3/20/2010 Spaniel Hunt Test Judgine Seminar in Brighton. Complete details available here
2010 Hunt Test Details of our 2010 Hunt Test have been posted. Click here for details.
Field trials are a competitive sport involving the team of dog and handler. A trial gives a handler and his or her dog the opportunity to compete in the field with their peers. The purpose of a spaniel field trial is to demonstrate the performance of a properly trained spaniel in the field. The performance should not differ from that in any ordinary day's shooting, except that in the trials a dog should do his work in a more nearly perfect way. Each fall the SMSSTC holds a field trial that has an Open All Age Stake, Amateur All Age Stake and a Puppy Stake (for dogs under 2 years of age).
Hunt Tests by contrast evaluate a dogs' performances against a set of AKC standards. Under the classifications of junior, senior or master hunter, dogs participating in hunt tests are rated on a scale of one to 10 for their performances in five categories: hunting ability, bird-finding ability, flushing ability, trained abilities and retrieving abilities. The SMSSTC annually holds a Hunt Test.
