Lüne Cup

October 1st 2005

It’s amazing how silly it was that I found myself lured into competing in a workingtest during the shooting season. But I was as foolish as that. I was only third choice in a team for the team test on Sunday and so decided to start in the open class on Saturday too.

The grounds were superb for a workingtest as it was at an enormous horse center for riding, military, cart, just about everything. Good for the tests and good for the facilities. A place to enjoy and to treat with care. The extremely well managed organization, by Petra Lockhoff, assured all that.

Open Class workingtest
I had noticed that an excellent team of judges could be expected, so that was a good argument to start. Good judges make up good, practical tests. Simulating for the open class the hardest situations in a normal shooting day.

Test 1 – Tony Parnell (UK)
We were at our peg on a path in the woods as further on the path a few shots could be heard and a bird came down right in the middle of the muddy path at the end. Dead. But the first shot had wounded a bird on the right in the wood before the marked one. So, I sent Frodo, stopped him at the spot, but his brakes were a bit muddy and so I thought it wise to call him in a bit. Therefor he was unlucky to miss the scent and so he had to be handled two more times. It was so hard to tell from where the wind came that it took that extra handling. The dead clump of mud came in quick and straight afterwards. Mr Parnell rewarded it nicely with 18/20 points.

Test 2 – John Greeves (UK)
Mr Greeves was in a very testing situation, as from his post the birds fell way behind a couple of natural horse jumps, where the dog was out of sight. The distance was too vast for me to make a guess. Another shot was fired in the wood some 60° to the right. The order for bringing in the dummy’s was free. So I sent Frodo for the mark and was surprised, that he – for once – had misjudged the mark. I have taught Frodo the “turn” whistle and that worked very well, to keep him out of the obviously interesting forest to the left. But the area was wide and I had to handle Frodo a few times the short moments he was in sight. The enjoyable thing about this dog is, that the moment he feels he should seek my help he makes himself visible.
After this retrieve I feared for the blind as Frodo hadn’t looked for it at the shot, but he probably had marked better than I had watched him? I gave him a good, careful line and he went out full speed. Straight in the area where I wanted him, it took him a bit of searching; I had to handle him a bit more to the left and in it was.
To my liking the 19/20 points were highly rewarded.

Test 3 – Heike Klieber (AUS)
Mrs Klieber had a nice peg were a shot was fired at the left behind some lovely water and to the right a marked dummy was shot in the middle of a wide area of thick dense cover. The blind had to come in first. Frodo’s heelwork at the peg was “liberal” and shuffling. He is just too greedy, but that made up for his neat and speedy work. I presume it was the heelwork that brought him to 15/20 points for the otherwise brilliant job.

Tets 4 – Jürgen Laux (D)
This was our first test after having waited all morning in the car. Was my dog in a hurry!!!
Three shots were fired two to the left and one deep to the right. In that order fell a mark to the left, there was a blind in front and a mark to the right. Frodo had paid good attention. I sent him patiently to the blind in the middle, which had to come in first. He went of full throttle and was back in no time. He had his nose to the left mark at the delivery so I sent him straight off and he was again back in no time, nose pointed to the right mark. I know my dog is a fast, efficiently working dog; he always works using his brains well. But I was so surprised at this extreme speed he produced, that it made me laugh; I understated to the judge “I think he’s in a hurry” after sending him off. That of course told me off since I took away my concentration and that never goes unpunished. My dog marked a bit too short and I had to help him just a bit. I guess the speed of it al made up for the 20/20 points that were kindly given.

Test 5 – Uwe Wagner (D)
In one of the waterworks for military riding or horse drawn carriages, mr Wagner had his peg. He stood at the entrance with the water and it’s obstacles lower in the middle. At the other side of the arena at the foot of a tree was a blind that was already there. Another blind was shot at close range to the left, that was in the water behind a little bridge. The far blind had to come in first. I lined Frodo up carefully as ever. To take time for a good start can avoid a lot of hassle! He set off at his same amazing speed, straight through the waterworks, where I took no risk and sent him on twice – carefully chosen in the right place and moment – in full speed to avoid his good hunting instinct telling him to search the water edges. He went out as told, got scent and picked the far blind as quick as one may ever dream. Again I sent him out in the same line to stop him at the little island and from there to let him search the water area in the left. This was in my opinion the right way to handle my dog, as the quick delivery proved. The judge obviously agreed and kindly donned 20/20 points.

Judgement
As it shows, judgement can be different in detail. Where Jürgen Laux surprised me at full marks, Heike Klieber was stricter than expected. The nice thing about workingtests is that it doesn’t matter, as long as the judge is consistent in judging each dog, from the first to the last.

Unfortunately the tests were finished so late that there was no light left for the run off. I would have preferred that. So Frodo won the open class because of his age, being younger, with 92/100 points.

It was only after a hot shower and warm and dry again, over supper at the hotel we learned all this. I knew how well Frodo had worked and when 4th, 3rd and 2nd places are announced, that was the most nervous moment of the entire day!!! It had been otherwise a very nice day, nice tests, nice people, nice grounds but absolute dog weather!

For further information see the Lune Cup site itself