Thread: working dog certification

Yes, and most trial dogs,including the illustrious champions, in this country would get their bums truly wallopped over there...!!! So when we write about field champ this and field champ that on our dogs pedigrees what does it really mean to us here...sure it means that the dogs have been trialed and obviously attained a title or parts thereof (as in the French system the dog must attain an excellent in the show ring for his full title...bon et beau) but the trials are or at least bear very very little resemblance to those here.

something interesting for you Victoria from days gone by


Field Trials

by the late Leon Mortensen

(Click on Thumbnails for a larger view)


Working English Setters
Grand FTCh Wingfield Fabian | FTCh Wingfield Intrigue | Grand FTCh Wingfield Annie
FTCh Sharnberry Shooter (Imp UK)
(Intrigue and Fabian were out of Annie)
The pointer and setter field trial scene here is small but nevertheless intensely competitive. Our trial organisation, until quite recently, was quite different to anywhere else in the world. All gundog trials were run by one organisation with no specialist committees. Retriever, Spaniel and Pointer and Setter trials were all run in conjunction and all the trials were simulated, using dead pigeons for the retrieves and homing pigeons in electronic traps for the flushing and pointing events. A Pointer and Setter Club was established in 1983 and we set about developing trials on wild pheasants and quail. This aspect of the sport is becoming more popular every year.

English Setters have been the most successful breed in these game trials and had long been popular with dedicated pheasant shooters.

Token

In 1996 two pheasant championships were held and FTCh Wingfield Token won them both.
There will be four club championships in 1997.

We had been a little ashamed of our simulated trials as they do not adequately test bird sense, ie the bird cannot run or flush of it's own volition. Nevertheless, these trials have had an unexpected bonus. Handling is judged very strictly and every audible command costs one point out of the 100 the dog starts with. I believe New Zealand handlers are the quietest and have the best rapport with their dogs of any I have seen (this includes US, Australia, Ire and UK).

As to the dogs: Bruno Pollini, Pointer man and senior Australian trialist, who visited here said - "We have no working English Setters to compare with New Zealand. While in some quarters they may not be considered attractive because of their smaller size and shorter coat, once seen in the field they acquire their own beauty which puts them in a class of their own. Their speed, quartering and application to their work is impressive. If I were ever to think of getting another pointing breed, the New Zealand English Setter would be high on the list."

At present the size factor is being taken into consideration in our breeding program. The impression of short coat, I believe, was simply due to the fact that these dogs had been in training for some weeks, and our cover is very punishing.

Nothing is perfect however, and the grounds and cover we run in is often very difficult. The American grouse woods are probably the closest to ours and the game population about the same. The well known Irish pointer breeder and trial judge, David Reid, judged for us and, when asked to comment on the grounds, replied that he would say now that there was no such thing as a poor Irish moor!

English Setter trial dogs are in the hands of three kennels, Berryfield, Grouse Ridge and Wingfield. The earliest trial influence in our present dogs came from Dr Maurice's "Downsman" kennel, which was based on American and UK Llewellyn blood.
In the sixties and seventies there were three imports from the Sharnberry kennel. These dogs came from the heart of the Sharnberry strain when the kennel was a dominant force in the UK trials.

All three dogs
Shooter

Quin
FTCh Sharnberry Shooter

Sharnberry Quin

(FTCh Sharnberry Duke x
FTCh Sharnberry Breeze)
and Kiki Gem produced good stock. Sharnberry Quin, in particular, was prepotent and left dogs that were great gamefinders and had tremendous bird sense. The top winning dogs all carry his blood, often doubled up. He had a good foundation to work on.

There have been two recent imports. Glenowlen Gameridge, by FTCh Tyone Banner, from Ireland and frozen semen from the highly performed Norwegian trial dog and sire NJCH NSUCH Vinsterfjellet Bobby.

The two top trialists of 1996 were - FTCh Berryfield Dinah - winner of the New Zealand Championship trial, and FTCh Wingfield Token - winner of both pheasant championships. Their pedigrees, given below, show our present main winning lines.

1997 was another good year for our setters, who made a clean sweep at the North Island Championship -

1st: FCh & FTCh Wingfield Token
2nd: Wingfield Tex
3rd: FTCh Berryfield Dinah

Of the four 1997 Pheasant Champs, one was cancelled, one had a "no result" and FCh & FTCh Wingfield Token won both the others.

1999 saw top results from our setters.

FCh Game Ridge FearnFCh Game Ridge Fearn won his second Pheasant Championship to become just the third NZ FCh.

