The Newfoundland Club

Sunday was a little warmer than Saturday, although the conditions were definitely more suited to a double-coated working dog than the humans handling them!
The day’s tests ran in the following order: Level 3, Level 4, Beginners and Level 1.
We had two dogs entered at Level 3, with one successfully passing the test. The passing dog put in some excellent work throughout the control and manoeuvre sections, followed by a very enjoyable haul. Well done to the handler and dog on a lovely performance!
The other dog provided a rather humorous moment (perhaps not quite so amusing for their owner!). After Saturday’s escape artist had apparently discovered the secret to avoiding work by making a bid for freedom before being harnessed, it seems the idea had caught on! Perhaps the dogs had been comparing notes overnight and decided to gang up on us, with another attempt to escape before the harness even appeared. Unfortunately for them, the judges weren't having any of it and allowed them to continue with the rest of the test, where they actually didn't do too badly! It seems the canine plotting wasn't quite as foolproof as they'd hoped - better luck next time!
We had just one dog entered at Level 4, who faced the same challenges with the back-up and slow pace as they had the previous day. Despite these difficulties, there were some very nice elements to their work and a good effort throughout. With a little more practice, they will soon be celebrating all that hard work paying off!
Unfortunately, we had no entries at Level 2 on Sunday.
There were five dogs entered at Beginners, with three lovely passes and two dogs who weren't quite there this time.
The recall appeared to be the sticking point for both unsuccessful attempts, with the temptation to run off proving rather more appealing than returning to their handler! Sometimes, the world is simply too exciting to ignore. Well done to all five dogs and handlers, whatever their level of experience. Taking part, learning and building those working partnerships is all part of the journey.
Level 1 had six entries, with four lovely, steady passes. One young dog wasn't quite ready to achieve a pass this time, but showed plenty of potential. With a little more maturity, experience and continued training, I'm sure they'll develop into a lovely draught dog!
One dog also withdrew before the manoeuvring section, leaving four teams to complete the test successfully. Well done to everyone who
took part!
A huge thank you to everyone who came along and supported the event, and a special thank you to our judges and stewards for giving their time and helping everything run smoothly. We really appreciate all your support! Alongside being a fantastic venue for the NC Water Trials, Lenches is also brilliant for draught work. The separate control area provides a great space to work away from too many distractions, while the haul routes offer some lovely scenery and plenty of variety for the dogs and handlers to enjoy. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, enjoyed working their dogs and went home with some happy memories. Well done to all our passers, and best of luck to everyone as they continue their draught work journeys. We look forward to seeing you all at future tests!

We had five beginner entries, three of which were lovely and two of which were not quite there.
The weather held out.
Thank you to WNAG for hosting this test at Lenches Lakes.

 

There were six entries, one young dog who was not quite ready yet, and four lovely passes. One dog was withdrawn. Thank you to the WNAG and the stewards.

Thank you to the Newfoundland Club for inviting me to judge this level, and to my fellow judge. We had two dogs enter, but only one passed. We had an excellent control section and manoeuvring section, and we allowed the failed dog to take part. Well done to all involved, and hopefully we will see you again soon.

We had one Level 4 entrant this morning, who performed very well overall, with only the backup and slow pace proving problematic. There were some very nice elements, and this team will certainly achieve success soon.
Thanks to our call steward, the test manager and the WNAG team for hosting the test and for their support. This is an excellent venue for draught.