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september
october 201 3
finish lower than second place is, well,
like kissing your sister (second place
earns the dog no points).
All of the dogs participating in
field trials are there as a result of
thousands of dollars and hours of
training. In hunt tests, trainers and
owners can vicariously enjoy the
success of one another, but a field
trial is like the courtroom in that any
such appreciation of an opponent’Äôs
good work is grudging. It’Äôs not
The
Hunger Games’Äî
but it’Äôs brutal.
In a field trial, the dogmust retrieve
several birds, one right after the
other. At all times the dog is under
the direction of its handler andmust
collect its marks (usually ducks) in a
required order. Some of the birds are
thrown or catapulted’Äîand the dog
can see where the birds land. Other
birds are’Äúblind’Äù birds, meaning the
dog has no chance to see the bird’Äôs
location but must rely entirely on
the commands given by the handler.
Downed birds may be more than 300
yards from the location of the handler
and the dog, often inmarshy terrain
characteristic of the breed’Äôs original
habitat of Newfoundland.
The trial challenges the dog’Äôs
memory as well as obedience,
because retrieving a single bird
will take several minutes, during
which time the Lab must remember
the locations of all the others.
The dog has had, initially, perhaps
less than two seconds to observe
where each dropped bird fell. Part
of the test is the dog’Äôs willingness
to follow directions against its
natural instincts, such as wanting
to go after the birds it saw, rather
than the hidden bird only the
handler knows about. It also must
stay within a straight ’Äúlane’Äù while
retrieving, rather than seeking to
avoid natural obstacles like brush
and water. Because of the intensity
of competition, a single miscue can
dash the pair’Äôs hopes, as happened
this year in the National Amateur
Championship, when a prior
National Champion set out for the
wrong bird first.
The sport migrates with temperate
weather, moving from as far north
as Montana andWisconsin, down
to Florida and north Georgia for the
winter, and then back north again.
Middle-latitude states tend to attract
the most events and clubs. Tennessee
benefits from its central location,
resulting inmany accomplished
handlers and dogs hailing from
the Volunteer State. Bristol native
Chad Baker won the National
Amateur Championship in 2011 and
2012, the first ever back-to-back
championships for a handler.
I became involvedwith dog training
about 12 years agowhenmywife,
Mary Jane, and I went with Shea and
Lauren, two of our children, to pick out
a Lab puppy. Sheawanted a chocolate
male and Laurenwanted a black
female’Äîsowewound upwith both.
As responsible owners, we decided to
have our newpuppies trained.
I learned from their trainers, John
Broucek and JodyWare, just how
capable were my new dogs, Hank
and Lacey, and I was increasingly
motivated to see howmuch they
could accomplish and how far I
could take them. Along the way, I
also came to appreciate the bond
that forms between a dog and its
handler. The relationship is much
closer than an owner has withmost
pets, especially once the two of you
begin to compete as a team. I spent
countless hours withmy dogs and
developed a tremendous pride in
their performances. The sport lets
one combine the instant gratification
of dog-owner companionship with
the long-term rewards of coaching a
first-class athlete. Ultimately, both
of my dogs qualified for the Master
Nationals multiple times.
Even so, whenmy Labs aged out
of the sport, I decided to’Äúretire’Äù from
the sport as well. The time required to
develop a dog seemed too daunting
to start over.
That was until my current
dog, Ty’Äîfull name, Tennessee
Troublesome Ty’Äîchangedmy
plans. I was fortunate in Ty’Äôs case
to acquire another remarkable dog;
one professional trainer toldme he
was the most talentedmarking dog
he had ever seen. Handled by Brady
Collins at the recent Chattanooga
Retriever Club Trial, Ty won the
Qualifier in only his third attempt, a
remarkable achievement.
Does Ty have the potential to
compete on a national level? Only
time will tell, but what I’Äôve seen so
far has me spending most of my
hours on Saturdays back out in the
marshes, whistle in hand’Äîjust a
lawyer and his dog.
Bruce Fox has
practiced law
formore than
30 years and
has successfully
represented
clients at
every trial and
appellate court
level of the
Tennessee State
Judicial ’Ä®System.