Since then I've been involved in a variety of field trial venues including both American Field and AKC sanctioned events. My dogs have competed in walking planted bird trials, cover dog trials run on grouse and woodcock, AKC horseback trials, the major horseback shooting dog circuit, and the all-age circuit.
Recently, I have seen some threads on bird dog sites that have espoused some of those same common misconceptions I held and the fallacies that I had fallen prey to. So I'd like to look at them and why I think I was wrong:
1.Field trial dogs tend to be run-offs. This may be the most common misconception about trials, and one that I believed for a long time. I think I bought into this one, like a lot of people, because I possessed that ever dangerous thing: a little bit of knowledge. I understood that a strong race is a component of a desired field trial performance. However, I didn't understand the underlying reason for a properly run race, or really what a proper race was.
When field trial judges look for a dog that runs, the idea is that they look for dogs that go to the cover that is likely to hold birds and quickly skip over the non-productive areas. The faster they cover the likely areas and more quickly they go past barren places, the more efficient their hunting time will be. So for instance, if a bird dog is hunting and comes to a bare open field, he should cross it quickly since it is unlikely for birds to be there. Also, when he is in good cover, the faster the dog can effectively hunt the good cover, the more good cover he can hunt in a given time, thus giving a higher chance of finding more birds. The "run-off" label can come into play when someone who doesn't understand that the dog is doing what it is supposed to be doing.
Now that is not to say that there are not dogs that are run offs. The other side of the coin is that some field trial people either don't understand or place emphasis on the run ahead of biddability and bird binding. I have heard trainers complain about owners that bring young prospects to them touting them as the next great thing because they turn them loose and the young dog runs off. Isn't that great??? No, not really. I currently have dogs with one horseback shooting dog pro and one all-age pro. They both have told me that they want a dog that wants to be with them, not something they have to go chase down all the time. I've learned that a good trial dog is a dog that goes with its handler, but just does it from whatever range is appropriate for the venue.
An exceptional trial dog will be biddable as well and will learn from its handler what the desired range is. I have heard some people say they don't want to buy a dog from "field trial lines" because they run too big. If the dog wants to please its handler and is capable of learning, then just because it has the physical ability to run big doesn't mean it always will. If you think about it, there are very few bird dogs out there of any breeding that couldn't outrun their owners if they wanted to.
So, in truth, a truly good bird dog (field trial or otherwise) runs at the range it is taught and listens to its owner/handler.
2.You can't hunt with a trial dog. Somewhat related to the idea that field trial dogs are bred to be run-offs is the feeling that bird dogs that are bred and trained for trials are not able to tone it down for hunting. Another facet of this is that trial dogs require a higher level of training than many hunters require to follow the rules of the specific venue in which they compete. We've covered the range aspect, and the training side may or may not be an issue.
I learned from one of my dogs, Katie, that she was completely smart enough to know the difference between trials and hunting. After she had competed for about three years I went back to hunting with her some. When I was carrying a shotgun, Katie would break at the shot, something not allowed in the trials in which we ran. After I shot a bird or two, she toned down her range to match our normal hunting pattern. But she could go out the next weekend in a trial and run a big race and stand to wing and shot.
Some dogs may not be able to go back and forth between the two with different behavior being expected whether hunting or trialing, but in that case, the owner just has to be diligent when hunting to enforce the rules on his dog that are expected in trials. To be honest, one factor in keeping me from trialing years ago was that I was a little intimidated by the amount of training and level of performance needed to run in field trials. I just didn't have confidence that I could train a dog to that level or even maintain one at that level when hunting. I could not blame my insecurities on field trials.
3.Field trial dogs don't handle wild birds. First, this is completely wrong in some instances. There are many venues that run on wild birds. So called "cover dog" trials run on wild ruffed grouse and woodcock; many All-Age trials are run on wild birds whether sharp tails, huns and pheasants on the prairies, chukars out west, or wild quail in the southern plantations; and several horseback shooting dog events are held on wild birds.
Though somewhat inaccurate, this statement also implies that wild birds are a better test of a bird dog. Wild birds may require a more careful or diligent dog, running on pen raised birds can have its own challenges. For example, a ruffed grouse east of the Mississippi can be a nervous bird that is difficult to get pointed. However, once a point is established, it is not unusual for the grouse to flush without the dog seeing it. On the other hand, a pen raised quail may be "easier" for a dog to get pointed, but may flush and barely clear the ground coming back down 5 feet in front of the dog. That requires a different level of restrain when it comes to holding steady than the grouse that is only heard as it quickly rockets unseen into the distance.
Another good thing about pen raised birds is that they can be placed in specific locations that reward dogs for making the right moves to hunt the right cover. In wild bird hunting and wild bird trials, your dog may make a beautiful cast to cover the right spots, but the birds just aren't home.
4.You have to be rich to afford to field trial. If you want to, you can spend just about as much money on field trialing bird dogs as you want. Paying a pro to run in high level horseback competitions, whether AKC or American Field sanctioned can get a bit pricey. Trying to run your own dogs in amateur versions of those same venues requires about as much just spent on horses, trailers, trucks, tack, etc. However, there are many walking trials where you can run a dog for not much more than a trip for two to the movies, a round of golf, a few rounds of skeet or trap, or even an evening of bowling.
A quick glance at the latest edition of the American Field magazine showed most weekend (non-championship) trials with entry fees ranging form $25 to $50 per stake. If you are a hunter, then you most likely already have all the equipment needed, except maybe a blank gun. And if you don't feel you are able to train a dog to the level required, there are pro trainers that can break a dog to be steady to wing and shot in a relatively short time once they reach the right age. I have seen pro trainers that charge anywhere from $250/month to $1000/month.
5.Field trial people are unfriendly. People are people. There are a ton of the most friendly people I've ever met in the field trial community. I have gotten so much good advice, help, encouragement and friendship from long time field trialers. The truth be told, I have encountered some that are down right unfriendly or poor sportsmen, but no higher percentage than in all other walks of life. One must keep in mind that field trials are competitions and not everyone can keep a real friendly attitude while being serious about winning. That doesn't excuse bad behavior, but just something to keep in mind.
6.Judging is Subjective and that doesn't make it fair. Yes, the judging in field trials is subjective. Does that open it up to sometimes the right dog not winning, well yes. But more often than not, if you have a dog that is consistently good, it will get it's fair share of placements. I have had times when I just knew my dog won and didn't get anything, and times when I figured I was out of the running and got a placement. I was told a long time ago that first and foremost to enjoy field trials, you have to focus on being happy with your dog when it does well and try not to focus on the actual placements.
All those misconceptions I held for a long time. And over the last decade or so, I've been proven wrong.
So now I am involved in trials. The biggest reason I do is to evaluate the dogs my breeding is producing. I get to see them compared to other dogs in my preferred venues and make my own assessment. I also get others' assessments via the judging. This does not just apply to faults being exposed, I fairly recently had a female of good breeding that I was on the fence about whether she was good enough to breed. I then realized she was winning quite a bit, and decided to go ahead and breed her. Her pups are now earning placements of their own.
Trialing may not be for everyone. It wasn't for me for a while, but the misconceptions that were a part of that have been eliminated. Now trialing is an important part of my lifestyle.
Maybe most importantly, the dogs love it. I don't think they care whether they're finding birds on trial grounds or in hunting fields. They're getting to do what they love.
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