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FIELD TRIAL GLOSSARY The cognoscenti of any sport or hobby have their
own special language which indicates they “are in the know” and anyone else
is an outsider. If you have always
felt that “pop” was a term Esmeralda used for her husband’s father or that
“cover” was something that in the plural you pulled up on a cold night, it
is a dead giveaway that you are an innocent in the field dog game.
The following is a glossary that once memorized, will have you appearing
as an authority---persons will come to you for advice and look upon your words
of wisdom with awe. Once you have
this committed to memory and can quote it in any order, you will be ready to
move onto the advanced glossary which will admit you to the circle of the chosen
few. The advanced word list is
composed of a lot of sentences with descriptive terms such as
“black-hearted” scattered within together with words of a slightly stronger
nature. Air:
To allow the dog to empty his bowels and bladder. Angling:
To cross terrain or enter water on a diagonal line. Back:
A directional signal given with a raised arm and hand
directing the dog away from the handler; the verbal command given to the
dog to have him leave the handler---generally used as the command for a blind
retrieve although in some areas of the country, it is used to send the dog for
marks rather than using the dog’s name. Balk:
Refusal to leave the handler when sent on a retrieve. Baseball:
A drill for teaching directional casts for the dog to take right and left
“overs” and straight “back casts. Bird
Boy: The
person who places the bird for a blind retrieve or throws the bird or bumper for
the dog to retrieve. Birdiness:
A dog with a very high desire to retrieve birds. Blind:
1) A retrieve on either land
or water where the dog does not know where the location of the bird or bumper
is, but the handler does---the handler must direct the dog to the location
through whistles and casts. 2)
A structure used by hunters to
hide themselves or for the guns to hide behind when a mark is retired. 3)
A structure used behind the
line where a dog and handler stay until their time to retrieve Bolter:
A dog who runs away from his handler during competition or during
training. Break:
A dog trying to leave on a retrieve without being sent. Bulldog:
A bird thrown or shot while the dog is returning from a previous
retrieve. Used to see if the dog
will drop the bird he is carrying and switch to the new bird.
Also, is a diversion for further retrieves.
It is used in Master Hunting Tests not infrequently. Bumper:
Sometimes known as a dummy. A
plastic or canvas object, usually with a rope attached so it can be thrown, used
to simulate a bird. Call
Backs: A
list of those dogs remaining in the field trial or hunting test after each
series is run. Cast:
The direction given to the dog, with the arm and hand, and/or voice,
after he has been stopped on the whistle. Cast
Refusal: The
dog refusing to respond to the direction or cast given by the handler. Channel
Blind: A
long, deep and narrow body of water the dog must swim without coming to shore
unless directed to by the hander in order to reach the bird or bumper. Cold
Blind: A
blind the dog has never run before. Controlled
Break: This
is when the dog makes an attempt to break and is immediately brought under
control by the handler. Cover:
Grass, brush or any other vegetation which may conceal the bird from the
dog on land or in the water. Creep:
The dog moving forward on the line while marking---if the dog has crept
too far forwards, many judges will ask you to have the dog return to heel
position before being sent for the mark. This
verges on breaking. Cue:
A verbal cue to the dog such as “dead bird” indicating a blind, or an
instruction such as “way out” for a push bird or “easy” for a short
check down bird. Delayed
Bird: This
is a bird which is shot after a dog returns to the line after retrieving one or
more birds of a multiple mark. The
dog is then sent for this delayed bird before returning to the line to complete
retrieves of the birds remaining in the field.
Diversion:
A mark or blind which is included in a test in order to divert the dog.
This makes the test more difficult as the dog can be sent for another
mark or a blind after picking up the diversion.
A dry shot also can be used for a diversion.
Double:
A marking test in which two separate birds are thrown, each in a
different location. Dragback:
A scent trail left by dogs returning with birds, especially through high
cover where the birds’ scent is left on the vegetation. Dry
Gun or Shot:
A shot by a gun without a bird being thrown or a flyer being shot. Entry:
The place where the line to the blind or mark enters the water.
If this entry is at an angle, it can be called an angle entry.
