Our experiences in life in general and with bird dogs in particular
form our opinions regarding how we pursue, develop, display and analyze
bird dog performance. Our collective gravitation to the great American
sport of Field Trialing has taken many different roads with a vast
array of experiences, opinions and visions.
The
subjective interpretation of bird dog performance has been applauded as
the sports’ strength, as well as cursed as its weakness. Often the
focus has moved from one superficial preference to another over the
span of a century. Traditional performance standards work to hold
constant that which outside forces steadily and assuredly pressure.
Rather than maintaining a constant, class and style have been defined
in the eye of the beholder leaving them open to various interpretations.
An
analytical review of a thousand American Field newspapers would expose
those interpretations in an array of colorful reports throughout the
20th century. But in the end that monumental effort would only be a
diversion from the focus of what is certainly in the genetic bedrock of
Stud Book All-Age Champions through the ages—the truly enduring
qualities of intelligence, strength and courage.
Similar to
admiring monumental classic buildings in all their awe and
magnificence, what we don’t see at first—the underground structure
critical to the splendor above—will ultimately determine whether this
beauty will transcend time or collapse under its own weight, quickly
loosing its appeal.
As definitions, I use “class” to mean how
the dog goes about his work while “style” is how he looks doing his
work. All Age tradition tells us that more range requires increased
intelligence, strength and courage to sustain the performer’s class and
style for the heat’s full duration. Traditionally if given an hour, the
good handlers have used their developing and displaying skills to
exhibit their charges’ intelligence, strength and courage by managing
and displaying range in many challenging, thrilling and productive ways.
Like
range, a test of extraordinary stamina for more then an hour draws deep
on these same genetic qualities in order for the dog to sustain class
and style over an extended period of time. In endurance stakes these
same handlers’ strategies may change; less than one might think when
the dog possesses great intelligence, strength and courage; more than
one might care to undertake when lacking any one of
these qualities.
While the dog’s class and style in his pursuit,
handling and presentation of birds are readily and immediately visible
to the eye, intelligence, strength and courage lie hidden like bedrock
within. The dog’s true quality or lack thereof is only apparent in
reviewing the entire performance. Time has shown that range and stakes
of long duration are indiscriminate in their insatiable appetite for
these three critical genetic qualities, and both tests provide a
meaningful way to distinguish between dogs whose genetic foundations
have cracks and those whose run deep and true.
