I have rescued a working Cocker who has loads of energy and is very bright and I am interested in doing field trials with him.The thing is that he is scared of gun shots and loud bangs. Do clubs exist that do not use guns and are there any in the Yorkshire area? If anybody can give me any info as to what actualy goes on at these trials or can point me in the direction of a local club I would be more than grateful.

thanks mark s

Unfortunatly, by their very nature, guns are fired at Field Trials, Mark. Even at gundog working tests guns are used, as much as anything to tell the dog that there is "Shot Game" to be retrieved (Even if the shot game is a canvas dummy.) Really the way to go is to prove to the dog that gunshot is good because it is followed by the thrill of the retrieve. Trouble is, as a rescue dog you probably do not know why the dog is gun shy. Whether is was born that way or has been made that way by poor training. People need to be so careful how they introduce a dog to gunfire.

Regards, John

If you decide to go ahead, please whatever you do, don't follow the oft recommended technique of "flooding" because it rarely works. This is where a dog is constantly subjected to gunfire/bangs etc, a bit like a person scared of spiders who is suddenly put in a room with 50 tarantulas - they either sink or swim but are bound to be very terrified first.

An old (working) trials book i have discusses this method and to my horror i spoke to someone recently who had been told to do this with her gun shy dog (the gun fire actually hurt the dog's ears, it was a BC). It got to the stage where the dog was too scared to even get out of the car :(

There are other methods, cds etc i believe there is one specially for gundogs but they don't replicate the sound totally. I always get a ball out immediately for my dog if there is any kind of loud or unexpected bang because then she associates it with pleasure and not fear. Hth.

Lindsay
X

My introduction to gunfire is always done at a distance whilst the puppy is doing something else. As a 12 week old puppy Anna was playing in a field with another 12 week old whilst the "Big dogs" were in the wood training. The two puppy's heard the shot, stopped momentarily to glance at the wood then went back to playing. Always be doing something with a puppy when a gun goes off and keep doing it after so really only hears the noise as a background noise.

Trouble is, if the dog really is gun-shy, rather than gun nervous, then you are not going to cure it. A dog made nervous of gunfire can be improved on but it is a long process of linking the gunfire to something the dog likes.

Regards, John

If your dog cant get over being gun shy you could always try something like agility or even working trials :)

A gun shy dog will always be gun shy there is no remedy. They can also make difficult pets as any loud bang fire works, hammering, gas guns, drilling will see a gun shy dog drop it's tail and try to hide and once they associate a certain walk with say a gas gun they will not even get out of the car they never forget.

But few dogs are genuinely gun-shy Bilko. Most are made that that way by thoughtless handling and that is a very different matter. A dog can also be afraid of fireworks but have no worries whatsoever about gunfire because the sound is very different in pitch, duration and intensity. Without hearing more about this particular dog it is impossible to say just what the problem is.

Regards, John

I agree with John, firework bangs and gunfire are different. I had a lovely picking up dog, who worked really well and loved being at the shoot, no matter how close she was to the guns. However if she heard a firework go off she would hide and shake, not a happy dog at all!

I do realise that most gun dogs are like this because of  stupidity on the part of the trainer, and my point about fire works is relevant as gun shy dogs are disturbed by fire works more than most.

Unfortunately working trials does have a steadiness to gun test further up the stakes. I believe there is talk of getting rid of it though. But gun shy dogs could certainly compete in the lower stake :)

Lindsay
X

Mark,

You can get a list of all the the field trial & gundog societies by contacting the kennel club (I'll pm you a link to a full list). You should be able to find a local club, some offer training classes. You are a bit out of my region, but I do know that the Yorkshire Gundog Club run field trials for cockers (as well as retrievers & springers). There is also the Yorkshire Sporting Spaniel Club. You would usually be welcome to attend a trial as a spectator if you ring in advance.

If you can make contact with a good and sympathetic local trainer they should be able to help you assess your dog as to the likelihood of succesfully curing the fear of gunfire.

Field Trials for Spaniels
Before entering a field trial, a dog needs to be fully experienced in the shooting field as they are run on an actual shooting day. The dog will be expected to hunt & retrieve whatever game is available dead or wounded.

In a spaniel trial you will hunt your dog over a piece of land as directed by a judge (or pair of judges). You will be flanked on either side by two people with guns. Your dog needs to hunt the ground between these two guns and flush any game it finds. The dog must be steady to the flush (ie not chase). Assuming the game has been shot, you will be directed to send the dog to retrieve the game, which must be retrieved without being dropped or damaged by hard-mouth. The hunting part will often include periods in really punishing cover like brambles, the dog is expected to hunt these bravely. The dog is also expected to sit steadily while other dogs get their retrieves.

The dog would be eliminated for hard-mouth, whining or barking, unsteadiness, missing game on the 'beat' and failure to enter cover or water. Also, it may be dropped for failing to find a shot bird.
The dog receives credit for stylish and fast hunting, a good hunting pattern and excellent retrieving and gamefinding.

On each run, the dog will usually have two or three head of game shot for it, and will be run for as long as it takes to get enough finds & retrieves or is dropped. (This could be 5 mins or 45!)

The dog will be graded as A, B or C (also + or -) Usually a B or C would see you dropped or at least out of the awards.

The judges work there way through the card of dogs running (usually between 12 & 16 for cockers). If your first run is OK, you get another run with the other judge (or pair of judges).

When all of the dogs have either run twice or been eliminated, then there may be a run-off to split the placings.

Dogs are placed first to fourth and certificates of merit are also awarded. A CofM or higher will qualify the dog for a stud book number. Awards can be witheld if the work is of insufficient merit to justify the awards.

A dog is started by running in novice stakes. Winning a novice entitles the dog to be entered in Open stakes. Winning an open qualifies the dog to run in the championships. Winning two opens makes the dog a Field Trial Champion (FTCh).

Trials are graded by the dog not the handler, so from the first trial you run in, you will be competing against professionals and trainers with decades of experience. That makes it tough, but even the top trainers are beatable.

The above is a very brief summary, but hopefully gives you a flavour of what is required.

Field Trials shouldnt be confused with Working trials which are more in line with the kind of training and control a police dog would receive rather than a gundog.

Thanks everyone for some realy useful info.
will let you know how I get on   
                                           cheers Mark.