Some of you may have read my post about Fagans single testicle which means we may not be able to show him.  When I originally decided to get a dog I didnt want to show (the bitchiness around the Afghan ring put me off as a kid) I wanted a dog to do field trials, agility or obedience with, I just drifted back to showing like a comfort blanket, ok and I got the bug again big time when I I visited crufts this year :rolleyes: so anyway this has given me a kick up the backside to do something different :)  Fagan already goes to obedience classes and is doing quite well.  I would now like to take this a step further and actually compete with him but I havent got a clue how to go about it or even what its all about :rolleyes:.  We have a stand in trainer at the moment and when I asked her about it she said to enter him in a beginners class at a companion show which I will do if I find one which has obedience.  What is expected of him though, and where can we go from there? is there any good books or websites on it ?

Any help greatly appreciated :)  Fagan is an Irish Setter by the way and yes we love a challenge :D :D

Claire ;)

get on the "obedience uk " web site
its a good site,you can asks loads questions & theres a page on getti ng started etc,& you get get schedules etc.
my friend pearl works irishes,her one at the moment ,Razzle, has represented the inter regional western team,twice at crufts ,has won her out of the lower classes & has won a novice this year,

do a search on obedience uk & you will find it!
theres also lists of good clubs etc

see you round the shows????

where abouts are you by the way?

just looked at your details,can you get to portsmouth easily? portsmouth dog training club,russell becques club is good,they also run courses etc

or theres clubs at eastleigh,winchester etc etc

Ever thought about Working Trials?

To be honest I dont know an awful lot about them is there a website I could visit for info?

Thanks for you help michelle, I will look for that site now.  Portsmouth isnt too far for me but im going to wait to speak to my trainer when she is back from her hols becuase I think she competes.

Obedience site

It is also worth joining the Newbies e mail group & the other e mail groups as well-some of the countries best trainers & handlers are on the mail E mail group & questions asked re training etc gat lots of helpful replies  & also looking at the link on the home page of the above site "Getting Started" written by Jane Ellen

Obedience info or Dog Training Weekly Magazines are also worth having a look at

I trained an Irish Setter for Working Trials back in the late Sixties early Seventies who belonging to a Tutor at the College I was at. We trained for fun(as she was not my dog)with A.S.P.A.D.S. near Leeds

I would definitely give Obedience a go as you need basic Obedience for all the other activities & although like all competition there are some not so nice people in Obedience the great majority are super people only too willing to help & advise & even train you as well

Has there ever been an Irish Setter with WT qualifications?

Barbara Riste has had a Gordon with TDex but I don't know of any other setters that have.

Working Trials were developed to test the working ability of dogs and dates back to 1924, when the Associated Sheep, Police and Army Dog Society held the very first event.

Working Trials are quite a specialist area with a small, but dedicated, following. You don't have to have a specialist background to enjoy, and compete in this sport which attracts all sorts of people and many different breeds. As the competitions are designed to test working ability, they can also be very popular with dog handlers from the police and armed forces, as well as pet owners.

As in the sports of Obedience and Agility, you and your dog will have to do plenty of training together before you can begin to compete and your dog is unlikely to be ready for competition until he is about one and a half years old. All the hard work will be worth while as you will be rewarded by seeing your dog use his inherent ability to develop into a skilled working dog, and you and your dog will become a real team.

Working Trials include elements used in Obedience and Agility but also have other exercises designed to test your dog's working ability. There are five levels of competition known as 'Stakes'.

Companion Dog (CD) Stake
Utility Dog (UD) Stake
Working Dog (WD) Stake
Tracking Dog (TD) Stake
Patrol Dog (PD) Stake

Each Stake combines exercises in three sections: Control, Agility and Nosework. The judge allocates points for each exercise completed. The marks apportioned for each exercise vary from stake to stake. A full list of marks for each exercise within the stake are listed in the Kennel Club "I" Rules and Regulations.

Control

Heel Work

Both on and off the lead, your dog should keep its shoulder reasonably close to your left knee whilst you walk smartly in a natural manner. The Judge will ask you to vary your speed between slow, medium and fast pace and to go through turns as well as going amongst, and around, persons and obstacles.

Recall to handler

The Judge will tell you to put you dog in a 'Down' or 'Sit' position and will direct you a reasonable distance away from the dog. When the Judge gives the command you should recall your dog which should return at a smart pace and sit in front of you. At another command from the Judge or Steward your dog should go smartly to heel on your command or signal.

Sendaway and Directional Control

The Judge will ask you to send your dog a set distance (the minimum distance is 18.288m (20 yards) however sendaways are rarely less than 75 yards and in ticket can be up to 200 yards or more. When your dog has reached the spot designated by the Judge you should stop your dog in either the stand, sit or down position. At higher Stakes you will be asked to re-direct your dog through a number of manoeuvres.

Sit and Down Stays

For the sit stay the Judge or Steward will say the words, ' Last Command' and you should give your final instruction for your dog to sit and stay. You should then walk to a position indicated by the Judge or Steward and your dog should stay perfectly still for 2 minutes until ordered to return to you. In the down stay, having given the 'Last Command' to lie down and stay, all handlers must leave and remain out of sight for 10 minutes. Your dog should not move until ordered to return to you.

