Hunt Test Tip: Teach Your Dog To Trail
A trail simulates the hunting situation where a bird has been shot, come down and has run off. The hunter's canine companion must then find the bird and bring it back. It requires the dog to use his nose; oftentimes in difficult cover, as this is where a bird will try to run to.
To teach your dog to follow a trail you will need several birds and a little bit of time. Place one bird on the ground at the beginning of your trail. Along a tree line is an ideal place to start the lesson - the ground will be leafy and damp and hold the scent. After placing the first bird, step on the bird and walk several feet and drop another bird on the ground. Step on that one, walk several feet and drop another. Keep your first trail short - no more than ten yards. At the end of the trail, place your last bird just inside the tree line.
Wait at least a half hour. This allows the bacteria in the ground to react with the bird and create a very 'hot pocket' of scent. Return to your trail and remove all the birds except the last one you've placed inside the tree line. Pluck a few feathers from one of the birds and place them on the ground where the trail begins. Bring your dog to the start of the trail, bend down, show your dog the feathers and let him sniff them. Release your dog to 'find the bird' and your dog should take off, nose to the ground, following the trail. At the end of the trail your dog will find the bird - let him retrieve it, call him to you and have a party!
As your dog understands the game you can make your trail longer, incorporate turns and different types of cover.
While AKC hunt tests do not require your dog to trail, NAHRA Hunter, Intermediate and Senior tests do. Regardless of the venue you run in, teaching your dog to trail is good training; it will teach your dog to use his nose to find those marks that fall in dense cover.
Trial Tip: Judge's Discretion
Judging is both an art and a science. Regardless of the venue, it's not possible for judging guidelines to address every error that may occur. This is why 'minor' and 'substantial' deductions are listed within a range of points off and why scoring under 'handler error' is allowed.
Each judge has a mental picture of perfection of how an exercise is performed. And every judge has a different picture of perfection and will score accordingly.
For example, while scoring guidelines do not specifically state that all four of the dog's feet must be on the floor while heeling, they do state that the dog must be straight in line with the handler while heeling. A hop on the part of the dog during a turn or the fast pace results in points off. How many points - minor or substantial - depends on the judge's mental picture of perfection and the degree of the hop.
After a pace change is called, handlers are allowed several steps to transition to the pace change. The exact number of steps are not specified and failing to transition quickly will result in scoring under 'handler error'.
Situations that result in the judge thinking 'what was that?" also fall into the gray area of 'minor / substantial' and 'handler error'.
Many exhibitors feel that if something is not specifically addressed by scoring guidelines, it should not be scored. Nothing could be further from the truth. Think back to teams you have seen in the ring and thought "wow, that was perfect" and strive for that level of performance. Create your own mental picture of perfection and you will minimize those gray area deductions.
