HUNT TEST RULES AND REGULATIONS (CKC)

9 Test Requirements

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9.1.1 Dogs shall be tested on 4 single marks: 2 on land and 2 on water.

9.1.2 Test distances shall be established by the judges, but only in keeping with the simulation of realistic but relatively simple hunting situations. Test distances should not normally exceed 68.5 meters (75 yards). No retrieve shall exceed 91 meters (100 yards).

9.1.3 Dogs may be sent to retrieve more than once, but judges must take a second cast into consideration in evaluating a dog's marking and perseverance. Normally a second cast calls for a lower grade.

9.1.4 Junior Hunting dogs shall not be handled on more than one mark, and if handling is required, it must be accomplished crisply and cleanly.

9.1.5 Dogs need not be steady and may be brought to the line on leash. Dogs should be brought to line tractably at heal and must be under control. Dogs may be restrained gently with a slipcord, or held gently by a collar until sent to retrieve. If a collar is used to restrain, the collar must be removed before the dog is sent to retrieve. Prong and pinch collars are prohibited. Leashes, including short tabs, shall be removed before dogs are run.

9.1.6 A dog must retrieve to hand. Failure to do so merits a grade of "0" in trainability.

9.1.7 A dog may be encouraged to hunt, but excessive noise in encouraging the dog suggests a lack of hunting desire and a low grade in perseverance is required.

9.2 Senior Hunt Test. (Table of Contents)

Dogs shall be tested in a minimum of 5 hunting situations which shall include:

1. One land blind
2. One water blind
3. One double land marks
4. One double water marks
5. An upland hunting test. The dog shall be required to locate birds as in typical upland hunting and within gun range of the handler. The dog may be urged to hunt or handled to maintain his range and position. The bird(s) must be placed in cover within the test area. When located, the birds must be retrieved by the dog to the handler. Dead birds shall be used.

There shall be no walk-up test in senior hunt test.

The blinds may be run as a double blind, one placed on land and one placed on water.

9.2.2 Guidelines for Judge's setting up test and evaluating dogs at the Senior Level:

1. if the same piece of land or water is used for both blinds and marks, then the blinds must be run first;
2. blinds should be no longer than 73.1m (80 yards) and as open as possible;
3. in water, shoreline blinds, heavy cover and reentries should be avoided;
4. the line should be as close to the water as possible, avoiding cheating entries.

9.2.3 Senior Binds should be run on grounds separate from the marks or if necessary, judges should ensure that previous marks do not influence or interfere with the dogs running the blinds. Blinds shall not be run between the marks in Senior Hunter.

9.2.4 Distances on land and water shall be established by the judges but no retrieve should normally exceed 73.1m(80 yards). Also, no marks should be thrown inside 18.3m (20 yards) from the line. Testing situations should, to the extent that it is practical and realistic, make use of the natural hazards, hunting equipment and obstacles that are encountered in true hunting.

9.2.5 Dogs should be steady on the line but a controlled break or creeping should result in a relatively lower scoring in trainability than a controlled break or creeping would in Junior Hunt Tests.

9.2.6 A Senior Hunt dog must retrieve to hand. Failure to do so merits a grade of “0” in trainability.

9.2.7 Dogs may be sent to retrieve more than once, but judges must take a second cast into consideration in evaluating the dogs marking and perseverance. Normally, a second cast calls for a lower grade.

9.2.8 Perseverance should be encouraged on marked retrieves, however dogs may be handled on marks and excessive handling requires a lower score in perseverance. A dog that goes to the area of the fall and finds the bird unaided should be scored appreciably higher than a dog that must be handled to a bird.

9.2.9 A dog shall be required to honour a working dog at least once, but judges should allow greater leeway in scoring the Senior Hunting dog on its trainability than would be allowed a Master Hunt dog. The honour dog must be set up so that it is unlikely that the working dog will run across the front of the honouring dog. A controlled break is allowed in Senior providing it does not interfere with the working dog.

9.2.10 A diversion shot(s) shall be used. A diversion shot is a shot in which no bird is thrown, and shall be fired in Senior Tests.

9.2.11 Diversion Birds shall not be used

9.3 Owner Handler Master & Master Hunt Test (Table of Contents)

9.3.1 Dogs shall be tested in a minimum of 5 hunting situations as follows: multiple land marks, multiple water marks, an upland hunting test, a land blind(s) and a water blind(s). There shall be at least 3 series. Diversion birds and/or diversion shots must be used at least once.

NOTE: The word multiple means more than one, although triple marks are encouraged.

