In October 1995, Diana Smith of Austin Canine Training invited John & Moira Rogerson to Texas to introduce a small group of us to the British sport of Working Trials. At the end of that seminar, we held a Companion Dog Stake trial, resulting in a high score of 55 marks, taken by a Belgian Tervuren from Houston named Bliss.
Valentine's Day – the holiday of romance. And a great day for a Working Trial. Under a beautiful clear sky, with temperatures in the upper 70s F/20s C (it is, after all, February in Texas), I had the pleasure of being the first American judge of an American Working Trial. Just so that I wouldn't be too relaxed about this duty, Malcolm Byrom (the British judge who judged at my last apprenticeship trial) showed up to "help out".
The day started with the recall, heel on lead, and a sendaway to a hula-hoop hung in a bush. This was followed by the clear, long and scale jumps, with the heel free interleaved between the jumps. Each dog then did the retrieve and individual sit stay immediately followed by it's search square containing a piece of cork, a comb, and a dollar (which the handler got to keep if the dog found it). We wrapped things up with a group down stay.
A big thanks to Malcolm, for some pre-trial suggestions and crucial advice during the trial; to Kim Donnell, my wife, trials manager & coordinator; to Kim Burton, for a great job of stewarding at her first trial; and to Amanda Kemkaren, for providing the unknown scent in the search square. Also, special thanks to the competitors, their dogs, and the spectators, for a truly enjoyable first judging experience.
1st Cory Tourino with Axel (GSD dog) 92 marks qualifying W.C.D.ex.
Very nice control work and a perfect agility score led into a nerve wracking nosework section. Axel apparently caught a grass bur in the mouth during the retrieve, resulting in obvious distress and a couple of drops as he tried to carry the dumbbell in. After checking his mouth and a judge's consult with Malcolm, he earned a compromise 6 points for an otherwise good effort and extenuating circumstances. Full point stays and a last minute recovery of the second and third search articles finished out his day with a very respectable 92 mark excellent score.
2nd Suin Tu with Indy (Border Collie bitch) 76.5 marks NQ
In their second trial, Suin and Indy made a very respectable score, qualifying in three groups. A short sendaway and one missed search article marred otherwise excellent control and nosework scores. She earned full marks for the stays, but difficulties on the long and scale jumps resulted in a score just short on the agility group. This pair should have a good shot at qualifying in their next trial.
3rd Nicole Sauvageau with Shakti (mixed-breed bitch) 69.5 marks NQ
A difficult sendaway and a missed downstay brought this team in just short of qualifying with an otherwise nice day. Smoothing out a few rough edges should result in a straightforward qualification in the near future.
4th Suzi Schultz with Argos (GSD dog) 47.5 marks NQ
This pair has come a long way in the few months since their introduction to the sport and their first trial while Malcolm was here last. They qualified in the stay and agility groups, but a number of problems with the control work prevented qualification there. Argos's nemesis, the search square, caused them their greatest trouble, and when this is overcome he should see great success in this sport.