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The Poodle Club of Massachusetts
WC/WCX Training and Trial |
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The Poodle Club of Massachusetts
WC/WCX Training and Trial |
| Index
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I. Recommended
·
RULES
PCA’s
WC/WCX
·
BOOKS:
(in no particular order)
“Smart Works” by Evan Graham
“For early beginning work I used the "10 minute
retriever", and added "Smartfetch" by Graham, then added
Smartwork.”
“Smartwork covers many
of the topics discussed in the "10 minute
retriever," but I didn't find it as readable. A good overview of
training from beginning toward transition that goes beyond the scope
of "The 10 minute retriever"
“Training Retrievers for Marshes and Meadows” by James Spencer
“I found the book Training Retrievers for
Mashes & Meadows good for the FF process.”
“Retriever Training Drills for Marking” by James Spencer
“Training
the Hunting Retriever” by Jerome Robinson
“The
Finished Dog” by Charlie Jurney
“Uses toe hitch FF which is less traditional then the ear pinch. Good coverage of basics.”
“The
10 Minute Retriever” by John and
“Very helpful for the
begining dog. Quite readable and simple. It is
very weak when addressing Force Fetch, the available information was
helpful”
“Drills
For The Retriever Hunt Test Enthusiast" by Carol F. Cassity
“I have this one and
really enjoy the format and info you get, they even tell you what to do if the
dog screws up, most books don't tell you that!”
·
MAGAZINES:
The
Retriever Journal
Hunt
Test Know How
II: CATALOGS / SUPPLIERS:
· Cabela's www.cabelas.com
· Gun Dog Supply http://www.gundogsupply.com/
· Dogs A Field http://www.dogsafield.com/
·
BIRDS: Pigeons, Quail & Ducks
·
Pigeon
·
Quail
·
Ducks
- Mail Order:
Whistling Wings,
815-591-3512.
Frozen Ducks for dog training.
Current Pricing (
- Local
Hunt Tests:
Local Hunt Tests:
Ask the Hunt Test secretary if you can get ducks after the test (sometimes they
are well used, sometimes they look like new, especially if the club uses live
fliers. OR you can try to call the hunt secretary ahead of time and ask them to
order you some extra ducks.
To find out schedules for Hunt Tests and information on the club president and
show secretary:
www.entryexpress.net (use the search
function)
www.akc.org (use the events schedule section)
www.hrc-ukc.com (use the calendar of
licensed hunts)
Area of the fall: The judges’ imaginary estimate of the
area around a mark that is considered the “area of the fall.” A dog should not leave this area once in it
and searching for the mark.
Blind: An advanced event in a hunt test when a bird is
placed without the dog seeing it. The
dog responds to a series of “handles” given by the handler in order to find and
retrieve the blind.
Blink: A dog is said to “blink” a bird when it goes to
the mark, looks at the bird, and ignores it or won’t pick it up.
Cover: The lay of
the land on which a test is being conducted.
Double Mark
or “Double”: When two marks are thrown without a retrieve between
them. The handler first faces one
direction as a mark is thrown, then shifts to face the direction the second
mark is thrown. This skill is testing
the dog’s memory.
Gunner Station: From where the “marks” fly. Usually there are gunners with a winger
hidden behind a “blind” that is made of camo material on several posts
shielding them from the dogs view.
Handle: Signals that are given to a dog to assist in
helping the dog find the mark. Formal
“handling” is when a whistle is blown, the dog sits and faces the handler
awaiting an instruction of direction to proceed towards the planted bird.
Holding Blinds: Places through which a dog and handler
progress as they move towards the start of a test. These blinds can be vehicles
or natural areas, as well as formal fabric camo on several posts, that block
visibility of the dog to the test.
The Line: Where the
judges expect you to run the dog from
Mark: When an “object” (bird, bumper) is thrown, the
dog should “mark” visually where the fall is and proceed immediately to that
place.
Popper: The
sound that is made in the field when the bird is thrown for the
dog. It is not a live round, but a blank round
fired from a gun.
IV. TRAINING AIDS
·
Bumpers: White
Nubby, Black/White
·
Toys: Floating
balls, frisbees etc.
·
Long line
·
A friend or
kids to throw
·
A pole with a
string or a kids fishing rod
·
Treats (yes
treats)
·
A whistle
·
A training
pistol with poppers (not necessary but helpful)
·
A duck call
(available at any of the places mentioned above. Just get a cheap one).
·
High boots
(think field, mud, water)
V. Working Certificate/Working Certificate Excellent
Trial Description
The Poodle Club
of America, Inc. allows any registered Poodle over six months of age which
meets the performance requirements to receive the Working Certificate and the
Working Certificate Excellent.
The purposes of
these Certificates are to test the natural working ability of the Poodle and to
demonstrate his interest in birds, his ability to take direction from the
handler, his marking ability, his willingness to enter the water, and his
trainability.