9.3.2 Natural hazards, obstacles, hunting equipment and implements should be utilized to a somewhat greater degree than in the Senior Hunt Test.

9.3.3 A Master Hunt dog must honor and at least one opportunity to honor must be provided. Trainability must be evaluated more stringently than in the Senior Hunt Test.

9.3.4 Dogs that switch shall be scored "0" in perseverance and cannot receive a qualifying score.

9.3.5 Test distances shall be established by the judges. No retrieve should normally exceed 91.4m (100 yards) and under no circumstance shall exceed 114.3m (125 yards).

9.3.6 As in Junior and Senior, situations must simulate natural and realistic hunting situations. While distance is not crucial, master Hunt situations are more severe and difficult than Senior Hunt situations.

9.3.7 A Master Hunt dog must be steady and must deliver to hand. Failure to do so must be graded "0" in trainability

9.3.8 A Master dog that creeps must be scored relatively lower than creeping in Senior. A controlled break in Master must be scored "0" in trainability, except in an upland test.

9.3.9 Dogs should be sent to retrieve only once. A dog that displays unwillingness must be scored relatively low- er on marking and perseverance than in the Senior Hunt Test.

9.3.10 Perseverance should be encouraged on marked retrieves, however dogs may be handled on marks but must be scored with greater stringency than Senior Hunt dogs in marking and perseverance.

A dog that goes to the area of the fall and finds the bird unaided should be scored appreciably higher than a dog that must be handled to a bird.

9.3.11 Master Hunt dogs that require excessive handling on marks and blinds, that refuse voice or whistle commands, or appear unwilling to perform their work must be viewed in a different light from Senior Hunt dogs where a degree of tolerance is necessary for those not-so-seasoned Senior dogs. Master Hunt dogs must exhibit those qualities expected in a truly finished and experienced hunting companion.

9.3.12 A diversion shot(s) shall be used. A diversion shot is a shot in which no bird is thrown and shall be fired in Master Tests.

9.3.13 Diversion Birds shall be used at least once.

1. A diversion bird is bird that is thrown in addi- tion to the marks and blinds. Diversion birds may be shot or thrown on a blind retrieve after the dog has been sent for, or when a dog is returning from a blind retrieve. However, diversion birds shall only be used on marks when the dog is returning from a retrieve.
2. Diversion birds shall always be initiated in front of the working dog. The diversion bird is not a mark but constitutes a trainability situation. It is always retrieved by the working dog. Diversion birds may be shot and thrown when the working dog is in a location where the dog should be able to see the bird as it goes up into the air and as it falls.

9.3.14 Poison birds may be used in the Master test. Judges will determine whether or not the poison bird shall be retrieved after the blind retrieve, but if it is to be retrieved it will be judged as a mark.

9.3.15 Upland Hunting Test

1. In all Master Hunt Tests, an upland hunting test with quartering and flush shall be used. At the Host Club's discretion, a separate set of qualified judges (2) may be used to judge the upland hunting test. The CKC must be advised the day after the close of entries.
2. When quartering the dog hunts in a radius ideally 10 to 30 yards to the front of the handler. The dog should be eager to hunt all available cover diligently and be under control. The intent of the upland hunting test is not to demonstrate running a pat- tern, but to demonstrate a natural tendency to quarter and hunt under control. The dog may be urged to hunt or handled to maintain his range and position, excessive handling is not acceptable.
3. Master Hunt Test dogs will be judged more stringently than Senior Hunt Test dogs.
4. A natural flush is preferred to the use of traps, pens, cages, or other devices designed to con- tain and then release birds during the upland hunting test. However, when conditions exist that prohibit the use of natural flushes (e.g., weather, poor birds, insufficient cover, etc.), such devises may be utilized but must be sufficiently camouflaged. When such devices are used, the bird is flushed (thrown or released) in full view of the dog. The distance from the bird to the dog should be within scenting distance when the bird is released. Whenever possible, the flush should be aimed away from the dog, not towards it.
5. If a bird is retrieved as part of the test, a dead bird must be used; it shall not be scored as a mark, but must be completed, and must be delivered to hand.
6. The dog must be steady to shot and shall be disqualified if it is not.
7. The handler must have the dog under control at the time the first shot is fired or, in the judge's opinion, should have been fired.
8. The dog may be sitting or standing with limited movement.
9. If a dog is steady to shot but then breaks at the fall and demonstrates an intent to retrieve without being sent, it must be stopped. If brought under immediate control, it shall be considered a controlled break and charged with a minor fault.
10. All use of live and dead birds must comply with the provisions of the Criminal Code relating to Cruelty to Animals-Causing unnecessary suffering, S446.

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