WHAT IS WORKING TRIALS?

Working Trials has been described as the canine equivalent of Three Day Eventing for horses. All breeds can take part, though smaller dogs are disadvantaged in higher stakes because of the agility section. It is a physically demanding sport, so, whatever the breed, the dog itself must be physically fit - and it helps if the handier is too!

Working Trials are run under Kennel Club Regulations, and the schedule is constructed so that competitors must qualify for entry from one stake to the next, from Open to Championship Trial.

Nosework section:
This carries by far the highest proportion of marks. In the tracking stakes it requires the dog to track human scent for at least half a mile, turning comers, sometimes curves, and negotiating changes of terrain etc, recovering as it goes items of property placed by the track layer. The dog and handler are not present when the track is laid, and, depending which Stake is being worked, the track will have been left anything between thirty minutes and three hours before being worked. The weather conditions, wind, and type of terrain play a very important part in the success or failure of competitors, especially on a three hour old track. There is also a property square in this section, in the tracking stakes four articles are placed in a twenty-five feet square area.

Control section:
The following exercises are included in the control section:
1. Heelwork, off lead at three different paces slow, medium and fast. (C.D. stake, on and off lead required)
2. Steadiness to gunshot
3. Retrieve a dumbell (CD, UD and WD stakes)
4. Speak on command (TD and PD Stakes)
5. Ten minute, out of sight, Down Stay (C.D. Stake, plus a two minute Sit Stay)

Agility Section:
The dogs must jump the obstacles in a controlled manner, on command of the handler.
1. A Three foot Clear jump
2. A nine foot Long jump
3. A six foot Scale (twice)

There are five Working Trials Stakes, which must be worked in progression:

Companion Dog Stake (C.D.) This is the only optional stake. It is basically a control stake, has no track, just a fifteen yard search square containing three articles. Plus the control and agility sections excluding the Steadiness to Gunshot.

Utility Dog Stake (U.D.) Has a track at least half a mile with two articles, worked at 30 minutes old, plus all the control and agility sections.
The Regulations for C.D. and UD. Stakes allow the jumps to be lowered according to the height of the dog. Thereafter the full height jumps have to be traversed

Working Dog Stake (W.D.) Track as in U.D., but worked at one and half hours old, plus control and agility sections.

Tracking Dog Stake (T.D.) Track as W.D., but having three articles to be recovered, and worked at three hours old, plus the control and agility sections.

Patrol Dog Stake (P.D.) Track as W.D. stake, but two hours old, the control and agility sections and a Patrol round consisting of Chase, Recall, Quartering, Test of Courage, Search and Escort.

To qualify "excellent" the dog must obtain 70% of the available marks in each section and 80% of the overall available marks to enable CD/UD/WD/TD/PD ex to be placed after their name.

At a Championship Trial the winning dog in the P.D. or T.D. Stake is awarded a Challenge Certificate, and if the dog wins two Challenge Certificates in either stake, or one in each stake, it is awarded the title of Working Trials Champion, providing that he also qualified Excellent' on each occasion.