Page 12 - 2018 WT Almanac

back the leadership. Your dog is in control or lie down, but he must remain under con-
on the track (you don’t know where it goes) trol until recalled.
can you still qualify in the control section?
Agility
Where do I start? The jumps in Intro are lower than those in
The qualifying system can be a bit confusing CD for all dogs. In CD and UD they can be
to a newcomer because of the wide range of lowered for smaller dogs. Once you reach
stakes you can enter. the dizzy heights of Working Dog (WD) it is
For your first trial you can enter in either the what it says on the tin, ‘Working Dog’ and
Introductory Stake (Intro) or Companion the jumps are at a set height whatever the
Dog Stake (CD) at both open and champi- breed: There are no concessions.
onship level, you can also enter Utility Dog
Stake (UD) at open Trials. None of these of Nosework
these stakes require a prior qualification to The dumb-bell retrieve is similar to that in
enter – but the best stake for a newcomer obedience, but you would be expected to
to enter is the Introductory Stake (or a spe- give it a good throw and the grass (or crop)
cial if you can find one). If you have done might be longer than in your average park,
obedience you will find the heelwork, nov- and in CD you will lose marks for extra
ice recall and retrieve familiar and you will commands. Remember, obedience style
be able to talk to your dog throughout these precision is not required, but there could
exercises in this stake. You can talk to him be a steward setting out your search square
throughout the nose-work exercises (search- whilst you are doing your retrieve. Many
ing and tracking) without penalty in all the dogs find this distracting!
stakes, but not in the control and agility. The Search Square in Intro and CD will be
marked by poles and is 15 yards square.
Control You are not allowed to enter the square, but
On the whole the control exercises are not your dog must go in and bring the articles
performed to such an exacting standard as in out to you. You can speak without penalty
obedience, but you might find the rough ter- in this exercise in all stakes. There will be
rain and greater distances more challenging. 4 articles in the Intro square and 3 in CD.
The tests tend to be more practical than pre- You dog should recover 3 of these cleanly
cise. You will need bombproof stays even at and deliver to hand for full marks. A novice
Intro level as there are no extra commands style present is not required (some articles
and although the one-minute sit is ‘in sight’ are small and the dog might swallow one if
you might be asked to go a lot further away he sits and holds his head high). You must
than is normal in a class or at an obedience get 2 out (at all levels) to qualify.
show. The down is ‘out of sight’ in all stakes The qualifying system is not based on 1st
and again your dog needs to be stable as you prize wins, but on qualifying marks. This, I
may have a long walkout. believe, is what makes for such good cama-
The sendaway in the lower stakes is usually raderie in Trials as you don’t need to beat
to the hedge or fence which may be some everyone else! You are all working together
20 – 50 yards away and may (or might not) for that qualification and everyone genu-
be marked with a pole or cone. Upon reach- inely wishes everyone else good luck! To
ing the designated area your dog should wait qualify, your dog needs a minimum of 70%
until recalled by you. Again, precision is not of marks in each section and 80% overall.
required if you say ‘wait’ he could stand sit (All the exercises and marks are listed in
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