Working titles

[Christiane Lohmann]

Hi !
I would like to know, what things a setter must fulfill to become a FieldTrial or HuntingChampion or whatsoever in working gundogs is possible.

To begin with, I post GERMANY;-))
DPCh Deutscher Prüfungs Champion = German Hunting Champion.
--> 2 + 1 or 1 + 2 first prices from couple class in spring and autumn trials with retrieve of shot birds
DSCh Deutscher Suchen Champion = German FieldTrial Champion
--> 3 first prices from couple class in spring
Int.A.Ch. Internationaler ArbeitsChampion = International Working Champion
--> 2 CACIT from the FCI in 2 different countries plus exterieur Very Good on international show.

Trial rules are pretty strict. Passing birds etc. and good bye first price. Following game the same. Doing some steps after shooting...etc. etc.

There is a link to the homepage of the pointer and Setter club, where working champs can be found.
http://www.pointer-und-setter.de/ChampionArbeits/vfpus_Arbeits_Cham...
(I hope this works;-)))
The Irish Setter Club has no list, but they did have several Champions von Royal in the 80ties and 90ties and ..vom Westmünsterland in the 90ties. Both pure moanruad-blood.

regards Christiane

[Susan Russell]

The Canadian Kennel Club has Test Titles and Trial Titles. At tests the dog must pass each level three times in order to receive a title. The test is pass or fail. A minimum performance and score are outlined in the rules. The first level is Field Dog Junior - FDj. It is extremely basic - little more than an instinct test. The dog must show some hunting ability with some independence, must locate and point a bird, and must show basic obedience to the handler. The dog does not have to stand through the flush, it must just establish a point on a bird. The CKC FDj dog is not run in a brace. The American Kennel Club has a similar test level of Junior Hunter which requires four passes, dogs are run in braces.

The second CKC level is Field Dog. The FD dog must point a bird through the flush. The FD dog must also retrieve a bird, and show substantially more independence and obedience. The second level of AKC tests is Senior Hunter. The SH dog also must establish an honour, though it can be cautioned to do so once it has acknowledged the bracemate. The SH must retrieve and must hold point through the shot. The SH requires Five passes.

The third CKC level is Field Dog Excellent. The Dog must show a finished performance - establish point and hold through wing, shot, and fall, and retrieve on land and water. This dog must honour the bracemate. The handler must not "hack" the dog, but must handle quietly. These dogs are run in braces. There is only one FDX titled Irish Setter - she is my girl Can Am Ch Highfeather Raise 'N A Ruckus FDX CD Am MH. The AKC has a Master Hunter title which is very similar, excpet they do not require a water retrieve. the MH required five passes - you can begin at SH or MH level, but then the dog must have six passes.

AT CKC trials for a Field Championship the dog must win ten points by beating other dogs at Open Trials (professionals can enter Open Stakes.) A FTCH can include up to two points won at Open puppy stakes (dogs up to 18 months old,) and two points at Open Derby stakes (dogs up to 27 months old.) The rest of the points must be won from Shooting Dog or All Age stakes at which the dog must establish point on every bird encountered and must stay on point through the flush and shot (and fall and be sent for the retrieve IF it is a retrieving stake.) Puppies are judged on potential - theya re not required to find or point birds, but must show potential as hunting dogs. Derby dogs must find and establish point on at least one bird as well as showing potential as a class hunting companion. A dog can use some amateur points towards its FTCH, but at least three points must be won at one single Open Unrestricted (all pointing breed) stakes. The points awarded change dependant upon how many dogs are entered.

The CKC also had an Amateur Field Trial Championship. All points must be won at Amateur stakes, and at least three of those points must be won in one single unrestricted Amateur stake.

FTCH and AFTCH must have recorded a honour at a trial in order to finish their championships. There are no conformation requirements. If the opportunity to honour comes up on course the dog must honour, an honouring test can be called for a dog that has not had the opportunity to honour at a trial.

