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Trials are attempting to reduce disruptions by antis
If you are planning to spectate at next month’s International Gundog League (IGL) Retriever Championship, to be held at Packington estate from 3 to 5 December, you have only days to apply, as spectator passes won’t be issued after Friday, 23 November. This is the first year that passes have been required. According to the IGL, the spectator registration scheme has been introduced at the request of the host estate and on the advice of the police. The aim, says the IGL, “is to ensure better management” and “to minimise the risk of disruption”.
I’m not sure what “better management” means, as at past championships I have been to there has been little in the way of facilities fabric that wicked the moisture from the fur but didn’t get wet and sodden. With their coats on, the spaniels could still walk easily, though they looked like miniature jousting horses. Coats for shooting dogs were then in their infancy, so the sight of the dogs caused a lot of mirth and leg-pulling.
Attitudes have changed, and it has become standard practice for shooting dogs to be rugged up after a day’s shooting. We owe it to our dogs to make sure that they are as warm and comfortable as possible after exerting themselves on our behalf, and I’m sure that treating dogs in this way reduces joint problems and even arthritis as they grow older.
If you went to a winter trial 30 or even 20 years ago you would have been unlikely to see a competing dog wearing a coat. Now almost all do, as most handlers keep their dogs rugged both before and after their run. Again, it makes sense. There is a great deal of standing about during a trial, but for spectators other than a few portable loos in the car park. But this is one of the most rural of competitions and everyone who attends is well aware of the need to take their own flask and sandwiches.
The real reason for the spectator registration is to eliminate, or at least reduce, the threat of sabotage by antis, who recce’d last year’s championship in Lancashire and vowed to be back this year. I’m not sure how easy it will be to keep them at bay, but Packington has a long history of hosting trials and headkeeper Matthew Nesbitt knows how to host a successful competition.
To apply for a spectator pass, go to the IGL’S website (po.st/iglspectate) and download the application form. To get a pass you have to be a member of the IGL, or of three gundog societies affiliated to the IGL. If not, then your application has when a dog is called forward for its run you want it to be warm and ready to go, not cold and shivery from lack of action. Similarly, rugging up after a run makes sense. Racehorses are always rugged after a race, so why not high-performance competition dogs?
Wetsuits for dogs
Whether you should ever work your dog in a coat is debatable. It really depends on the sort of work your dog is being asked to do and the dog itself. I have excellent neoprene coats for my spaniels: they are tight-fitting, like a wetsuit, and help insulate the dog when working in very wet conditions, while they also aid buoyancy when swimming. They aren’t suitable for rough shooting, as the coats get to be supported by two sponsors, each of whom has to be either a member of the IGL or a current Kennel Club field-trial panel judge. Applications should be submitted by email, and confirmation that you have been placed on the register, together with a unique registration number, should be received within 14 days of applying.
“When a dog comes forward for its run in a trial, you want it to be warm and ready to go”
caught in brambles, but they are great for wildfowling. You’d probably never need one for a tough dog like a Chesapeake Bay, but for a cocker it is another matter.
In several continental countries, including Germany, it is compulsory for shooting dogs to wear brightly coloured or reflective coats or collars when working. The idea, of course, is to make the dog instantly recognisable and less liable to be shot, something that is especially important where ground game is being pursued. I’ve rarely seen a dog so equipped in this country, but it does make sense, especially for fox-like breeds such as Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers or even golden cocker spaniels. Better safe than sorry.