# Moving from Senior to Master



## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I know the differences between senior and master in terms of the rule book, but I'm looking for personal observations about the difference between senior and master hunt tests.
Dan says the move from Junior to Senior is much greater than the move from Senior to Master (ha, what does he know, he runs HRC!!) and says that a dog who is "very well prepared to run senior" is not that far off from running master.
Are the judges less lenient? 
Are the marks a lot tighter?
The concepts a lot harder?
Line manners judged more harshly?
and so on....


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

Just generally, marking concepts and interaction between marks and blinds will tend to be more complex. Marks can be tighter, in line, pinched in with the flyer up the middle thrown out of order, delays, poison birds and other extensions of memory, etc, etc,. The land-water series can also challenge dogs who are less watery as having some marks on land and some on water can tempt a cheaty dog to take the shore on a tight water mark. Judges will be more stringent on blinds--your line had better be tight and there will be less tolerance of slipped casts and whistles (of course the degree to which that is true varies somewhat judge-to-judge). They can set up series so that there is influence from one series to the next as well.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks Shelly!
I know it would be best for me to go watch Master a few times, but our HT season is over now and the tests are all far away. 
Just wondering if it's even remotely possible to get him ready to run master by National. I don't want to enter him if he stands no chance of passing; I'll run him in senior instead.
Judges for master have not been announced.
Judges for senior are Mitch White and Eddie Bickerstaff. Anyone want to comment on them as judges? PMs are fine or email if you don't want to post a public comment...


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

I love Mitch! He is a great guy and one of my favourite judges (even though he has FCRs!)


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## KathyG (Nov 21, 2011)

I don't know Eddie, but Mitch is wonderful. Before he went Pro and moved to Ohio, he was a neighbor. We had group training 3+ times a week. He got me started with my first master dog and taught me how to collar condition. Since he moved, training has suffered.

Kathy


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks for the replies!
I've decided to enter him in Senior, mostly due to the scheduling. It turns out the WC/WCX are on the same day as MH (I entered both WC and WCX), and SH is the following day. So it made more sense that way.


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## smokingold (Sep 1, 2010)

You will really like both judges. I know Mitch from him running dogs at tests and training. He is a really great guy. Ed Bickerstaff is a judge that I ran my first ever junior dog under. He was very nice and made me feel as comfortable as possible. They are both rooting for the dogs.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Thanks! 
Unfortunately, we need to run in Senior. Between taking off 6 weeks of training (which I would love to tell you all about over dinner in Sept!) and the WC and WCX being on the same day as Master, Senior is a better bet for us.
I double staked him in the WC and WCX :crossfing




smokingold said:


> You will really like both judges. I know Mitch from him running dogs at tests and training. He is a really great guy. Ed Bickerstaff is a judge that I ran my first ever junior dog under. He was very nice and made me feel as comfortable as possible. They are both rooting for the dogs.


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