[Maddie]

Gillie’s sire
Dual French Champion Carromer’s Charlie Chalk
Fr Ch, Fr FT Ch (English style), International champion, Sh Ch GB, Sh Ch USA, Swiss Ch, Belgian Ch, Lux Ch, Trialer
World Winner

He was a Fr Ch 7 times over
He had 96 CACIB in the days where there were 300+ lab entries

There’s not been a Fr Ch and Fr FT Ch (English style) champion since and he was British bred.

I’m sad I never met him in the flesh,

 

[Maddie]

It’s much the same here too though dogs still have to actually complete in field trials to a certain standard in order to become a French national champion (we don’t have a show champion title). In order to compete in field trials they have to pass several tough tests. FCI rules say even to become an international beauty champion a Labrador must compete in field trials. The French national Ch title is one of the hardest to get…the equivalent of 6 CC, one of those must be at either the French national show (once a year) or the breed club show (once a year), one must be at a breed special show. Plus the need to complete in and qualify for a field trial. Okay there may be fewer entries in shows but unless the dog gets a first place and graded excellent it won’t get anywhere. We also have judges that also do field trial judging in beauty shows. There isn’t such a big difference here, conformation wise, as there is elsewhere.


Charlie was the last French dual champion. Nowadays they have the title Beau et Bon where a dog accumulates points in both disciplines to get the Beau et Bon title.

 

[Maddie]

It’s quite possible for a FT dog to win in the show ring with judicial feeding and the right type of exercise providing it has correct conformation. I’ve friends in the USA who breed a very much dual purpose type lab, along the lines of Janice Pritchard. They achieve their hunting titles in hard form then move on to the show ring. Take a look at Kerrybrook in the USA.

 

[Maddie]

I loved the dogs Janice produced. Huge loss to the breed.

 

[Maddie]

Not something I know a lot about but I’m in a US Dual Purpose group and this is what one of the breeders is trying with his master hunters. The dogs have to have the correct conformation to start with. A question of sculpting apparently. Not necessarily more food but different levels of protein and different types of exercise.

 

[Maddie]

I’d never feed mine to pile on weight. It’d never win in France.

I’m enjoying my working training with Gillie. She has so much natural aptitude that needs Channeling. We will definitely try for the first test, a test of natural aptitude. She’s not been overly Keen on carrying tennis balls in training but will go to pick them up and will go to memory retrieves and to the correct vicinity in blinds. She’s not even 6 months old so I’m need to moderate my expectations. She’ll carry stuff around the garden at home all day. 🤣🤣

 

[Maddie]

Direction commands we do in our obedience classes and a sendaway and redirection. Gillie is doing that already at under 6 months old.

 

[Maddie]

Sendaway is something we do in our basic obedience. Retrieving out of the garden we only do what she’s keen to do, I don’t push it. I noticed the difference when she was teething…she is no longer teething but is missing PM1 on the lower jaw, which is disappointing. She’ll be 6 months old on 21 May. I’m happy she’s got natural ability but in the meantime we’ve been working on swimming, starting with a still lake and more recently the river Garonne and a current.

 

[Maddie]

Swimming progress