At AKC trials the dog does not have to have honoured another dog on point in order to finish its championship, but if the opportunity to honour comes up during a trial, the dog must point. Other than the two points from puppy and two from Derby, the rest of the AKC points must come from the Gun Dog or All Age dog stakes.

The AKC has similar requirements for its Field Championship (FC), but only four points towards it can be from Amateur, and those points must be win points. The Amateur Field Championship (AFC) is also similar. AKC puppy stakes are up to 15 months, and Derby is up to 24 months.

I think this sounds very confusing, perhaps there are questions?

There is also a title under AKC rules which is called Dual Champion. The DC has finished its show championship and also its Field Championship. The CKC does not recognise such a title formally for pointing breeds, but everybody calls it the same as AKC. There have only ever been 18 DC in AKC's history. There are four bitches who are within three points of finishing their AKC duals right now! We hope they finish!

One of them is my girl Raisin. She has finished her AKC and CKC show championships, her Master Hunter, her Field Dog Excellent, and her CKC Companion Dog (first level of Obedience.) She is also within three single points of finishing her AKC FC and a three point win from her CKC FTCH. She needs just three points to finish her AKC AFC and two points to finish her CKC AFTCH! So close, but we know how difficult it can be...

Susan

[Henk ten Klooster]

NETHERLANDS:

Werkkampioen (working champion): 2 national working cc's or 1 working cc and two reserve. At minimum in two seasons, last price won when the dog was at least two years of age. Exposition very good or excellent when the dog was at minimum fifteen months.

Werk- en schoonheidskampioen (working and conformation ch): gained the title werkkampioen (working ch) plus under two judges a cc at show, last at minimal 27 months of age.

Veldwerkstrijdkampioen met jaartal (field champion plus year): dog that won in a period of twelve months in his category of field trials the best results, last trial at least two years of age.

Rules for trials: Quete a la Francaise, category A (pointers and setters). So no trials like many other cultures for Irish setters only. Emphasis on a speedy high nosed run in relatively (compared to other categories) huge areas.

Under these rules, winningest here were pointers and English setters. Rules are very strict for winning a national cc, even stricter for an international CC (CACT). There are two categories in trials not so strict: novice and youth.

Just a few Irish setters entered since 2000 qualified in the Netherlands, no titles won until now. Some English setters and pointers did. Most of them descend from Italian/French lineage. Their performance is exactly what category A is said to be: the Formula 1 of bird-dogs.

A majority of the small group of Irish setters competing here descend from Von Royal lines (=Moanruad), some Danish and American added in last years. Progress was made in practical hunting: more Irish setters are back in our fields, but still a relative small minority.

Recently the scene got some fresh new young faces, some of them hunter and aspiring trialler. For them there was a course of the Dutch club, ending next Sunday.

[Margaret Sierakowski]

In the UK a setter or pointer has to win two Open Stakes

In Ireland, the setter or pointer has to get a total of 12 points from placings in field trials, with at least one 1st place with excellent and at least one 2nd or 3rd place with excellent. Also a first, second or third place at a conformation show

Margaret Sierakowski

[Katariina Roiha]

In short:
In Finland the dog has to win the Winner Class 3 times and perform so perfectly that the dog is prized also with a certificate. And from at least two different judges. Rules are strict.
The total time of independent, wind surfing race is over 2 hours. The dog has to have numerous perfect points, racy flushes, not a step is to be taken after the birds when flushed, calm nature when shooting, perfect retriewing. So this demands the owner to be a perfect shooter as well ;-)

in addition to that the dog has to be prized in dogshows with at least "Good"(the blue ribbon) as a result.

We have 2 red irish setters in Finland that have gained this title of Finnish HuntingChampion. First owned by Heinz Ekman, Revonroihin Red Lady -59

http://jalostus.kennelliitto.fi/frmKoira.aspx?RekNo=SF01957/59&...

and Douedal´s Irwin, owned by Birgitta Vuorela/Harri Huhtala

http://jalostus.kennelliitto.fi/frmKoira.aspx?RekNo=FIN20776/98&...

hope those links work!