So You Think You Might Be Interested In Working Trials?
(Part 1)

Click on the 'search' and 'track' thumbnails to see full sized versions of the photos

Before I knew what Working Trials were about, like other people I thought it included ‘Sheep’. My first experience of Working Trials was going along to a farm with my Show Champion Border Collie ‘Daisy’, where I met my trainer, an old fella with a cloth cap, another B/C and a GSD. We stood in a field and the trainer proceeded to rub and spit on a spark plug then throw it in our direction. All being rather baffled we were not sure whether we should pick it up or spit on it like he did, but the dogs certainly didn’t want anything to do with it.

It then became clear that one of the Working Trials exercises included retrieving objects and metal objects were the ones that most dogs didn’t like. One of the exercises is to search, find and retrieve 4 objects from a 25 x 25yd square which has been marked out by 4 poles. In fact I experienced this dislike of metal when my third reluctant lazy collie ‘Gina’ located a large nail, wouldn’t pick it up and proceeded to manoeuvre it using her feet all the way from the centre to the edge of the square. You see part of the test is that you are not allowed to enter the square yourself!

David and Sophie working the search square

The tracking test also includes articles and on the UD and WD tracks there are 2 and on the TD stake, which is the top class, there are 3. Now to most triallists articles are like gold dust! They are worth 10 points each and tickets are sometimes won or lost on articles. It’s a shame the dogs don’t think the same way as we do about them. Now ‘Daisy’ my first trained dog just wasn’t interested in them, she would either crunch them between her teeth, spit them out or just ignore them. She wouldn’t understand why I got so ecstatic when she found a 2x2 inch bit of carpet - eating rabbit poo was so much more interesting.

Despite herself Daisy did manage to gain her CDex UDex WDex

Anyway, tracks consist of straight lines (known as legs) and corners or ‘cut backs’ if they go behind you. In the first stake (class) there are between 7/9 legs and it has been aged by 30 minutes, in the second stake it might consist of between 12/15 legs and is one and a half hours old and in the top stake 20/25 legs and 3 hours old.

When you turn up with your dog to a remote field anywhere in the country and are met by 3 people, the judge, tracklayer and search square steward you know you have got the first bit right! You are told where to start, see a pole stuck in the ground and hopefully off you go, with your dog, and collect all the articles. Now I can only describe the feelings of extreme nervousness before you start and the feeling of elation if you successfully complete it. As well as a well trained dog you also have to be a true team to succeed. I cannot explain the feeling of complete trust in your canine companion and the ability to read the dog's body language felt by the handler/owner at this time. Dogs do make mistakes for all sorts of reasons and failing tracks is all part of the course.
But going back to ‘Daisy’ my first dog who thought that rabbit poo was more interesting than ‘bits of old carpet', she once proceeded to take me for a wander all around a big open field with me obediently in tow, only to be told later that the track layer hadn’t gone that way at all!

Margaret and Dandy starting a 'UD' track

At a trial the track is often the first exercise, followed by the search square and then the gun test. There are only 5 marks awarded for the gun test and it is to test the dog’s reaction to loud bangs. Most of my collies have been gun shy but most pass the gun test, which seems rather unusual. When I train this exercise I quickly link the bang and the situation to something they really want. Gina, my lazy dog, loved sausages and would sit during the gun test salivating in anticipation for one. If she didn’t get one straight away she would go searching through the judges bags and lunch boxes looking for one. Definitely the quickest way to upset the judges!

Anyway that’s all for now. I am off to train my new edition, ‘Pudley’ my 10 month old pup. Second part of the test known as ‘Control and Agility’ to follow soon.

Heather Donnelly.