Fearn is from the great "nick", between two Sharnberry imports, that produced the trial winners Game Ridge Balas, Elysian, Exador, Flynn and Fearn (see pedigree section). These dogs are exceptional at finding and handling pheasants. Fearn's daughter, Berryfield Elle, won the South Island Championship, with her dam, FTCh Berryfield Dinah second.

Trial successes continued right through the year, with five dogs winning one or more championships and concluded with an exceptional result at the NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONSHIP where the setters made a clean sweep of the placings -

1st: FCh & FTCh Wingfield Token
2nd: FTCh Berryfield Dinah
3rd: Chywoon Entrepreneur Of Jonsmae (Imp UK)

NEW IMPORT

FTCh CHYWOON ENTREPRENEUR OF JONSMAE

"Woody"
Woody
Noel Allen and Leon Mortensen have imported an English Setter dog pup from well known breeder and trialist, John Woodburn.

Woody is by FTCh Wee Piper of Jonsmae who combines Sharnberry and Migdale blood. His trial winning dam, Iken Gypsy, is by the famous Irish trial winner and sire FTCh The Blue Maestro and from Our Lassie, who is by the Norwegian import, Storeskars 'G' Snorre. Iken Gypsy is a three quarter sister in blood to Int FTCh Lefanta Patsy who won the 1999 UK Champion Stake, and is a full sister to Kassie, the dam of FTCh Lefanta Snorre.

Woody is now 2½ and has already won 3 Championships including the only Pheasant Championship he has been entered in.

He has pups on the ground which should be ready for their trial debuts in '00.

2000 was an exceptional year for our English setters.

Two dogs, FTCh Berryfield Elle and FTCh Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae (Imp UK), (Woody), completed their titles.

FTCh Berryfield ElleFTCh Berryfield Elle, who finished her title in classic fashion by winning the New Zealand Championship, is by FCh Game Ridge Fearn and out of FTCh Berryfield Dinah. This uncle to niece mating represents intense line breeding to the successful nick from our Sharnberry imports. FCh Game Ridge Fearn and FTCh Berryfield Dinah's sire, Game Ridge Elysian, are brothers from different litters by Sharnberry Quin from Kiki Gem. Age is now catching up with these dogs, but nine year old Game Ridge Flynn, another brother, was still one of the most competitive at the pheasant trials, being runner up in two championships.

Once again successes continued right through the year. At the pheasant trials, early in the year, the setters welcomed the new millennium with style. Game Ridge Flynn went well, as mentioned. FTCh Berryfield Elle won a Pheasant Championship, FTCh Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae won the Pointer & Setter Club Open Pheasant Trial and FCh & FTCh Wingfield Token had two wins and a second to take the Game Trial Dog of The Year trophy. Token was also Champion Dog of The Year and Open Dog of The Year in the pigeon trials for the 99-00 year.

Berryfield Feather, from the first litter by Entrepreneur, won the first novice trial of the year, and then went on to win the Pointer & Setter Club Novice Pheasant and Quail Trial. Other progeny, Wingfield Winterbreeze, Wingfield Wag, Wingfield Warrior and Berryfield Flirt, all ran well during the year, Breeze being the most successful with three wins and a third in puppy and novice trials.

We had a dream ending to the year, when the English setters took the first two places in both the North Island and New Zealand Championships.

NORTH ISLAND POINTER & SETTER CHAMPIONSHIP
1st: FTCh Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae
2nd: FCh & FTCh Wingfield Token

NEW ZEALAND POINTER & SETTER CHAMPIONSHIP
1st: FTCh Berryfield Elle
2nd= FCh & FTCh Wingfield Token
2nd= FTCh Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae

2001: First half. Our setters have been going well. At the first Pointer & Setter Club trial for the year FTCh Berryfield Elle won the open, and her daughter Berryfield Gem, by Entrepreneur, won the novice.

Success continued in the championship trials. Grand FTCh & FCh Wingfield Token earned her twentieth challenge and new title when winning the Wairoa Championship. Token also holds the New Zealand record for Pheasant Championships with seven wins, and is now retired.

FTCh & FCh Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae was the most successful of our dogs during the six months, winning two Club Championships, the North Island Championship, and two Pheasant Championships, to complete his second title while still a three year old. His progeny are showing great promise, with Berryfield Gem winning as above, and Wingfield Winterbreeze the most successful dog at the novice pheasant trials with a first and a second.

Australian relations: English setters have been virtually non existent at Australian trials for at least the last thirty years. We have exported regularly, but always to shooters, not trialists. South Australian John Kersley decided to try an English setter and obtained a female from his friend Lance Bailey-Hill, who is well known for his successful 'Gamemaster' line of Irish setters.

