# Field trial questions



## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

1. What's the first level a dog competes at? DERBY

2. Are they required to start at that level? NO, THEY CAN START AT ANY LEVEL, BUT DERBY IS THE MOST BASIC LEVEL (BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE EASIEST ONE TO GET A RIBBON).

3. Are all field trials won through process of elimination? YES, KIND OF. THERE ARE GENERALLY 4 SERIES. JUDGES CAN ELIMINATE DOGS AFTER EACH SERIES, AND "CALL BACK" THE ONES THAT DID NOT FAIL THE TEST AND THAT THEY'D LIKE TO WATCH AGAIN. 

4. How old are the oldest dogs normally at a field trial? DEPENDS ... NORMALLY THE OLDEST WILL BE 8 - 10 YEARS.

5. There are so many levels, I saw open all age, amateur all age, qualifying, and derby. What do the levels mean and how do you get there? THAT'S A BIG QUESTION.
OPEN IS FOR ALL DOGS AND HANDLERS, WHO WILL BE TESTED ON MARKS AND BLINDS. 
AMATEUR IS OPEN FOR ALL DOGS BUT ONLY AMATEURS CAN HANDLE (i.e., no pros); DOGS ARE TESTED ON MARKS AND BLINDS. 
QUALIFYING IS FOR ALL DOGS WHICH HAVE NOT MET CERTAIN STANDARDS (TOO MANY TO TYPE); CAN BE HANDLED BY AN AMATEUR OR A PRO; TESTED ON MARKS AND BLINDS. 
DERBY IS FOR DOGS WHICH HAVE NOT TURNED 2 ON THE DAY THAT THE TRIAL BEGINS; CAN BE HANDLED BY AMATEUR OR PRO; MARKS ONLY.

6. Are there more levels than those listed in question 5? THERE ARE THREE OTHERS, WHICH ARE DERIVATIVES OF (AND HAVE MORE STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS THAN) THE OPEN: LIMITED, SPECIALS, RESTRICTED. ALSO, SOMETIMES YOU WILL SEE AN AMATEUR-OWNED AND HANDLED QUALIFYING OR AMATEUR.

7. Is it common for dogs to start at a hunt test and move over to a field trial? IT'S NOT UNCOMMON. IN FACT, THERE ARE MANY DOGS THAT WILL RUN MASTER AND QUALIFYING.

8. Which dogs are the ones to watch? ALL OF THEM! PUPPIES ARE A BLAST TO WATCH, DERBY DOGS ARE SO FULL OF ENTHUSIASM THAT IT CAN MAKE YOU WANT TO GET A YOUNGSTER, QUALIFYING WILL SHOW THE BROAD RANGE OF TRAINED ABILITIES, OPENS AND AMATEURS WILL HAVE THE BEST PERFORMERS IN THE TRIAL.
HOWEVER, TO SEE THE BEST OF THE BEST, THE ONES THAT HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPETED AGAINST AND BEATEN THE BLACK DOGS, LOOK FOR THE ONES RUNNING THE OPEN OR AMATEUR WHICH HAVE "FC" AND/OR "AFC" IN FRONT OF THEIR NAMES.

9. Which handlers are the ones to watch? ALL OF THEM.

10. Any other thoughts about field trials I should know before attending? ASK QUESTIONS, BUT NOT TO SOMEBODY THAT IS HEADING TO THE LINE WITH THEIR DOG ... THEY WILL BE A BIT PRE-OCCUPIED! 

11. Any etiquette rules to be aware of? NOT REALLY ... WELL, DON'T WEAR WHITE, PARTICULARLY AT THE QUALIFYING, AMATEUR OR OPEN (THE DOGS MAY WATCH YOU INSTEAD OF THEIR HANDLERS).


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

Alaska

I think that you will like the Field Trials. I shoot at some trials and get to see what each dog is doing first hand. I also have taken the opportunity to talk to the handlers and ask why they handled their dog in a certain fashion. Very rewarding.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Derby questions:

First round
1. Say I come to the line with my dog. When I look out do I see 1, 2, or 3 gunner stations? 
2. Are the gunner stations hidden, or using camo fabric around the blind, or just in the open?
3. How many birds in first round?
4. How many birds on water, how many on land? Is it different every first round of a derby, or is it more structured like a hunt test?
5. Is handling allowed, hand signals, whistle sits, etc?
6. If you are wanting to run pups in derbies, would it be better to have a fall born puppy, so you can have 2 summers of derbies? Up here we only have field trials in June, July, Aug.