Retrieve a dumb-bell

Upon a command from the Judge, you will throw a dumb-bell, which your dog should then retrieve.

Steadiness to gunshot

You will be warned when the test is about to take place and your dog should be walking to heel, or, free but within controlling distance. The Judge will penalise you if your dog barks, or shows any sign of fear, or aggression.

Speak on command

This exercise appears only in the TD and PD Stakes and requires your dog to 'speak' or bark, on your command. This test may be carried out in a variety of ways eg out of sight, tied up, on a table, at heel, held by steward, in car etc etc.

Agility

Clear Jump

Your dog will have to jump a 9144mm (3ft) hurdle.

Long Jump

Your dog must clear a jump making up a distance of 2.743m (9ft).

Scale

The scale is a vertical wall of wooden planks that your dog must scramble over. The top part of the scale may have evenly spaced wooden slats to help your dog get a footing in scaling the obstacle. You will be asked to stop 2.743m (9ft) in front of the wall and then send your dog to scale the wall. Having scaled the wall, your dog should remain in the stand, sit or down position before you recall him back over the scale.

Nosework

Elementary Search

Depending on which Stake you have entered, an area of 13.761m squared or 22.86m squared (15 or 25 square yards) will be marked out with poles. You must send your dog into the area and order your dog to search the ground and retrieve either 3 or 4 of articles within 4 or 5 minutes. You will earn points for each article retrieved as well as points for overall control and style. The articles will have been handled by a search steward and will be found by your dog's scenting ability.

Track

The track is the route taken by a person unknown to the dog about to compete, across an area of ground. The track is approximately half a mile long and may include up to 20 or more "legs". Your dog should follow the route taken by the track layer 1/2, 1 1/2, 2 or 3 hours before, as closely as possible. Between 2 and 3 articles are also placed along the track which your dog should locate. The Judge will allocate marks for how closely your dog follows the route taken by the tracklayer and for each article located.

Manwork

In the PD Stake, a number of exercises are also included which test the working skills of a patrol dog, such as pursuing and detention of 'criminals'.

To qualify "excellent" your dog must obtain 70% of the available marks in each section and 80% of the overall available marks. When you have you will be entitled to place CD/UD/WD/TD/PD ex after your dog's name.

If you obtain 70% of the available marks in each section and only 70% of the overall marks then you are only entitled to put CD/UD/WD/TD/PD after your dog's name.

If you gain a Certificate of Merit in an Open trial your dog is not entitled to any letters after its name as this is not considered a "qualification" but only as a "pre-qualification" for entry into Championship Trials.

If the dog wins 2 TD or PD championship stakes it becomes a Working Trial Champion

Thanks Tohme, that looks really interesting and like something he could possibly do he loves using his nose I suppose its just getting him to use it in a constructive way rather than tracking down pheasants :rolleyes:

Where would I get started doing this, it all seems a bit comprehensive for me to teach at home ?  I dont know of any other Setters that do it, I hope this isnt a sign   but then I dont know many Setters anyway :D :D

http://www.workingtrials.co.uk/

There is a club in Hampshire, if you scroll down the left hand side you will get some contacts or post a message on the board.

HTH

If you go to the Kennel Club website and then to show's on left hand menu it tells you all about the differrent types of show and what is required in each class. Viv

Whereabouts are you in Hants, Blondebird? As we have a small WTs group and some have just left to have babies, one dog has arthritis etc.
We are near the New Forest and Verwood?

Lindsay
X

Hi Lindsay, im in Basingstoke.  Which side of the new forest is it? im about 20 minutes away from southampton :)

We tend to move about! We meet up at various places you see; the trainer has a field in Verwood, and we meet up at places in the forest - near Ringwood (red shoot area) and Burley areas i think mostly.

We tend to meet once a month and practise stuff, and of course its up to us to practise on our own as well. It takes quite a long time to train but it's such fun and nothing beats seeing the dogs working. I love that. :)

We are totally reward based; which i prefer. There is also a group in the forest known as the Poole and District club, they used to meet up on Wednesdays i think...

Lindsay
X

Ringwood isnt really too far for me and it sounds good.  I cant see if thats the closest one though because for some reason I cant see on the site that Tohme posted where the other ones in hampshire are, I clicked on hampshire and nothing appeared anyone ?

If you scroll down you can get to contacts and Hampshire is listed; i think you may have to download Adobe Acrobat Reader to read some of the things on the site (no expert but that's what i read!).

If you are interested in our group let me know and i will PM you with our trainer's email address :) We're a friendly bunch and always have a little tea break with biccies during training :D

Lindsay
X

Do you know of any in the North West.  Was thinking of doing agility but my breed may enjoy this.

Take a look at Tohme's link, :) there is a NW group on there but have no idea what they are like...

Lindsay
X

I did, it had North West Group. clicked came up with their emblem and nothing else :d  did try to change my message but my computer through me out :d  So if anyone does know their details I wd. be very grateful.

North West Working Trials Society,

Miss Kim Astbury 6 Longmeadow Weaverham Cheshire

CW8 3JHPhone - 01606 854573: kim@kimastbury.fsnet.co.uk

thats exactly what happened to me, im going to try at work tomorrow :)

Hampshire Working Trials Society,
Mrs A Sanders, Amberley, Station Road, Isfield, TN22 5XB

Thanks Tohme :)