# Field trial questions



## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Qual is generally run first. If you receive a first or second place in a qual your dog is considered Qualified All Age (QAA). 
There is no prerequisite for running in any order -- except for derby dogs under 2, you can enter any event you like.
However there is a HUGE jump from Qual to Open or Am.
Open and Amateur should be of equal difficulty. The only difference of course is in the Amateur, they cannot be run by a pro handler. Open is open to anyone. 
Points are awarded for placements in the Open and Am only. You do not receive points for Qual placements, just the "QAA" designation for 1st or 2nd. Also, GRCA records "stars" for field trial ribbons for goldens -- QAA or any placement in an Open or AM is *** (three stars); 3rd, 4th, RJam, or a JAM in a Qual or ANY ribbon in a Derby gives you ** (two stars). Back in the day before hunt tests, a WC title was given * (one star). This is not used anymore.
The following is my very foggy recollection and may be off, you can consult the FT rules & regs to be sure:
For Open and Am points I may be a little bit off but I believe the point system is 5 for 1st, 2 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd, 1/2 for 4th. You need 10 points for AFC (Amateur Field Champion) and 15 for FC (Field Champion). You must have an *all-breed* WIN for either title. Points won in Open also count for an AFC if handled by it's amateur owner in the Open -- not sure if Am points count toward the FC. All of that may be slightly off but it's roughly how it works -- I'm sure if I ever have the opportunity to compete at that level -- I will know it by heart!!
Oh as far as MH vs. Qual -- the skills needed are the same. The level of difficulty often is not. Most quals are like VERY LARGE master tests. The distinct differences of HT & FT apply (gunners in white, no duck calls, no handler's gun, etc), which can help or hurt you. Yes I know people who run Quals before MH but in the logical progression, MH is definitely a step below Qual.


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Oh there is no age limit -- most FT dogs come into their own ages 5-8 -- but have seen a TWELVE year old GOLDEN running in an OPEN!!! Amazing dog!


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

Alaska7133 said:


> I have some more field trial questions I was hoping someone could answer.
> 
> If you decide to run a field trial and your dog has never run one before, assuming they are not running a derby (under age 2), which trial would they have to run first, qualifying, amateur, or open?


If you don't care to run Derby, the Qualifying is a logical start point. The concepts are the same as in Open & Amateur all-age, but you don't have to compete against field champions, there are no points for placements. The Qualifying stake is a great place to start, but is not a requirement. Take advantage of it for the experience you and your dog will get there. If your dog gets a 1st or 2nd place in the Q. he is "qualified all-age", which means he can be entered in restricted all-age stakes, like Limited All-age (an Open that is limited to QAA dogs), for example. There are several other restricted classes for Open & Amateur dogs. You can enter any standard unrestricted stake with any dog over 6 months old.


Alaska7133 said:


> Is there a progression that you have to do? If there is, how does it work?


No there is no progression you have to follow by rule. Common sense would dictate starting in the Q, and moving on only when the dog is ready to perform all skills at the very highest levels. It's good advice that if you want to run Qualifying, train for the Open. If you want to run Open, train for outer space!!! The work in Open & Am is as hard as it gets. Sometimes it looks impossible, and then several dogs will come to the line and kill the test! It's extremely hard to win in those classes. That's why there is such great honor in doing so.


Alaska7133 said:


> I've heard a little bit about points but I'm not totally sure how they work. Can someone explain the various point schedules and how they lead to one title or another? I've tried looking through the field trial rule book and it makes me cross eyed.


Open & Am: 1st place = 5 points, 2nd place = 3 points, 3rd place = 1 point, 4th place 1/2 point.


Alaska7133 said:


> At what age does a dog generally stop running field trials?


CNFC-FC-AFC River Oaks Corky finished a National when he was 12. There is no prescribed age for retirement. They're done when they're done - either physically, or the owner decides they just don't want to run them anymore.


Alaska7133 said:


> I've heard some people don't run a field trial until their dog has an master hunt title. Is that a fair statement?


No. The two are totally unrelated. Most serious field trial competitors don't run hunt tests at all. Only a small percentage do.


Alaska7133 said:


> I have seen some very young dogs run field trials. I am curious about what you feel determines when a dog is ready to run a field trial?
> 
> Thank you


I regard a dog as being ready to run when he's ready to win, and not before. Time and experience will teach you when that is.

EvanG


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

Good info from K9Design and Evan.
One point of correction though ... to get an FC it takes 10 points, to get an AFC it takes 15 points. 
I guess a second point is that Opens and Ams are not equal. Open tests are almost always harder and, furthermore, they are also often judged with a more critical eye (i.e., an area of an acceptable hunt may be smaller for an Open, or the corridor surrounding the line to a blind may be significantly narrower in an Open) ... quite simply, an FC title is harder to get than an AFC. As was noted, you are competing against folks (pros) that train nearly every day, they have trained hundreds of dogs, they have run probably thousands of series in field trials ... plus, a single pro may have 10 - 20 dogs running a test, so they learn how to best run a test on their first few dogs and then hammer it with the remaining dogs on their truck. But the typical 1 - 2 dog amateur handler has to figure out how to run the test by analyzing what he or she sees, without the benefit of experience running that test. THAT alone makes the Open stakes tougher. [Side note: When your dog hammers the test that the pros are struggling with ... WHAT A HIGH!]
Unlike Evan, I don't mind running a dog when he's not quite ready to win, particularly if I've got another dog that I'm running in a trial. I know that I'm wasting a few bucks on the entry fee, but I enjoy running my dogs ... and it's my money to waste if I want to. And on occasion, that dog that doesn't seem to be quite ready in training steps up and excels (I once got a pretty colored ribbon in a big dog stake when only a few days before I'd considered scratching because he wasn't running as good as I thought he could ... it can and has happened). Anyway, that's owner's choice.

Have a great evening!

FTGoldens


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

I remember over hearing a conversation that there wasn't enough dogs for the field trial to count? Did I hear right, does it take a minimum amount of dogs to run a trial?


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Yes I believe it is 10 dogs per stake.

I love Evan's quote "I enter when I feel he is ready to win." No dog will ever be perfect but you can hope to be better than everyone else


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## tpd5 (Nov 7, 2013)

Going to watch my first field trial tomorrow after a club training day. Really looking forward to seeing the dogs at this level work.


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## EvanG (Apr 26, 2008)

tpd5 said:


> Going to watch my first field trial tomorrow after a club training day. Really looking forward to seeing the dogs at this level work.


Take a camcorder if you have one. Be sure to see at least one test in each stake. Talk to the people there. Most trial people are very open to explaining things to new people.

EvanG


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## gdgli (Aug 24, 2011)

EvanG said:


> Take a camcorder if you have one. Be sure to see at least one test in each stake. Talk to the people there. Most trial people are very open to explaining things to new people.
> 
> EvanG


I take notes on the set ups and keep them in my file.


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## FTGoldens (Dec 20, 2012)

tpd5 said:


> Going to watch my first field trial tomorrow after a club training day. Really looking forward to seeing the dogs at this level work.


Did you enjoy watching the trial?
Was it a licensed field trial or a club trial?
Which stakes did you visit?
Are you ready to give it a shot?
FTGoldens


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## tpd5 (Nov 7, 2013)

My clubs training day ran longer than expected and by the time I got to the trial they were ending for the day. I was hoping to check out both the qual and open. Might try running a derby this fall before my dog ages out. I will see how the summer training goes.


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