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Field Trials
WESTMINSTER
Field Trials
At its inception, the Westminster Kennel Club was a sportsmen’s association, with members largely interested in working their sporting dogs in the field. Westminster’s logo is a Pointer named Sensation, a dog that was imported by one of its members in the 1870’s to strengthen American breeding stock. A dedication to responsible breeding of purpose-bred dogs is at the core of Westminster’s mission. More than a century later, Westminster believes that preservation of sporting dog breeds can best be achieved by supporting performance events that highlight purebreds doing their jobs as originally intended in a natural landscape.
Field Trial 101
What is a Field Trial?
A field trial is a mock hunting competitive event at which purpose-bred dogs demonstrate their ability to perform the tasks their breed was bred to do. Dogs may earn points toward their AKC Field and Amateur Field Championships.
The American Kennel Club sanctions member or licensed dog clubs the ability to hold field trials. These trials are divided into type by the function of the breeds they include:
- Trailing Hounds These breeds are judged on their ability to find and track game by scent. They include, but are not limited to Dachshunds, Beagles, Bloodhounds Black-and-Tan Coonhounds, and Basset Hounds.
- Pointing Breeds These breeds find game birds by the birds’ scent cone, not by actual tracking. On locating game, the dog will go on point directing the handler to the location of the bird where it can be flushed into the air. These include Pointers, German Shorthaired Pointers, Setters (English, Irish, Gordon, Irish Red and White), Spinone Italiano, Brittanies, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons, and others.
- Flushing Breeds These breeds find game in the same manner as the Pointing breeds, except after locating the bird, they are sent in to flush the bird for the handler. They include Cocker Spaniels, English Springer Spaniels, Clumber Spaniels, and others.
- Retrieving Breeds These breeds retrieve by marking downed (shot) game and retrieving from multiple distances, both on dry land and from the water. The breeds in this group include Golden Retrievers, Chesapeake Retrievers, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, Flat-Coated Retrievers, to name a few.
How is Westminster Kennel Club connected to the sport of field trialing?
Westminster was founded in 1875 in an effort to promote the betterment of dogs both for sporting and conformation. This is clearly illustrated by the Westminster logo, an image of Sensation, a Pointer, who was imported from England in 1876 to be shown, but also, primarily, to improve the bloodlines of Pointers owned by WKC members.
WKC supports the annual AKC Pointing Gun Dog Championship with two perpetual trophies, awarded each year to the winners of both the horseback and walking competitions.
How to watch a Field Trial
To find out where and when and where an AKC trial is going to be held go to the AKC calendar of events, select Field Trial as the event type, then select the state and the date. A calendar will come up that lets you know where and when one of the types of field trials is being held.
Once at the trial, approach the Field Trial Chair or Secretary and introduce yourself. They will be able to provide information or point you to someone who can. It may be a good idea to do some research in advance on the type of trial or the specific breed of interest. Contacting a breeder who competes, and making plans to meet at an event, would be beneficial.
What are the benefits of field trialing?
- It builds strength and endurance for both the handler and the dog
- It builds a very strong bond between the handler and the dog
- It channels the drive that the dog has been bred for
- It helps to identify superior dogs who may improve a bloodline
- It creates a community of like-minded individuals, committed to the Sport of Dogs
What is the Field Trial Hunting History?
At its inception, the Westminster Kennel Club was a sportsmen’s association, with members largely interested in working their sporting dogs in the field. Westminster’s logo is a Pointer named Sensation, a dog that was imported by one of its members in the 1870’s to strengthen American breeding stock. A dedication to responsible breeding of purpose-bred dogs is at the core of Westminster’s mission. More than a century later, Westminster believes that preservation of sporting dog breeds can best be achieved by supporting performance events that highlight purebreds doing their jobs as originally intended in a natural landscape.
Historically, AKC Field Trials were created as the ultimate performance event to test a dog’s form and function. Owners, breeders, and spectators alike, could watch handlers and their dogs work together as a team to showcase what they were bred to do. AKC Hunting Tests were introduced later as a non-competitive event to test a dog’s instincts in the field. In 1986, following the success of the Retriver Hunting Tests, a seminar was hosted by the Westminster Kennel Club, showcasing the Hunting Test program for Retrievers, Pointing Breeds, and Spaniels, and was attended by 550 people. The idea of Hunting Tests for Pointing Breeds became popular and by 2007 Westminster held its first Sanctioned Hunting Test Pointing Breeds Match.
The Westminster Kennel Club Hunting Test For Pointing Breeds became an annual AKC-licensed event from 2008 to 2015 and included Junior Hunter, Senior Hunter, and Master Hunter classes. The Westminster Kennel Club became the first all-breed kennel club to host an AKC Hunting Test for Pointing Breeds event. The well-attended tests were held at the Tamarack Game Preserve in upstate New York. The Hunting Test for Pointing Breeds events drew yearly entries from at least 18 to a high of 30 in 2012. In 2014, the event was expanded to a two-day event with more than twenty 20 entries each day. These events highlighted the relationship between conformation and field performance of the sporting dog. In fact, several participating dogs were also entered at or the offspring of dogs entered at the Westminster Kennel Club All-Breed Benched Dog Show. The last Hunting Test for Pointing Breeds event was held on September 19-20, 2015 in Millbrook, New York.
Since 2017, the Westminster Kennel Club has continued its support of performance events by offering the Westminster Kennel Club Cup, a perpetual trophy to commemorate the win of the AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship. The trophy is an antique sterling silver, horn-handled trophy cup by Dieges & Clust (ca. 1910). New in 2019, the club offered The Westminster Kennel Club Trophy for the AKC Pointing Breed Walking Gun Dog Championship. This trophy is a sterling silver, two-handled cup with lid by Crichton Brothers London (ca. 1907). The two trophies are retained by the Westminster Kennel Club, and are displayed annually at the championships. A sterling silver trophy to commemorate the win is awarded to each winner by the Westminster Kennel Club.
What is the Field Trial Hunting Trophies Information?
Since 2017, the Westminster Kennel Club has continued its support of performance events by offering the Westminster Kennel Club Cup, a perpetual trophy to commemorate the win of the AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship (Horseback division). The trophy is an antique Sterling Silver, horn-handled trophy cup, retained by the Westminster Kennel Club and displayed at the AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship. New in 2019, the club also offered The Westminster Trophy for the AKC Walking Gun Dog Championship. This trophy is a Sterling Silver, two-handled cup.
The AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championships are the largest championship field events open to all pointing breeds in the country. Starting in 2019, two championships were contested over the rolling terrain of south-central Iowa at Union County Bird Dog Ranch, near Thayer, Iowa. The AKC Pointing Breed (Horseback) Gun Dog Champion and winner of the Westminster Kennel Club Cup was Patch, officially known as WFK Little Patch of Trouble, a female German Shorthaired Pointer handled by Dave Walker and owned by Susan Head. The AKC Pointing Breed (Walking) Gun Dog Champion and winner of The Westminster Trophy was Charlie, officially known as DC AFC Odyssey’s Perfect Traveler, a male German Shorthaired Pointer handled by Jon Hann and owned by Charles Parietti.
The 2021 AKC Gun Dog Championships are scheduled for February 25 at Camp Robinson in Conway, Arkansas. The Gun Dog Championship will be held first, followed by the Walking Gun Dog Championship.