Second round
What are the differences between it and the first?


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

Derby questions:

First round
1. Say I come to the line with my dog. When I look out do I see 1, 2, or 3 gunner stations? 
* YOU MAY SEE ONE OR TWO. IN MOST DERBY STAKES, EACH SERIES WILL HAVE A DOUBLE, BUT NOT ALWAYS. I HAVE SEEN SINGLES, BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN A TRIPLE IN A DERBY STAKE (BUT TRIPLES ARE NOT ILLEGAL IN DERBIES).

2. Are the gunner stations hidden, or using camo fabric around the blind, or just in the open?
* GUNNERS WILL BE IN THE OPEN, WEARING WHITE ... VISIBLE, HOPEFULLY VERY VISIBLE.

3. How many birds in first round?
* SEE ANSWER #1.

4. How many birds on water, how many on land? 
* THE RULES SAY THAT THE DOGS ARE TO BE TESTED EQUALLY ON LAND AND WATER. SO, USUALLY TWO DOUBLES ON LAND, AND TWO DOUBLES ON WATER ... BUT NOT ALWAYS.
Is it different every first round of a derby, or is it more structured like a hunt test?
* AGAIN, JUDGES USUALLY SET UP A DOUBLE IN EACH SERIES. TYPICALLY, THE FIRST SERIES OF A DERBY WILL BE FAIRLY BASIC, BUT THE TESTS INCREASE IN DIFFICULTY AS THE JUDGES GAUGE THE FIELD OF DOGS AND DECIDE HOW TOUGH THEY HAVE TO GET IN ORDER TO SEPARATE THE DOGS AND PUT THEM IN PLACEMENT ORDER. 
REGARDING DIFFICULTY OF THE TESTS, IT DEPENDS ON THE FIELD OF DOGS. IF THE JUDGES HAVE TERRAIN AND/OR COVER TO UTILIZE, THEN THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO LONG DISTANCES; BUT IN THE ABSENCE OF TERRAIN OR COVER, LONG THEY WILL GO ... ALTHOUGH MOST DERBY MARKS WILL BE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 100 YARDS AND 250 YARDS, I'VE RUN DERBY MARKS OUT TO 400 YARDS.

5. Is handling allowed, hand signals, whistle sits, etc?
NO ... AUTOMATIC ELIMINATION.

6. If you are wanting to run pups in derbies, would it be better to have a fall born puppy, so you can have 2 summers of derbies? Up here we only have field trials in June, July, Aug.
* I CAN'T ANSWER THAT ... MY GOAL IS TO ACQUIRE A PUPPY FROM THE MOST PROMISING LITTER THAT I CAN FIND REGARDLESS OF BIRTHDATE. THIS IS BECAUSE A DOG'S DERBY CAREER WILL BE, IN MOST CASES, 4 - 8 MONTHS IN LENGTH. A DOG'S ALL-AGE CAREER, HOWEVER, WILL LAST 6 - 8 YEARS ... SINCE I'M LOOKING FOR AN ALL-AGE COMPETITOR, THE DATE OF BIRTH DOESN'T WEIGH HEAVILY IN MY DECISION MAKING.

Second round
What are the differences between it and the first?
* GENERALLY, THE SECOND SERIES (use the word "series," so you'll sound like you're in-the-know) WILL BE MORE DIFFICULT THAN THE FIRST, AND IT MAY BE A WATER TEST.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Could you go back to the difference between the levels? 
What is the difference between having a dog in qualifying and a dog in open or amateur? I'm assuming open and amateur only has a difference of being owner or pro handled, am I correct?

I've heard that a dog can get "in between levels". Could you explore that a little more?

In a blind that is a long distance away from the handler, say 400 yards, how does the handler know where the bird is, without taking 20 minutes to walk back and forth to where the bird is set up?

In open, amateur and qualifying, how many series does a group of dogs go through (average amount of dogs, average level of ability) before a winner is determined?

How long does it take to get through a series? I've heard of very long days in field trials.

Thank you for the information. Sometimes you can read the rule books all day and still not really understand what is happening and why.

Could you suggest other resources for information beyond the rule books and this website?


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

Alaska,
Could you go back to the difference between the levels? 
What is the difference between having a dog in qualifying and a dog in open or amateur?
* IN QUALIFYING, AMATEUR AND OPEN STAKES THE DOGS ARE TESTED ON MARKS AND BLINDS, LAND AND WATER. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE STAKES IS THE DIFFICULTY OF THE TESTS. 

