The Scottish Game Fair is renowned for its have-a-go activities, whether shooting, fishing or gundog challenges. Ahead of the event, Gayle Ritchie and Kirsty McIntosh put their dogs through their paces in a timed retrieving competition
GAYLE AND TOBY
If a dog squats down for a pee in the middle of a timed retrieve, then I’m guessing he’s not going to win.
I’m pondering this thought as I wait, rather impatiently, for Toby, my black labrador, to finish emptying his bladder.
We’ve come to Mordor Gundogs HQ for a retrieving session under the watchful eye of trainer Charlie Thorburn. Ahead of the Game Fair, we’re taking part in what’s known as a “scurry”, which is open to any dog and his owner on the big day.
Before today, I had no clue as to what a scurry was, but basically, it’s a timed competition during which the dog retrieves a dummy in a course set up with a distraction.
Going head-to-head with my colleague Kirsty McIntosh, whose fox red lab Ruby frequently wins flyball competitions, my expectations of Toby excelling at this were not high.
The first few months of his life were spent with no training. Bought as a puppy by a couple with two toddlers, a baby, full-time jobs and a part-time business, there was no time for Toby. That much was evident when I took him on at seven months.
It was fairly easy teaching him the basics – sit, stay, paw, heel, come, fetch, and the piece de resistance, “into the side”, which means he gets off the road and sits down on the verge when a car is coming.
Today, however, we’re here to test his retrieving prowess and given all the distractions (dozens of cute puppies and a coterie of spaniels and labradors running around), I’m not holding out any hopes.
Under Charlie’s instruction, Toby and I walk over to a start point. Chris Hill shoots a pistol and then throws a dummy (it lands around 50m from where we’re standing) while Jamie Sullivan blasts a “bunny bungee” on a rope off to the side – the distraction.
Alas, neither catches Toby’s attention, and instead, he trots off to see what’s happening with his doggie pals. Disaster! And probably elimination!
The second time, I attempt to focus his line of sight on the action being played out. On my command, he runs for the dummy, ignores the bunny (hooray)…and then stops for a pee. Oh the shame!
On the third attempt, it’s a timed retrieve. This time, Toby is distracted by the bunny and I have to run up and point him in the right direction. Our time is appalling – 51.22 seconds.
Our final attempt is the best. This time, Toby ignores the distraction, goes straight for the dummy and trots back. I’m more than happy with his 19.35 seconds.
Kirsty is somewhat more competitive than me and Ruby is a just winner, with a top time of 17.85 seconds.
But I’m pleased with Toby’s attempt. In a short space of time, he’s gone from being distracted to fully focused on the retrieve. His reward is a swim and a handful of biscuits.
KIRSTY AND RUBY
I am known for being just a little bit competitive. Okay , I’m A LOT competitive.
While Ruby has never been trained as a gundog, she had a litany of Field Trial Champions in her bloodline so I was hoping that some of this talent had been inherited.
Ruby’s usual sport is flyball – a sort of fast-paced relay race for dogs – and I was also hoping that the retrieving skills she uses during racing would give us the edge over Toby.
Therefore, imagine my dismay when Toby picked up the aim of the game faster than Ruby.
The last time Charlie encountered Ruby in a scurry was at a charity event and he had helpfully placed four haybales in a row. It was, to all intents and purposes, a flyball lane and Ruby knew immediately what to do.
This time, Charlie hit upon Ruby’s weakness – she’s easily spooked. As the bunny-on-the-bungee raced across her path, she stopped dead.
Charlie told us that a dog that doesn’t ignore the bunny will have one of two reactions – either they are distracted by it or, like Ruby, they are scared by it.
For quite some time Ruby refused to cross where the bunny had crossed her path – acting like there was a glass wall in her way.
After spending some time throwing tennis balls across the line, she finally overcame her fear but for the rest of the afternoon became wary of approaching the line.
At the end of the day we prepared to do our timed runs. Ruby slowed as she anticipated the bungeed bunny but still returned in a time of 17.85, which I was pleased by.
Having seen Toby take to retrieving like a duck to water, and crucially not being distracted by the bunny, I have to say I was ready to admit defeat.
However having run well most of the day, in the crucial timed run, Toby decided that the bunny was more interesting than the dummy, shooting off to the side of the arena. The delay resulted in a time of 51.22.
In the interests of fairness I insisted on a second run, which saw Toby complete in 19.35. The pressure was on. Ruby completed in 18.05, satisfying my competitiveness.
INFO
The Scottish Game Fair takes place at Scone Palace, Perthshire, from July 1 to 3. www.scottishfair.com
Challenges for dogs with great prizes include: scurry (open to all handlers any any breed of dog), working gundog tests, water retrieves, timed obstacle courses and agility competitions.
Training demos by Charlie Thorburn and Joe Hipwell of Mordor Gundogs run three times a day and you can play with puppies in the popular puppy corner!
Dogs are welcome at the Scottish Game Fair but if you fancy leaving him in safe surroundings, there’s a free dog creche laid on by Samsalin Dog Rescue, with donations welcome.
Mordor Gundogs, Path of Condie, Perthshire. www.mordorgundogs.com
