let the line run out to half its length to make sure the dog is correct before following in that direction. The Steward that sets out the track will be standing with the Judge so that he can advise the Judge of any wrong turns the dog makes. When the dog finds an article it must hold it in its mouth until the handler reaches the dog. It must not mouth, drop or play with the article. The dog may wait for the handler in the sit, stand or down position. Once the handler has taken the article from the dog it can continue to follow the track. The second article will mark the end of the track. If a time limit is given then it won't be less than 20 minutes.
WORKING DOG STAKE (WD)
The WD stake is the next one up from UD and has the same exercises, however some are harder.
Group 1 - Control
This group is the same in WD as UD.
Group 2 - Agility
There is no allowance made in WD for smaller dogs, but apart from this everything remains the same as in UD.
Group 3 - Nosework
Search - This is the same as for UD
Track - The track may have more turns at WD level and the track will be at least 90 minutes old. There is only a start marker at WD level so the handler will have to trust the dog for the direction the track goes in. Everything else is the same as UD stake.
TRACKING DOG STAKE (TD)
This level is the hardest and contains a few changes of exercise in group 1.
Group 1 - Control
The variations from WD stake are as follows:
Send Away with Re-Direction - This is a more advanced exercise than the Sendaway as once the dog has been sent to the designated position the Judge or Steward will then ask the handler to re-direct the dog in a different direction, not less than 50 yards.
The Retrieve is replaced by Speak.
Speak - The Judge may require the handler to be walking the dog to heel, or the handler may be allowed to choose the position of sit, stand or down. The position of the handler will be specified by the Judge and this could include the handler being out of sight. The dog must bark on the handler's command and continue barking until the cease barking command is given by the handler as directed by the Judge or Steward.
Group 2 - Agility
Same as WD stake
Group 3 - Nosework
Search - Same as WD stake.
Track - The track will be a minimum of 3 hours old and shall include 3 articles of which 2 need to be found to qualify.
PATROL DOG STAKE (PD)
© Lisa F. Young - Fotolia.com
This is not harder than the TD stake, in fact the tracking section is easier, as only 1 out of 2 articles need to be recovered from a track at least 2 hours old. However it does include an additional section.
Group 4 - Patrol
This includes Quartering the Ground, Test of Courage, Search and Escort, Recall from Criminal, and Pursuit and Detention of Criminal.
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Suggested Reading
The website www.workingtrials.co.uk is a great source of information about upcoming events and Working Trials competitions. You will also find details of local clubs and training courses.
Books or leaflets by Terry Hadler, Rod Roberts or Wendy Beasley are well worth reading to find out more about Working Trials.