I'm assuming open and amateur only has a difference of being owner or pro handled, am I correct?
* WELL, YES, SORT OF. THE COMPETITION IN AN OPEN STAKE IS AT A CONSIDERABLY HIGHER LEVEL. UNDERSTAND THAT MOST OF THE OPEN DOGS ARE TRAINED AND HANDLED BY PROFESSIONAL TRAINERS, WHO MAKE THEIR LIVING BY TRAINING DOGS TO BE BETTER THAN EVERY OTHER TRAINER'S DOGS. THIS IS COMPETITION. THE TOP OPEN DOGS IN THE COUNTRY ARE VALUED AT "SIX FIGURES." AND LOOKING AT THE DURATION OF MOST OF THESE DOGS ALL AGE CAREER IS ONLY 4 - 8 YEARS, THERE'S A LOT OF VALUE PLACED ON WINNING. ALSO, IN THE ALL BREED TRIALS, SOME OF THE PROS WILL SHOW UP WITH A TRUCKLOAD OF DOGS (I'VE BEEN TO SOME TRIALS WHEN ONE PRO IS RUNNING 20+ DOGS IN THE OPEN). FOR AN AMATEUR LIKE ME, WITH ONE OPEN DOG, THAT'S A BIT INTIMIDATING ... BUT WHEN YOU BEAT THEM, IT'S EUPHORIC. (SORRY, THAT WAS MORE THAN YOU WERE ASKING FOR.)

I've heard that a dog can get "in between levels". Could you explore that a little more?
I SUSPECT THAT MEANS THAT THE DOG HAS AGED OUT OF DERBY, BUT IS NOT QUITE READY FOR QUALIFYING; OR THAT THE DOG HAS WON A COUPLE OF QUALIFYING STAKES, BUT IS NOT READY TO COMPETE AT THE LEVEL REQUIRED OF AMATEURS AND OPENS.

In a blind that is a long distance away from the handler, say 400 yards, how does the handler know where the bird is, without taking 20 minutes to walk back and forth to where the bird is set up?
*THE JUDGES WILL SET UP THE BLIND WHICH EVERY DOG WILL RUN. THEY WILL MARK THE SPOT AT WHICH THE BIRD IS LYING ... SOMETIMES WITH A STAKE, SOMETIMES MERELY IN FRONT OF A BUSH WHICH THEY WILL IDENTIFY TO THE HANDLERS.

In open, amateur and qualifying, how many series does a group of dogs go through (average amount of dogs, average level of ability) before a winner is determined?
*FOUR SERIES (I noticed your use of the word.) IT'S THE JUDGES' DISCRETION AS TO HOW MANY COME BACK FOR EACH SUCCESSIVE SERIES. THE CUTS CAN BE AS DEEP AS 75 - 80% TO AS SHALLOW AS 0%.

How long does it take to get through a series? I've heard of very long days in field trials.
*IT DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF DOGS ENTERED AND THE LENGTH OF TIME THE PARTICULAR TEST TAKES EACH DOG TO RUN IT. ONE TEST, PARTICULARLY IN THE OPEN OR THE AMATEUR CAN TAKE MORE THAN A DAY, BUT THAT'S USUALLY ONLY IN LARGE TRIALS AND USUALLY THE FIRST SERIES. GENERALLY, A SET OF LAND MARKS CAN TAKE ANYWHERE FROM 4 MINUTES TO AS MUCH AS 18 MINUTES. I HAVE SEEN A LAST SERIES SET OF WATER MARKS TAKE EACH DOG 25 - 30 MINUTES.

Thank you for the information. Sometimes you can read the rule books all day and still not really understand what is happening and why.
*YEP, AGREED.

Could you suggest other resources for information beyond the rule books and this website?
YOUR VERY BEST SOURCE WILL BE THE PARTICIPANTS IN A FIELD TRIAL.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

You have inspired me to consider running Lucy in a derby next year. She won't be 2 years old until June 10. There may be one or possibly two derbies in Alaska before she ages out. She loves to run and since it's marks, no blinds, she might do well. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

Alaska7133 said:


> You have inspired me to consider running Lucy in a derby next year.


WONDERFUL!!! That's what I want to hear. Lucy (and you) will love it!



Alaska7133 said:


> Think you for taking the time to answer my questions!


Any time!

FTGoldens


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