These tests are designed to enable most
Poodles with a natural working instinct to pass the Working Certificate Test
and with modest training to pass the Working Certificate Excellent Test. These
programs provide an avenue for Poodle owners to en
Performance
Requirements for a PCA Working Certificate or Working Certificate Excellent
1.
Retrieval
of two single birds at approximately 50 yards on land for WC and a double bird
mark at approximately 75 yards on land, with an honor, for WCX.
2.
Retrieval
of two single birds from water to prove willingness to re-enter water for WC
and a double bird mark from water for WCX.
3.
The
dog may be held on line, as steadiness is not required for WC, the dog must be
steady on the line for WCX.
4.
The
dog must not show fear of guns.
5.
These
requirements may be met in several ways:
a. completing
the land and water retrieves in an approved field test.
b. completing a Working Certificate Test or Working Certificate Excellent Test held
by an approved Retriever Club.
c. completing a hunt test of equal or greater difficulty held by an approved
Hunt Club.
Guidelines for the Evaluation of a Dog's
Performance in a Working Certificate and Working Certificate Excellent Test
1.
The
"retrieve" in the performance criteria for the WC indicates that the
birds should be returned to the handler in such a manner that the handler can
easily reach the bird. Delivery to hand, however, is required for the WCX.
The WC test is a marking test while the WCX is a memory test:
a.
On
the land test, the bird should fall into only light cover for the WC and may
have deeper cover for the WCX.
b.
The
water test should show the dog's courage to re-enter the water, therefore,
angled entries, excessive distances in the water and the line to the water, are
discouraged.
c.
One
of the water retrieves should be done into swimming water if possible.
d.
The
local rules and the approved club rules regarding use of live birds should be
followed.
e.
Line
manners are not to be judged in the WC test. The requirement for the bird to be
delivered to the area of the handler is all that is required for the exercise
to be completed. The WCX test does require steadiness on line and delivery to
hand.
Since 1994, Standard and Miniature
Poodles have been eligible to earn Working Certificates and Working
Certificates Excellent by passing the required elements of the field tests at
either locally sponsored events or at the PCA and PCA affiliated poodle club
sponsored tests. Once a dog earned each title, however, no additional levels of
Poodle Club of America competition were available. In an effort to promote
continued participation in PCA sponsored WC and WCX tests by previously-titled
dogs, and to encourage sponsoring WC/WCX tests by PCA affiliated local poodle
clubs, PCA approved the awarding of three levels of medallions for multiple
WC/WCX passes.
The
medallions will be awarded to dogs that meet the criteria below:
•
Bronze Medallion - 5
total WC or WCX passes
with at least 3 being earned at the PCA national or regional/local Poodle club
sponsored tests.
•
Silver Medallion - 10
total passes. At least three of the passes would have to be WCX passes with at
least 6 of the passes having been earned at the PCA national or regional/local
Poodle club sponsored tests.
• Gold Medallion - 15 total passes. At
least 5 of the passes would have to be WCX passes with at least 10 of the
passes having been earned at the PCA national or regional/local Poodle club
sponsored tests.
As
you can see, these medallions will be earned by those who truly are committed
to testing their field dogs at multiple locations, including the national,
regional and local specialties. If you are affiliated with a local poodle club
and are interested in sponsoring a test, please feel free to contact me for
details of what the test entails. It's not as complicated to sponsor a test as
you might think, and it could be a minimal money-maker for your club!
The
medallions will show a poodle exiting the water, carrying a duck in typical
poodle fashion and will have “The Poodle Club of America” emblazoned around the
face of the medallion. We think the possibility of earning the medallions will
add to the enthusiasm and excitement that is always present at WC/WCX tests,
and definitely should keep all participants training and entering tests for
their chance to earn multiple medallions.
To
apply for a medallion, contact the WC/WCX Chairman,
Working
with Water Issues:
My dog loves the water,” is a familiar refrain
that professional dog trainers hear when new students are dropped off for
training. Most retrievers do, in fact, love romping about in the water, but
usually on their own terms. That means retrievers love performing simple tasks
in the water, but may balk when the task or the conditions get difficult.
Throw a
tennis ball off the beach on a summer day, and your dog may never want to quit.
But at the other end of the spectrum is a blind retrieve across a windy lake
when the air and water temperatures have plummeted. Retrievers vary in their response to the
challenges posed by water work. More than anything, a dog’s response is related
to his desire level. The water creates a challenge that is overcome by
birdiness and the desire to retrieve.
A secondary
factor is the dog’s comfort in the water. Some dogs cruise along like an otter
while others struggle and splash. The dog that struggles to swim — even one
with great retrieving desire — seems to view water as a barrier,
something to
avoid, and something to get out of as soon as possible. A dog’s coat and
physical condition may also affect his sensitivity to cold water and may
account for variation in willingness to perform difficult water work.
Finally, a dog’s water attitude can be
profoundly influenced by the training regime. A vicious cycle of failure can
make dogs absolutely dread water work. While there are no magic bullets for
creating a good water attitude, there are some general approaches that can
encourage a dog to have a better attitude around water.
