Page 47 - 2018 WT Almanac

take you all to every PD trial as I enjoyed it windbreaker, one crim stand still and as soon
so very much - what a great bunch of actors as dog is past static criminal the dog was
you all are. Also, a grateful thanks to Charlie to be recalled - only two dogs recalled; one
for helping me sort out my round, ensuring it was a non-qualifier and other was the win-
was exactly as I wanted. ner. With the dog back with the handler, the
Tracking was on long grass, so I opted for quarter was the whole perimeter of the field
sensible articles - a green milk bottle cap and (I was looking for dogs to check any nook
a fair-sized pine cone for the end. Square ar- and cranny and not just run the boundary) and
ticles were a piece of black material, a wood- again a lockout, and down to a noisy bunch
en tea stirrer, a horse shoe and piece of green of 4 people sitting round a table. This loca-
rubber - a nice variety I thought. tion seemed to throw most of the dogs, who
Everyone tracked very well and all articles didn’t think they should be barking at what
were recovered. Squares varied with either 3 obviously didn’t appear to them to be hidden
or 4 articles recovered. The gun followed the people. The winner’s dog performed this on
square, with handler and dog 10 paces away the whole the best. Criminals and the shed
facing myself, and handler 2 paces to right of nearby were to be searched and handlers
their dog; on return to their dog’s side they were told to retrieve anything they could see
were immediately instructed to ask their dogs (a gun was positioned at back of shed but
to speak for 15 barks. visible), this was done so the handler disap-
peared out of sight of the dog; at this point
Charlie, who was one of the 4 criminals, just
turned and walked away to disappear behind
a scale. Some handlers didn’t realise he had
disappeared, but Jean made good fun of this
and had us all in hysterics. Alan Bexon re-
trieved the gun and came out threatening to
shoot Charlie if he didn’t stand still, which
was highly entertaining, and then he sent his
dog. Lockout was finished at this point and
we carried on the remainder, starting with the
chase which was as per the recall; the two
criminals were escorted with an attack on
handler en route, and finishing off with a little
bit of escorting. Last was the test of courage,
which enlisted the help of all 6 criminals;
5 were hidden behind a copse of trees, one
came out shouting and dog was sent down the
hedgerow. At that point, the noisy one joined
Control started with fast paced heelwork to his mates armed with tree branches to pounce
the sendaway pole. Sendaway was diagonal- once the dog appeared. On the whole, the test
ly to the corner, then left along the hedge to of courage was performed well, with most
a yellow bush, then right back to the corner, gaining full marks, one on half marks and
then another right along the hedge, so the dog one losing just a couple marks. The amuse-
was in line with the handler - it was marked, ment was Lauren’s lovely Mali, who decided
4,2,2,2. More heelwork followed, with nor- he would take the back entry to the test of
mal and slow pace, then jumps in popular or- courage. I shouted to say, ‘Behind you’ to
der of clear, long, scale. the criminals and bless my lovely mate Jean,
Manwork started as a lockout with recall, who was normally at the back, turned round
two criminals running away, dog sent, han- to be saddled with now being at the front - her
dler is then instructed to sit in a chair behind a face was a picture but she took a good bite,
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