Aust. FTCh & FCh Gamemaster FernhillThis bitch, Aust. FTCh & FCh Gamemaster Fernhill, had a sensational season. 'Minnie', as she is known, won the Victorian Championship held at the start of the season. This trial is run under AKC rules, and historically has been considered the premier Australian trial. With the recent advent of the Working Gundog Association of Australia a second trial circuit operates. Their premier trial is the WGAA National Championship. This trial was held towards the end of the season in John's home state, and was also won by Minnie. FTCh & FCh Gamemaster Fernhill's breeding is very similar to our own winning dogs. She is out of Wingfield Silk, who is a sister to FTCh Wingfield Sioux and GFTCh & FCh Wingfield Token. The parents of her sire, Gamemaster Marksman, were both by Wingfield Kit who was a brother to FTCh Wingfield King and FTCh Wingfield Kandy. Keen quail shooter Jack Boucher imported both Silk and Kit.

2001: Second half. There were two outstanding events of this six months.

FTCh & FCh Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae created an All-time N Z Pointer and Setter Record by winning both the South Island Pointer and Setter Championship and the New Zealand Pointer and Setter Championship. No other dog has ever won all three major Championships in the one year.

Secondly, a bitch pup has been purchased in Norway, and is due to arrive at the end of January. Her family , which combines some famous Scandinavian, American, and French workers and producers, are dogs that win in the great Norwegian moor land trials, but also in their pheasant trials in cover more similar to ours. We are looking forward to her arrival with excitement.

2002: First half. At the Pointer and Setter Club's annual awards, FTCh & FCh Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae was both Champion Dog of the Year, and Game Trial Dog of the Year.

His progeny are also starting to win. At the first trial of the year, on the 9th of March, his son Wingfield Warrior went well, scoring second in the Novice Trial and third in the Limit Trial. Wingfield Winterbreeze, a sister to Warrior, was Novice Game Trial Dog of the Year.

At the Game Trials, in April, the young dogs continued to do well. Berryfield Garth placed first and second in Novice Trials and looks set to be Novice Game Trial Dog for this year. He is just two, but his ten month old son Wingfield Xpress stole some of his thunder by being the only dog placed in one Novice Pheasant Trial with fifteen entries. He had exceptional bird-work. Garth is a son of Entrepreneur and Xpress a double grandson. Xpress' pedigree, given below, which includes both Garth and Winterbreeze, shows the lines that are currently winning.

Wingfield Xpress

Berryfield Garth

FTCh & FCh Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae

FTCh Wee Piper of Jonsmae
Iken Gypsy
FTCh Berryfield Elle

FCh Game Ridge Fearn
FTCh Berryfield Dinah
Wingfield Winterbreeze QC

FTCh & FCh Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae

Wingfield Velvet

Berryfield Digger
Grand FTCh & FCh Wingfield Token

2002: Second half. At the trials on 14 September 2002 FTCh & FCh Chywoon Entrepreneur of Jonsmae (Woody) was second in the Championship and Wingfield Warrior won the Novice.

During the rest of the year Woody continued his winning ways with a third, a second, and two Championship wins. The win in the North Auckland GDC Championship was described by the experienced judge, Andrew (Mac) McArthur, as the best run he had ever seen.

Wingfield Xtra

Wingfield Xtra won the North Island Championship with Woody, her double grand sire, a close second.
Xtra is a sister to Xpress.



Lapphaugen's H Moulin

Frank-Tommy Olsen's young Norwegian import, Lapphaugen's H Moulin hit her straps at the November trials winning both the novice and limit. Her runs showed great promise and she should broaden and improve our gene pool.

As I write she has eight, two day old, pups by Woody.

I have attended trials in UK, Australia and the American grouse woods. I have an extensive library with such authors as Laverack, Hochwalt, Marr, Evans, Tuck, Margaret Barnes, Jorgensen and Dr Maurice. Also a set of Xmas issues of The American Field back to 1963 and a set of UK stud books with complete trial and breeding records from the same date.

I read Norwegian and have been a member of their club for nearly ten years and can get the meaning from Danish and also usually from Swedish if the subject is strictly English Setters and trials.

My enthusiasm goes back more than thirty years and my dogs have won the NZ Championship trial ten times. I was co-founder and inaugural president of the NZ Pointer and Setter Club,

The theory of practical animal breeding has also been a lifetime interest, centered mainly on thoroughbred horses, jersey cattle and bird dogs.

