The Vale and West Gundog Club recently hosted a Kennel Club Working Gundog Certificate on Dummies assessment day.
Sam Negus very kindly wrote this overview of the day.
On Saturday 2nd September I volunteered at my first ever Kennel Club Working Gundog assessment day on dummies.
The day was planned well, in a clear, structured way that was efficient and easy to understand for handlers and volunteers. The venue was in Charlton, Evesham with the Vale and West Gundog Club.
Once the initial briefing was done it was time for handlers to prepare themselves and their dogs for the assessment. The first exercise to be assessed was social walking down a track, over a railway line and then through tall crops to reach the field where a simulated drive was to take place.
The group was split in two with one judge for each group, half would start with beating while the others displayed steadiness while sitting and waiting before retrieving the dummies from cover. The area for the simulated drive was marked by posts so it was clear where to start from with instructions clear and precise before commencing. Then the groups were switched around and had their go at beating/steadiness and retrieving.
The exercises were taken in a calm and thoughtful manner so that no pressure was put on the handlers or dogs and reassurance was provided throughout by both judges and Helen. A short social walk back the way we came and it was time to do the water retrieve part of the assessment. The venue has a well set out field with easy access to a maintained pond. This was then followed by retrieve over an obstacle, a wooden pole box, which was in another field just past the pond.
The weather was overcast but warm, thankfully the cloud cover provided a more comfortable working environment for handlers and dogs alike. There was plenty of time built in to decompress, refresh themselves with a drink and relax between exercises. Which allowed both handler and dog a little time to clear their thoughts.
The venue at Charlton is level with a lovely mix of the varying types of ground and obstacles you may come across in a real hunt. The social walk element provided even more realness to the exercise crossing over styles and tracks to reach the destination.
Three candidates were successful on the day
Bernice Jaggard & Pretty Pastel Pippa HPR
Laura Huttlestone & Stormpoint Jolly Thunder R
Brighid Humphreys & Phreymont Black Diamond R
It was an amazing experience to watch these dogs and handlers work and I am very excited to be able to do so myself when my young dog is ready to take that step. Helen and the team are supportive, patient and encouraging so I would have no hesitation in recommending anyone that is ready to come along and try it out with Vale and West.
