Patch Dog Training

Scent Ops Club Trial 14 Sept 25

Judge: Lesley Clements

The Club Trial followed a half day workshop which introduced six new teams to Scent Ops here in N Ireland. The venue was a dog training facility. The area being used was the main training room with an external door, an internal door, several windows all of which were closed and a serving hatch through to a small kitchen. There is always some sort of draught that comes through the external door even on a quiet weather day and on this day it was raining heavily with a stiff breeze outside.

The room has benches along two sides, a couple of radiators which had been on earlier in the day and some tables and chairs and stools.

The hide was hidden in the far corner of the room at skirting board level to the right of the external door. Most of the dogs picked up the odour half way up the left hand wall and worked it in to the corner. One dog which had climbed up on to the bench at the top of the room caught the odour up high and worked it in beautifully from there. Some skirted past it initially and either caught it on the return or when tasked in to the corner. Everyone found it within the time.

Some lovely demonstrations of thoughtful handling. It was almost exclusively indications that kept the marks on the lower side.

1st Joanne Marshall and Harry 75 points

2nd Ken Hall and Sammie 73 points

3rd Lynn Anderson and Bertie 67 points

4th Esther Thorpe and Max 66.5 points

5th Lesley Macfarlane 59 points

6th Lorraine Brownlee and Jules 58 points