Leon Mortensen



FTCH BERRYFIELD DINAH
(Winner 1996 NZ Pointer and Setter Championship Trial)
Dinah

FTCh Sharnberry Duke
Sharnberry Quin (Imp UK)
FTCh Sharnberry Breeze
SIRE: Gameridge Elysian
FTCh Sharnberry Donald
Kiki Gem (Imp UK)
Gwendolyn's Kandy of Sharnberry

FTCh Sharnberry Shooter (Imp UK)
Colchicus Tad
Ch Cushla of Westella
DAM: Wingfield Moss
FTCh Sharnberry Shooter (Imp UK)
Wingfield Honey
Grand FTCh Wingfield Annie

FTCH WINGFIELD TOKEN and FTCH WINGFIELD SIOUX
(Sisters)
Token

Sioux


FTCh Sharnberry Duke
Sharnberry Quin (Imp UK)
FTCh Sharnberry Breeze
SIRE: Game Ridge Balas QC (Photo below)
FTCh Sharnberry Donald
Kiki Gem (Imp UK)
Gwendolyn's Kandy of Sharnberry

FTCh Sharnberry Duke
Sharnberry Quin (Imp UK)
FTCh Sharnberry Breeze
DAM: FTCh Wingfield Lace
FTCh Sharnberry Shooter (Imp UK)
Wingfield Jemima
Blackwall Lucky Star (Imp Aust)

Game Ridge Balas
Balas



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Copyright © 2000-2002 Leon Mortensen and The English Setter Club, New Zealand

Originally Posted by EeeBees

So when we write about field champ this and field champ that on our dogs pedigrees what does it really mean to us here...

It says more about the handler than the dog!

El B you really have to stop these massive cut and pastes

winning like anything is cyclic -NZ some years back maybe Aussi now but unless w had a transtasman event who could say for sure

Originally Posted by Pointer

El B you really have to stop these massive cut and pastes

true LOL it really was only for a comment by Leon about how good NZ dogs were in comparison -well in his view to others --sorry haha

Originally Posted by Pointer

It says more about the handler than the dog!

Handlers -wow thats another subject isnt it --a good dog made bad because of bad management --ive done plenty of screw ups over the years and hope now with a little more age and passion I will be better at what I enjoy --results will tell not that not coming 2nd means you screwed up just someone did better !!!

Originally Posted by Pointer

Please end that thread on the other forum,

WTF are you on about? I remember another one (forum that is) from years gone by, but the owner was a fucking cock sucker. Can't be the same one. Can it?......

just me pushin my barrow on the other onehaha i do get in the shit sometimes lol

I hate hearing about that other spot, well onlky cause I personally know the cocksucker that OWNES it. A few would do well to remember the setup.............

ive not had problems there except for my strong opinions rightly or wrongly offered. same shit different day ..........lol

I would prefer to see some kind of natural ability testing for young gundogs than the field trials we currently have

I would have thought the current two types of trials cover that quite well.What more would you test and how would something new work

Originally Posted by upnorth uplander

I would prefer to see some kind of natural ability testing for young gundogs than the field trials we currently have

hhttp://www.nzvhdta.co.nz/

Ir would work for continentals but for a pure bird dog it may not be the best option .Great they are progressing this though !


Overview

Breeds include Brittany, Fousek, GSP, GWP, Munsterlander’s, Spinoni, Vizsla, Weimaraner & other European versatile breeds that may be imported into NZ

A truly versatile hunting dog is one that is in control of its temperament.

This dog can adjust its range to the conditions, working close to the handler among the trees or thick cover, casting further out in the open fields, climbing high up the hillsides in search of game. This dog does not run madly about and need an hours work to settle. This dog has the ability to range head high searching the wind, or track slow and carefully an old blood trail. This dog can change gears, moving fast one minute than pulling itself in to cautiously follow the track of a creeping pheasant.

The truly versatile dog should know to do this without command.

The versatile hunting dog can retrieve from land and water, but it is not specialist retriever. The versatile hunting dog is a pointer, but not a specialist pointer, they also flush on command. The versatile hunting dog is part bird dog, part water retriever, part tracker.

Not only that, the versatile hunting dog is a trustworthy, calm, family companion.

One breed of versatile hunting dog is not necessarily better than the other; they are different, they were developed from different sources, from different breed combinations. Some have more dash, more independence; some are more cautious hunters, more dependant; some are better pointers whilst others are better trackers or retrievers. But they all do a good to passable job in all things required.

Only through testing can the hereditary attributes of parents and progeny be ascertained and sound planned choices made toward breed improvement.

In New Zealand we have not had that opportunity. With testing a record of each dogs hunting qualities is obtained; search, nose, pointing, tracking, water love, attitude, cooperation, coat, temperament, conformation and in older dogs retrieving and obedience.

The VHD Test Assn (NZ) is for improvement of breeding hunting dogs. It is not about dog sport, it is a non competitive test Association for working versatile gundogs.

If you enjoy hunting and have a love for all versatile breeds of gundogs you are invited to join.