Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:47 am Post subject: Your worst Test nightmare...?
I always so enjoy reading everyone's Test write ups. Some of Tests from this weekend just gone had me squirming uncomfortably in my seat thinking blimey, could we have done that one OK?
One Test from old that I often think about, and that puts the fear of God into me, is EJW's water test where his dog had to retrieve a dummy amongst a sea of floating duck decoys
As a result, I thought it might be interesting, and fun perhaps, to share our own worst Test nightmares to date
For me, Sundays Tests had my heart racing, particularly the blind across cover directly towards a VERY inviting lake on a VERY hot day. The dummy was JUST short of the lakeside. Clever dogs and handlers were of course able to stop and hunt their dog just a metre or so short of the Lake to collect the dummy.
When it was my turn, fears from old came racing back from those times when nothing, absolutely nothing would stop my dog from launching himself like a tornado into the water. I had a very wry smile on my face as I positively screamed down my stop whistle just short of the lake and watched my dog do a sort of half hearted, unbalanced collapse into the water, with a small 'plop'. He reappeared back on dry land quick enough and collected the dummy but in our case it seems, old habits really DO die hard
Just pick any that I've done that involve Pasco and gunshot and that about sums up nightmare for me
I think my first ever proper test last year where we were disqualified before we started but still had to go through all 4 tests is about as bad as it ever got though.
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Without a doubt ours has to be the infamous double blind at the URC Open qualifier that Di won with Bondy and who not only was one of the few to achieve it, was the only one to get a 20 and earned a round of applause from the judge.
Having waited for our turn for most of the morning and half the afternoon, and hearing all the horror stories and seen previous competitors standing on the gate waving directions, we approached the judge dazed and with trepidation
The test was a double blind in a field starting from a partially opened gate. A blind to the right approx 80 yards and another (a runner) about 150 yards ahead – due to the conditions (it was howling a gale) the judge said it did not matter which order they were done. Phew – cos we really should have gone for the runner first but the shorter retrieve was easier as it was almost in a straight line from the small opening in the gate (just enough to allow the dog through). I lined Meg up from behind the gate and sent her for this first. No problem – went out and picked nicely – although all the time I was wondering how on earth I should send her out for the next one from behind the gate. Should I line her up and hope she goes round the gate and picks up the right line, or should I send her through the gap, stop her and give her a left out of 150 yards? I opted for the latter but 150yards as an out, straight into a gale (memo to self – definitely need to do some training for running into the wind) and we got about 60 yards before she started pulling to the hedge at the side. I stopped her, sent her right into the field, stopped again and sent back. Started nicely but once again pulled towards the hedge. Stopped and pushed her back she went back nicely and, still feeling like I was way out of my depth here, I thought I’d leave her to follow the hedge to get some distance as it was probably a bit more sheltered from the wind. The plan was to stop her parallel to the marker where the runner was and send her right into the field. What I hadn’t noticed was the hedge fell away to the left and just before she got to the point where I wanted to stop her, she followed the hedge and went out of sight. Oh dear! What do I do now! That dazed, bewildered feeling remained so I gave it a minute hoping she would appear further down, but she didn’t so tried recalling her. Nothing! Recall whistle again...... still nothing! Just about to blow the recall whistle for a third time (while cursing under my breath) when the judge nodded to me - she’d gone through the hedge recalled and run back along a track the other side of the hedge and appeared on my left while I was standing on the gate trying to work out where she was! A zero for that one!
I still feel dazed and have a cold sweat just thinking about it and to this day, have no idea how I should have done it. LOL
Have to say that the following link describes my worst test nightmare without a shadow of a doubt. Her son bless him has yet to compare and I pray he never does!!!!
I've not so far had any serious disasters at tests with Finn... YET!
I mean i've had some hard tests etc but never anything thats made me want to sink into a hole or run at 110mph.
Coal has had me hanging my head in shame at times but thats a diff story!
____________ Sam, Coal & Finn
It�s never too late to be what you might have been
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Oh dear! What do I do now! That dazed, bewildered feeling remained so I gave it a minute hoping she would appear further down, but she didn’t so tried recalling her. Nothing! Recall whistle again...... still nothing! Just about to blow the recall whistle for a third time (while cursing under my breath) when the judge nodded to me - she’d gone through the hedge recalled and run back along a track the other side of the hedge and appeared on my left while I was standing on the gate trying to work out where she was! A zero for that one!
