Kate Bowsher Dog training

Friday 22nd May we hosted high level Scent Ops trials at St Mary’s Church in Beenham. Couldn’t have asked for a better venue or evening. Congratulations to all our competitors and a fantastic job for our new judging teams too.

Gold:

1st Jack and Ralph - 76

2nd Annette and Jenny - 71

3rd Emily and Lola - 66

4th Jan and Mattie - 62.5 DIAMOND

5th Liz and Paddy - 55

Platinum:

1st Liz and Paddy - 81

2nd Jan and Mattie - 80.5

3rd Eve and Ruby - 76

Judges reports:

Gold:

The search area was inside the Church and consisted of many rows of Pews, chairs, furniture and various other objects.

The venue was very cold and echo-y.

All of the dog and handler teams worked really well in a challenging environment. It took some of the dogs a while to settle into the search, and handlers were able to demonstrate good search plans.

There were 2 hides, which teams hand 8 minutes to find (plus the need to call the area clear). Only 2 teams found one hide which was located inside the Church Donation box at the start of the search area.

The second hide was located in a corner on one of the pews. None of the dogs found the pew hide, only 3 covered the area at all but didn't work all the way into the corner.

It took a while for the dogs to settle into the area but there were some beautiful searches and it was really enjoyable to watch all of the teams.

Platinum:

The beautiful cool village church offered some welcome respite from the impending heatwave drifting our way this weekend!

It was a privilege to watch experienced teams tackle this search area. The search consisted of:

Half the pews on one side of the church

A back area and Belfry

The front area beside the Altar

A small room and corridor leading towards the Organ, with additional doors and equipment

Competitors had 10 minutes to clear the area. On this occasion, three hides had been placed out. Two of the hides were worked out very well by most teams, while our second hide proved particularly challenging, with only one dog truly nailing it.

This hide had been tucked into a rope knot on the bottom rail of the Pulpit steps. The odour seemed easiest to catch from above, but also drifted around the Pulpit area itself, creating a scent puzzle for the dogs and handlers alike.

The first hide was concealed within a ladder in the Belfry. Dogs generally located this well, although many had to work their way around from the opposite side of the Belfry before successfully pinpointing source.

Our third hide was tucked into a mat behind the Organ Corridor door. While some dogs initially showed uncertainty entering the smaller enclosed space, all teams picked up this hide quickly once committed to the area.

It was interesting to watch how many dogs improved as they relaxed and became more accustomed to the unique church environment. By the end of the evening, several teams looked beautifully settled into their searching.

Well done to all teams and judges.