# Second Series, National Retriever Championship



## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Looks like FC Topbrass Southern Breeze is in the line up today, nice run by her too. Video available here, she is number #31

American Kennel Club - 2006 National Retriever Championship


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## Prov31 (Aug 16, 2006)

Wow! I did watch #31 and was amazed. I have never been at a field trial, but can tell that there is a lot of training and work involved. Thanks for the link--I have to go train our puppy now.


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

I keep thinking I will run over for a day and watch.. only a couple hundred miles.. but that means giving up a duck hunting day..decisions decisions..


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## Prov31 (Aug 16, 2006)

Well, I think the ducks took a vote and decided that you should go watch the trials!

Are you familiar with dog/owner #31? It really is an amazing thing to witness a well-trained dog.


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

what you are seeing there is a poison bird.. a bird thrown that the dog is not to pick up...instead the dog is being handled to a blind beyond the mark.. and truthfully, not a really good job.. not at the national level..that is not to say that dixie and i could do as well... it is a hard thing to do when the line to the blind is that tight to the mark.. 
but you will note that the handler continues to give angle back right casts, but the dog keeps pulling to the left.. 
Southern Breeze is a very good trial dog.. just to get into the national open, you gotta be very very good..


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

you dont want to get caught up in the golden vs lab deal in this stuff.. a good dog is a good dog and a good job is a good job.. the next dog..#32 does a very nice job on this test..


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## Joe (Apr 9, 2005)

Nonetheless, this was amazing video to watch.
Here is a direct link:
http://www.akc.org/videos/events/field_trials/retrievers/nrc/2006/mon_31.swf (wait, it takes some time to load)
Joe


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

Julie would have drug me across the field--dragging me if need be and laid that darn bird on my muddy face. 

I understand the level of training involved--which has to be very extensive---but this is not anything like real duck hunting is it? 


I mean see bird fall--go get bird. Right?


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

trials and hunt tests are more hunting "skills" tests.. basically the skills are the same.. dog needs to be able to mark and handle.. if you train a dog up to the level seen here then give it a little hunting experience..you have one great hunting dog...


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

See now--if they had a 'find the kitten and take it swimming' contest--we would win hands down...

Being female and all--I don't see me doing much duck hunting (my one duck hunting trip with my dad when I was around 12 was the closest thing to hell on earth I can remember-a wet rice field in east Texas in January is not a pleasant place to lay on your belly) --but still for my dogs sake wish I was more inclined to that type of thing--

Goldens doing this sort of work must be happy happy dogs.


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

njb said:


> See now--if they had a 'find the kitten and take it swimming' contest--we would win hands down...
> 
> Being female and all--I don't see me doing much duck hunting (my one duck hunting trip with my dad when I was around 12 was the closest thing to hell on earth I can remember-a wet rice field in east Texas in January is not a pleasant place to lay on your belly) --but still for my dogs sake wish I was more inclined to that type of thing--
> 
> Goldens doing this sort of work must be happy happy dogs.


I am on my fourth golden, and everyone of them absolutely loved hunting.. when they see you getting the gun out and loading up to go hunting they are beside themselves.. trotting back and forth with you as you load the truck so they won't be forgotten when you leave..


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## mblondetoo (Jan 9, 2006)

I watched the videos last night and after watching several videos was wondering if I was wrong in thinking the dog mentioned, wasn't as good as everyone said. I thought others were better, needing only one or two corrections. Is that the goal, to go from point A to B in as direct line as possible and use signals to direct? How is it judged?

Our first Golden Copen was 5 when we got her. We had no knowledge of the breed and what their jobs were but she did really love to fetch. We would throw her ball into the horse field and she would run into the field and do a zig zag pattern to smell where it hit. We could call her name and point in the direction and she would find it. She also could find a marked stone underwater. She was amazing.


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

yep..you want a straight line from the line to the bird with as few handles as possible..


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

From my understanding the blind was in a tough area, one lab was taken down because he didn't find it and thankfully the judges wondered what had happened and walked out to find the blind over a bit where it shouldn't have been apparently, the owners of this lab thankfully were found and the dog was able to make another run. I compliment the judges on doing that here! They took the walk and time to go out there and they found a problem.

It is also my understanding from reading elsewhere it was not at all uncommon for 10 whistles to go off in this run, it was a tough one for them.

The golden running obeyed commands and followed through on all whistle signals and found the bird, she is still in running!!!! There are only three goldens in the national, I hope too see a winner out of one of them. If not, they got there and are among the best of the best and all will remember them.

These dogs here are some of the highest skilled and trained dogs, if all will notice none of this is done on lead. You are talking distances of 250 too 300 yards out I believe and under total whistle commands and signals. They are truely amazing dogs to watch!!!!

The FT's are much harder then the HT's. But this is the Nationals! Only the best of the best are in this one! Beau got there because he is one of the best, of the best!


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

yep..the training is incredible.. 
the weakness on the goldens work was not refusal of a whistle or to take a cast, but not maintaining the line after taking the cast.. a minor fault. but that can build up to a major if repeated later... the next dog which did a better job, took the cast and held that line..


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

I'm thinking it was that golden nose, the goldens nose is much better then the Labs and i've heard it said that some judges will use that nose against them in some testing. Of course, this isn't happening here....but it does happen! 

Then again, that lab may have a bad day and completely screw up out there as the testing builds and the golden may shine! It's funny, ya just never know! The point is, Beau is in and still running. But like I said, it was not uncommon at all to have ten whistles going off in this series of the dogs from what i've read. 

There are yet two other goldens i've not seen yet run. Maybe today, I hope to see them in a video.


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## mblondetoo (Jan 9, 2006)

All of the dogs in the videos are amazing. i could never do that with my dogs! At that level they should be good. It's like anything else in competition, when everyone is good, something has to be nitpicked.


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Ok, check out #55 Another one of our goldens out there doing there thing. Aren't our goldens just amazing!!! Notice how they are trained to return on heel position, it all begins with OB training. These guys though work from long distances. This is what a Golden Retriever was bred to do originally and yet today it is still a working dog. I think sometimes people that are considering a golden should see things like this because some have not a clue as too what a Golden really is, they just picture that big golden smile in which they have....but there is more to our goldens then just that big golden smile. They are working breed and require quite a bit of exercise.

American Kennel Club - 2006 National Retriever Championship


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## greg bell (May 24, 2005)

YES... a very very nice triple with 2 retired guns.. nicely done by Beau.. I also liked his line manners and his attention to his handler.. nice dog..very nice dog..


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