In addition, it is used to describe the method by which the dog enters
the water---ie., a large flying leap, a hesitant way of entering, etc. Flat
Throw: Also
known as a square throw---a bird or bumper thrown directly across from the
throwers, ie., neither back nor in. From
the dog’s point of view, it is a 90 degree throw. Force
Fetch: A
training method which convinces the dog he must retrieve when told to retrieve.
Fountain:
Also known as a Momma/Poppa throw. Two
marks are thrown from one gun station, one to each side. Freezing:
This is the dog’s refusal to give up the bird to the handler.
The dog appears to freeze on the bird and ignores all commands to release
it. Guns:
The persons who throw and/or shoot the birds during trials or training. Handle:
Directions given by the handler to the dog. Happy
Bumper: A
bumper thrown in play or as a reward or encouragement for the dog. Hardmouth:
A dog that is very rough on, abuses, or eats the birds when sent to
retrieve. Holding
Blind: It is
an enclosure for the dog and handler to stand behind while waiting to go to the
line during a trial or hunting test. It
is to prevent the waiting dog from seeing the tests before running them. Honoring:
A dog remaining seated on the line while another dog is sent for the bird
or birds. The honoring dog must not
interfere with the working dog. Key
Bird: The
bird in a multiple mark which is likely to prove the most difficult bird for the
dog to retrieve successfully. Line:
1) The spot designated
by the judges from which the dog is sent for retrieves or blinds. 2)
The straight “line” or
direction from the handler to a blind retrieve. Line
Manners: The
dog’s behavior while coming to the line, while on the line waiting for the
marks, and upon returning to the line with the birds. Lining:
1) Setting up the
position of a dog before running a mark or blind. 2)
Running a perfect line to a
blind retrieve without whistles or casts being given by the handler. Mark:
A fall of a bird, watched by the dog, which he should remember and
retrieve when so ordered. Multiple
marks can consist of two, three, or four birds (double, triple, or quad). Over:
The dog moves in a lateral direction upon being given that direction in a
cast by the handler using his arm and hand and/or verbal command. Pattern:
Drills repeated by the dog to teach specific routines such as casting or
taking lines. Pin:
The dog going directly to the bird without a hunt. Poison
Bird: A
bird thrown as a mark which the dog is told to ignore before picking up another
mark or running a blind. This is most commonly used in combination with a blind
retrieve. Pop:
1) When the dog stops on a
retrieve or a blind and turns and looks to the handler for direction without a
whistle having been blown. 2)
The firing of a gun at the
same time a bird is thrown to simulate the shooting of a bird. Quartering:
Covering the ground in a systematic method looking for game. Rat
Trap: Device
used for holding a bird and keeping it afloat for a water blind. Recast:
A second attempt to send the dog from the line for a mark. Retired
Gun: Where
the gun disappears from sight after having thrown or shot a bird. Shore
Break: A
method for teaching the dog not to avoid water, ie., stay in the water and not
run the shore. Sight
Blind: A
blind the dog can see before being sent or a blind which was first thrown as a
mark. This is a way to start young
dogs on their blinds. Sluice:
Shooting a bird once it is down on the water. Square
Bird: See
“Flat Throw”. Steady:
A dog that does not leave to retrieve until commanded to do so. Style:
A dog’s manner of retrieving, running blinds, water entry, etc., which
indicates his strong desire, his speed and perseverance, and his attitude.
A stylish dog is a pleasure to see working. Switch:
Leaving the area of one fall after hunting there to go to the area of
another fall. It is also a switch to
put down one bird to pick up another. This
could occur, for example, during a bulldog when the dog on his way in to the
line drops the bird he has just retrieved to pick up the bird thrown as the
bulldog. Walk-up:
Used to simulate hunting----the handler, with the dog at heel, continues
to move forward before the birds are thrown or shot.
The dog is not brought to the line and sat before the birds are shot.
Usually as the birds are in the air, the handler may tell the dog to sit,
but cannot send the dog until the judge so orders. Water
Refusal: The
dog not entering the water after being sent for a mark or a blind where the line
to the mark or blind is through water. Whistle
Refusal: The
dog failing to respond to the whistle when blown by the handler. |
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