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. . Gundogs natural instinct . . .
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The
instincts and abilities of wild
animals has always intrigued and
amazed mankind and the domestication
of some of these animals has allowed
us access to a small fraction of
these instincts.
The
domestic dog has, arguably, supplied
the greatest proportion of its’
natural abilities to man. In thousands
of backyards across Australia, the
humble Labrador passes the day,
eats his dinner, fetches balls and
revels in every little bit of attention
he can get, no matter how minute.
The Labrador is not the only breed
of gundog that craves the attention
of his owners. As with all breeds
from Setters to Golden Retrievers,
Spaniels to the German Shorthaired
Pointers, they tirelessly retrieve
balls, day in, day out, with seemingly
unending enjoyment. However, very
few of their owners realise that
the natural instincts of their boisterous
retriever go far beyond that of
fetching tennis balls.
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| Gundogs
have been used for centuries to help
their masters put dinner on the table
and thus help feed the family. In
the early development of the gundog,
their ability to find and retrieve
downed game, without devouring it
on the way back to the shooter, and
subsequently delivering to hand without
damaging it, was invaluable. Along
with this important attribute, mankind
also found a need for their hunting
companions to find, flush and point
the location of game in the field,
aiding the development of gundog breeds
with various skill sets: Retrievers
for retrieving, Spaniels for flushing
and Pointers for locating and pointing
game. |
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The
evolution of mankind and the introduction
of supermarkets and freshly prepared
food, has removed our need for the
skills of our gundogs in today’s
society. However, the breeds themselves
still carry the same instincts and
natural abilities of their forefathers.
So without the need for hunting our
own food, how do we exercise these
natural skills and instincts of these
dogs?
SSAA United Field and Retrieving Branch,
or more commonly known as UFR, is
a gundog club that holds retrieving
trials for all breeds of gundogs,
in the South-East Queensland area.
Retrieving Trials are competitions
used to test a gundogs’ natural
working instincts, in typical duck
hunting scenarios, using artificial
fowl to simulate shot game. The dogs
are tested on retrieves both across
land and in water, in areas that can
range from sparse paddocks to undulating
gullies and waterways. Although the
dogs are not retrieving real birds,
their ability to scent, find and retrieve
the artificial game has been shown
to be no different from the real thing.
A basic Retrieving Trial run (or competition)
would involve the handler firing a
blank round from a shotgun in the
direction of artificial game thrown
from a catapult, up to 150 meters
away. The dog is required to sit steadily
beside the handler during this time,
without breaking away before being
sent for the retrieve. When the game
has landed, the owner then sends,
or asks this dog to ‘fetch’,
with the dog retrieving to hand, and
completing the run. |
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the duration of the run, dog and handler
are scored on their performance and
retrieving abilities by a judge. The
dogs are required to show obedience,
style, eagerness and action in their
retrieve, usually across three runs
in one competition. There are 4 levels
of competition in Retrieving Trials,
starting with the Test stake for beginners,
which is a suited to learning the
ropes and preparing young dogs for
the longer, more challenging runs
in the higher competition levels.
Our Test stake is perfect for getting
a taste of the Retrieving Trial competitions
and provides a friendly training environment
where people new to the sport can
test the waters. The Test stake is
followed by Intermediate and Advanced,
with Open being our highest level
of competition.
Competitors
are not required to hold a weapons
licence, and handlers and dogs do
not need to be registered with a canine
control council to compete, making
the sport of retrieving trials open
to anyone with a breed of gundog and
a love of the great outdoors. |
| Competitions
are run from March to October each
year, and the club currently holds
approximately ten to twelve Retrieving
Trial events during this time. Our
branch also conduct regular training
days, where people who are interested
in the sport can bring their dogs
along for advice on training and competition.
In
October 2010, our branch will be holding
the first SSAA & WGAA National
Retrieving Championships, an event
not to be missed! Competitors
from both Queensland and Interstate
will be competing for the title of
‘2010 SSAA & WGAA
National Retrieving Trial Champion’,
not to mention an impressive trophy
table, created with wonderful support
from the SSAA,WGAA, UFR members and
Winchester.
This
event will be held in the Kilcoy area
on the 9th and 10th of October. The
SSAA & WGAA National Retrieving
Championships is the ideal place to
see some amazing dog work, and observe
dog and handler working together at
this high level of competition. |
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People interested in retrieving, gundogs,
or those that would just like to take
a look, are encouraged to come along,
as with all our events, spectators
are more than welcome.
More details on the SSAA & WGAA
National Retrieving Championships
can be found on our website at www.unitedfieldandretrieving.org.au
and clicking on our ‘National’
link on the front page. Alternatively,
if you have any questions regarding
the sport, are interested in our training
days, or you would like to come along
to the 2010 National or one of our
other trials during the year to take
a look, we can be contacted via the
details below.
SSAA United
Field and Retrieving Branch Q73
Website - www.unitedfieldandretrieving.org.au
Email – info@unitedfieldandretrieving.org.au
Branch Secretary – Mrs Linda
Jeffrey, Ph 0412633632 or (07) 3289
9251
Vice President Publicity and Promotions
– Mrs Kerri Underwood, Ph 0412
579 955 |
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