Welsh Open & 2nd WUSV/FCI Team Selection trial

2nd WUSV/FCI Team Qualifier
at Severnside Schutzhund Group
16th and 17th April 2011

The Severnside Group was proud to host the above trial and welcome the well known and respected judge, Dieter Schmale (SV), to officiate. Wales has a reputation for wet weather at the best of times but, on this occasion, nothing could be further from the truth. The weather was glorious and the hard working members of the Club ensured that the many visitors were well looked after.

So, to the tracking phase on the Saturday morning. The tracks were laid by our own SV recognised judges Gavin Smith and Jim Jackson who must be thanked for their efforts on behalf of the Club. The conditions at the ‘Straight Mile’ tracking fields were the best they had been for many years. Dense, lush grass and no wind created high expectations for some really good performances. For whatever reason, this did not prove to be the case and from the twelve competitors four scored in the 90s, three in the 80s, two in the 70s and three did not achieve a qualifying score. Henriette Bohnstedt topped the list with Beckenberry Casper with an excellent score of 98 followed by Chris Goodridge on 95 with Optikas Hugo and then Bryan van Daal on 91 with Argonne Drago.

Dieter Schmale respected the fact that he was judging an important Qualifier and throughout the weekend he pointed out some procedural errors which can only be of benefit to those handlers in the future.

Sunday saw the running of the Obedience and Protection phases and it was decided to complete the obedience en bloc before moving on to the protection phase. Dieter sharpened his pencil and, with Phil Sergent at the helm, things started on time and everything was in its place. A breakdown of the scores shows that three teams scored in the 90s, three teams in the 80s, three teams in the 70s and three partnerships did not achieve a qualifying score. Once again it was Henriette leading the field with a great score of 95 points, followed by Carol Phillips with Hausbailey Flint on 91 points and Bryan van Daal with 90. Dieter’s critiques were clear, concise and very much appreciated by the spectators as well as the handlers. Where necessary, he explained very clearly where and how points were lost so that the competitors knew what to work on for the future.

After the lunch break the protection phase got under way. The appointed helpers were Roger Lledra (short work) and Nick Koskinas (long work) both of whom put on very consistent performances and must be congratulated. This time only two teams scored in the 90s, Henriette with 92 points and Ken Foster 92 points with Night Time Gem. Four teams were in the 80s, four in the 70s and there were two teams disqualified. There were a couple of ‘hairy moments’ in the long attack when the internal satnav of two dogs malfunctioned and they headed for the judge. Nick got one back on track and Dieter used his clipboard to good effect with the other.
Without doubt it was disappointing that only five teams achieved qualifying scores but, as stated at the outset by Dieter himself, it was a qualifier and he was going to judge accordingly. The feedback he gave through his critiques will help the competitors to raise their scores at future trials. He emphasised that competitors should know the rules and procedures when trialling at this level.

David Stafford
25 April, 2011