Scurries

Gundog scurries

reproduced by kind permission of the author - Kerry Wiggins

Gundog Scurries are held throughout summer at a variety of country shows from smaller local shows, right up to national game fairs.

These events are open to the general public and anyone can have a go. Although you almost always see gundog breeds competing, the tests are seldom restricted only to recognised breeds of gundog. Frequently they are open to any breed of dog who will do the test (ask at the ring if you are unsure – the judges are often delighted to include a dog who will do the work, even if their breeding is obscure!)

Gundog Scurries are usually a test of speed. As long as the dog obeys the general rules of the test, the fastest dog wins. However, they are also a test of control, obedience and training and of the ability of the dog to use its initiative.

Although all competitions can be a nerve wracking experience, gundog scurries are generally enjoyable. There are a whole range of dogs having a go, from the keen, highly trained competitor to the family gundog-shaped pet. You can usually enter more than once, so if you get it wrong the first time you don’t get eliminated or disqualified you just pay for another entry and try and get it right next go!

The spectators are very forgiving. They often don’t know or care what makes a winning entry. They are watching for entertainment and will be equally entertained by a bouncy pet enjoying itself to the detriment of its owner as they will by an efficient, turbo-charged superhound slicing nano seconds off the previous record time.

If you should get lucky and you end up with the speediest dog on the day, you can look forward to magnificent trophies and generous prizes. The competitions also give you something else to do at a country show when you have finally melted your credit card in the shopping tents, you are bored with waiting for the falcon to return to the display ring from its foray with the local pigeons and you still have an hour to wait until lunch.

So what do the tests involve? The type of test varies but almost always includes the following :

Scurry The dog has to retrieve two marked (seen) dummies. The dummy thrower attracts the dogs attention and throws each dummy into a prescribed area. The dog is sent and has to bring one of the dummies back to the handler who is waiting within a designated area i.e. behind a line, before repeating the process for the second dummy.

Pick and Mix The dog has to retrieve a specified number of marked and concealed dummies (usually two marked and two out of three blinds). The handler is told where the unseen dummies are hidden. Again, the dog has to bring the dummies back to the handler within the marked out area.

There are a number of variations on this theme which may include retrieving from water or from within partridge pens (involving a low jump over a fence in and out of the pen) or with the temptation of a “bolting rabbit” (a dummy on a piece of elastic) crossing the path of the dog on the way out, or on the return.

Other tests which regularly turn up at different shows include:

Steeplechase The dog has to retrieve a dummy thrown at the end of a row of jumps (usually straw bales with a barrier either side to create a “race”). Usually the dummy is dropped into the end “compartment” but sometimes two dummies are thrown into two different compartments. If the dog collects the first dummy from the nearest compartment, it has to go beyond that point to the next compartment on the second run and not waste time looking where it found the first dummy.

Bulldog Usually a single straight long retrieve fired from a dummy launcher. Variations can include two dummies to retrieve and brash (a heap of leafy branches) to be negotiated on the way to the dummy (which most spaniels will want to stop and search!)

Other tests include a greater measure of control and require the dog to be handled on to the retrieve. For example, snooker or a clockface, which requires the dog to retrieve dummies in a prescribed order from amongst other dummies.

Sometimes a mock test is included where the dog has to perform a number of exercises, walking closely to heel, recovering a memory retrieve, retrieving a blind with a distraction such as gunshot and another dummy thrown across the path of the returning dog.

Often a dog and gun test also appears on the programme where the dog has to remain steady whilst the handler attempts to hit a number of clays and then the dog is sent to retrieve dummies.

If you are competing in working tests or field trials then you would not consider entering your dog in scurries. However, for many working gundogs and pets, as long as you put your dog’s training and well-being first, then scurries are fun and can have some positive benefits.

Competitions can give a novice trainer a focus for their training and help them to develop skills which are useful in the field.

However, it is easy to make mistakes and dogs can easily become highly excitable if they get within spitting distance of a scurry. Don’t assume that winding a dog up will make it go faster. A dog who enjoys retrieving needs no further encouragement to get excited. In fact, if a dog is too excited they stop thinking and good times are gained through efficiency – not just running flat out! You also run the risk of creating a noisy dog.

It is worth looking for competitions where the clock is stopped in between retrieves. This gives you the opportunity to settle your dog and discourages too high a level of excitement which can potentially lead to problems like running in and whining.

It is clear from watching these competitions that many dogs have been taught to rely very heavily on their handler for directions. Their obedience is excellent but they tend not to think for themselves and have to be handled onto the retrieve. These dogs are never fast enough to win. It is also commonplace to see dogs that have not been taught a strong, clear retrieve. They do not mark the dummy, they have poor memories, they do not want to go out any distance and they get distracted by brash and start hunting.

So what can you teach your dog to help it become a winner?

Well, if you are just starting out, you can build up your dog’s confidence in retrieving. Here are a few ideas.

Build up distance by gradually leaving longer and longer memory retrieves on a straight path.
Gradually build up the difficulty of your retrieves. Put the dummy into cover.
Think about the direction the scent will be taking and put the dog onto the dummy from different directions so that it starts to learn to use the wind to its advantage.
Introduce easy blinds and then increase the difficulty – remembering to still use different wind directions.
Introduce a larger number of memory retrieves and always vary the order in which you send the dog.
Be patient. If the dog is taking time to find a retrieve don’t be too quick to offer directions. Remember, you are teaching the dog to use its initiative (and also encouraging persistence which is a useful trait in the field).
Remember basic obedience. The dog should be taught not to run in (You should not expect to restrain your dog when the dummies are thrown in a scurry. It is often against the rules). The dog should return straight back to you with the retrieve and not stop on the way for a sniff and a pee. (It is also useful to teach your dog to defecate on command and get them to “go” before entering them in the ring. It is astonishing how many dogs decide to do this in the middle of the competition – very time consuming and not very nice for subsequent competing dogs).

Gamesmanship - As well as teaching your dog basic obedience, how to use its initiative, use its memory and retrieve cleanly and at a distance, you can also employ a few “tricks of the trade”.

Many handlers pay straight away for two entries in each of the competitions. If you do this it allows your dog to have two goes, one after another. If the dog is at all unsure of where to find the dummies in the first entry you can put it straight back in while the test is still fresh in its mind. If your dog is struggling in the first entry, you can go out to the dog and assist it. Having been shown what to do, it is likely to be much more efficient in the second entry.

It is also helpful to teach the dog a “watch” command. If your dog is very keen on dummies, pick a time when the dummies are being thrown – perhaps for another competitor. If the dog’s attention is focussed on the dummy thrower tell it to “watch” – it will soon start to associate the word with the dummies being thrown. You can then use this as a command to ensure your dog is marking dummies and not looking at you (or other activities around the ring).

If you are inclined to cheat and you have a clever dog, you can position the dog near where it will sit for the start of a Pick and Mix and watch where the blinds are put for other competitors. A keen dog given the watch command will recognise dummies being concealed by the most crafty dummy thrower. I am sure you will agree however, that cheating is completely unsportsmanlike and you wouldn’t do it!

Finally, put your dog first. If the dog has done its best don’t keep asking it to do more – especially on a hot day. It really is fun just to compete and watch your dog do its best, even if it is not the fastest on the day. There will be occasions when the dog has learnt something from the competition. To see a dogs ability develop and grow and to learn something to put into practice the next time, can be equally as rewarding as a rosette.

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