Introduce
Water Gradually
A dog’s early
experiences around water can affect his attitude about water training. Don’t
suddenly introduce your dog to water by forcing him into the water, and don’t
throw a bumper to an intimidating distance. Instead, introduce your pup to water
by having him follow you or an older dog through shallow water. Start out early
retrieves with bumpers hand thrown a short distance in water your pup can run
through.
As your pup
gains experience, gradually extend the length and throw into water that
requires swimming. When your dog becomes
an accomplished gun dog, he may come to love the mucky shorelines of the marsh,
but start your early training in simpler situations. A sandy beach with open
water will encourage an enthusiastic entry, and the lack of distracting
factors, like logs, lily pads and bulrushes, will help keep a dog focused on
the retrieve. Once your dog has mastered
the mechanics of simple water retrieves, you can gradually go to areas with more
cover and other distractions.
Even as your
training progresses, the “clean” look of many training ponds helps to keep
certain concepts, such as cheating singles, well defined. This increases your dog’s understanding of
your standards and actually improves communication between handler and dog.
Later on, your training will need to strike a balance between the clean look of
training ponds and the rustic appearance of natural ponds found in hunting,
hunting tests and trials. A water
temperature of 55 degrees should be considered the limit for serious training,
though the air temperature and wind can push the limit a little up or down.
Now I know
your gun dog retrieves ducks from the icy Snake River when it’s 10 degrees out,
but training is different from hunting, especially the longer distance work
typical for field trial competition or the extended work required for swimby or
cheating singles. When prolonged exposure or the possibility of correction is
added to the mix, it’s essential to train in warm water.
I will
occasionally use insulated vests in order to stretch the temperature limit, but
even then I’ll try to keep my tests relatively short and simple. Young dogs in particular should be kept away from
cold water; a few bad episodes can really sour a pup. Later, when your dog is
fully trained, you can hunt in the rugged conditions associated with great
waterfowling. I should add that you
don’t want to assume water work will keep a dog cool on a hot day. Extensive
work on very hot days also can lead to a poor attitude, and it is even possible
for a dog to overheat in warm water.
Strive
for Success
It’s always a
good idea to get your dog dried off and warmed up before putting him away from
a cool water workout.
The worse
case scenario is to put a wet, cold dog in a crate with no bedding. Better to
get your dog dried off with a towel and/or warmed up with some land work —
either some hand-thrown bumpers or a run behind the four-wheeler.
It’s a good
idea to make a routine of staking your dog out after he is worked. This enables
him to dry off and stay loose in cool weather or to cool down in hot weather
when you stake him out in the shade.
Even when hunting a veteran, you should find some way to keep your dog
relatively dry in the duck blind. Use an extra grass mat or burlap feed sacks
to provide a dry resting place. Birds
help keep your dog’s attitude up for all aspects of fieldwork, but it is
probably most essential in the water. I virtually never use bumpers for
difficult memory marks in the water — it’s just not enough reward for a long
swim or courageous hunt.
Although I
frequently use bumpers for drill-like cheating singles or as a close go-bird in
a multiple marking test, I would definitely recommend birds for most other
water marks. Striving for success is a
worthy guideline for all aspects of retriever training, but it is most
essential around water. For young dogs going through the transition, you have
to make a real effort to create successful outcomes in the water. This means
you have to design some of your setups to reduce the risk that your dog will
cheat or find a short cut to the bird by land. Marks thrown out of a boat
across open water are the most ideal oncheating marks. Even for advanced All-Age dogs, a balance of
challenging and routine setups is essential around water.
I do a higher
percentage of “key” marks as singles on the water than I do on land. Difficult
retired stay-in-the-water marks are an essential element of All-Age training,
but that doesn’t mean every setup has to have such challenging concepts. Calling a dog back to the line for certain
failures is a common training convention. Though it can be an effective
training procedure, it can be very discouraging when used in the water. In
general, you should avoid calling a dog back in on a long swim in order to give
the test another attempt. Because water
presents special challenges for most dogs, it is difficult to teach new
concepts in the water.
A good
example is learning multiple marks. It is far easier to teach a dog to do
doubles on land than it is in water. In general, you should have your dog doing
cold land doubles, or even triples,
before you
attempt multiple marks on the water.
Likewise, marking concepts such as long retired guns and secondary
selection are far easier to teach and master on land than they are in the
water. More than anything else, your
dog’s water attitude is a product of your overall approach and training
philosophy. A systematic step-by-step program that places an emphasis on
teaching will enable you to get the most out of your dog. ■
A
professional trainer and handler of
Retriever
Championship a record seven times. A member of the Retriever Hall of Fame,
Lardy conducts training workshops, has produced three training video/DVDs, and
is the author of a three volume spiral-bound collection of training articles.
For
information, visit www.totalretriever.com
or
call (800)
848-5963.
