Special thanks to Craig Contofalsky, Lori Taylor and Chris Halvorson for providing these (and many more) photos of our 26th Field Nationals' events.
A lot of Airedale people put their energy, time and investment into making this wonderful 2011 weekend
work so well, and we express our gratitude to everyone who was involved and participated.
Three full, fun, and productive days out in the fresh air and the fields with Airedales is almost heaven, and also the briefest possible timeframe in which to summarize the excitement that took place at the 26th Annual Airedale Field Nationals on September 15th through 18th, 2011 near Columbus, Ohio.
When 30 Airedales arrived on the grounds of the Rush Creek Bird Farm in Bremen, OH on the cool Friday morning of September 16th, 2011, they had to contain their impatience while their owners listened to the briefings on all the tests and workshops to be held that weekend. In this the 26th Annual Airedale Field Nationals offered by Hunting Working Airedales [HWA] Inc., the schedule was fully-loaded and planned to advance us all in the field. The schedule included HWA Upland, Retriever and Fur Hunt Tests offered on Junior, Senior and Master levels; the new HWA Hunting Instinct Test; and nine workshops. By the time the weekend’s activities ended on Sunday, six new Hunt Test title-holders and an array of eager workshop dogs were ready to rush back into the field. Airedale owners felt the familiar feeling of being fired up and fatigued at the same time.
As everyone assembled on Friday morning at Rush Creek, the tracks for the Fur Test were being laid under the experienced supervision of Dale Burrier. In the Fur Tests, the individual, off-leash Airedale must follow a dragged track of Boatman’s raccoon scent to a tree where a caged raccoon is safely hung up out of the leaping reach of the dog. Junior, Senior and Master tracks progress in length and difficulty. This year’s entry included one Master dog, three Seniors, and seven Juniors. When all the baying was done, we had one qualifier on the Junior level, Eclipse Nozone Enforcer, call name Force, owned and handled by Carrie LaCombe of West Lafayette, Indiana.
Meanwhile, professional retriever trainer Graham Sharp began the first of his two sessions meant for started and intermediate bird dogs. Graham quickly reviewed some the basics of teaching a dog on a training bench to hold and pick up objects (“force-breaking”) and “rope work,” meaning basic sit, heeling, stays, all accomplished with a thick slip-lead rope rather than harsher choke collars. Graham used participants’ dogs to demonstrate the progression from basics to birds, then from retrieving one bumper to a drill involving multiple retrieves of a line of bumpers. Chaining the skills learned in these drills would continue as the topic of Graham’s second workshop on Sunday.
Later in the afternoon, a “Pre Junior Test” workshop offered learning dogs a chance to try a shorter track through the woods with a hanging-caged raccoon at the end. No titles or awards for were offered for this, but rather a chance for some practical experience, which owners can then simulate back at home with the simple purchase of some raccoon scent and improvised drags.
And back at the pond, Dale Burrier pulled on his waders and got into the water for his “Teach Your ‘Dale to Swim” workshop. Dale normally teaches his pups to paddle at a young age, but he showed us that even big Airedales, when gently assisted into water, will figure out how to move their legs in order to get to shore. Dale’s calm assurance eased the worries of some churning dogs until they found their basic dog paddle. Throwing bumpers into deeper water got dogs with some experience into the next step of water retrieving.
Saturday morning began with the land portion of the Upland (Flushing) Test. Each of the eight Airedales in the Junior test would be required to find and retrieve a planted chukar, with at least one bird being flushed and shot over the dog. Dogs who passed this land portion of the test would be called back to complete the test qualifications with a water retrieve on Sunday. To the satisfaction of judges Dale Burrier and Lawrence Alexander and all the gallery, all eight Junior dogs successfully completed their land requirements. This was the first time in memory that all the entered dogs qualified in the first part of the Junior Upland Test.
While the Upland Test was going on in the field, Graham Sharp and Stew Tardiff brought together the eleven Airedales and owners entered in the new HWA Hunting Instinct Test. This test is designed for pups and dogs who have had little or no field training. Graham explained that the dogs and owners would go through a series of informal exercises including finding and following a scent trail, barking at a raccoon, chasing a lure at the end of a “flirt stick,” retrieving a bumper, and willingness to enter the water for a swim. Each dog’s instincts, prey drive, and biddability were evaluated, and dogs received a score on each exercise. Eight Airedales whose total score was 70 points or above out of a possible 100 were qualifiers. The dogs and their people had fun with all this activity, and owners also identified their dog’s strengths and areas needing more work. HWA planners also point out that as the Hunting Instinct Test is continued at future events, a pattern of which bloodlines and breeders produce the most high-scoring dogs should emerge. This will be helpful for those looking to breed or buy their next performance pup, and it’s also valuable information for the breed.
The event schedule on Saturday afternoon got crowded as the Senior and Junior Retriever tests had their land portions running in one field, while Lawrence Alexander led all those entered in the Flushing Workshop in another field. Joyce Contofalsky’s “What You Need to Get Started” workshop got rescheduled to Sunday afternoon to allow time for fuller participation.
How to prepare an Airedale to trail like that was next topic, as Dale Burrier led participants in the Fur Workshop along a track marked by little hot dog tidbits. The food lure prompts the dog to move ahead along a track with nose to the ground. Trailing ability is a requisite for the Fur Tests, since dogs who run off-track air-scenting for fur will not pass the Fur Test.
By the time Friday afternoon was done, dogs were happy to rest while their owners attended the HWA Membership meeting.
This annual event draws participants from as far as California, Texas, Ontario, and Alabama.
Though the Nationals have many repeat attendees, the delight is the newcomers ~ and puppies, puppies, puppies too!
And what a qualifier Force was! In the words of Fur Judge Tom McPeek: “That dog put nose to the ground and took off on the track, leaving his handler and the trail judge far behind. Within a few minutes [from my judging position at the raccoon tree] I saw him come barreling over the hill. He got to the tree, barked, and jumped so high I had to step in for fear he’d reach the cage.”
The Flushing Workshop gave novice Airedales their interactive chance to meet live game birds up close. Some young dogs start out tentatively and not quite sure what to do with a fluttering bird, so there’s a progression to follow that leads to the bold flush needed in the Upland Tests.
Meanwhile, the land portions of the Retriever Tests drew a good gallery of observers for a hillside view of the efforts of the one Senior and five Junior entrants. In this test, each dog and handler came to the line to stand with judges Graham Sharp and Ron Swisher. Bird handlers behind a blind in the foreground of the field would sound a bird call, fire a blank shotgun, and launch a dead bird for the dog to retrieve. The senior dog faced the challenge of a double, that is, two birds are launched into opposite sides of the field, then the dog is sent to bring them back, one after the other. The Junior entrants had to do two single retrieves of about 50 yards each. Marking (watching where the bird falls), memory, and the ability to find a downed bird by scent if a location is missed are crucial. By the end of the afternoon, two Junior dogs had qualified and would be called back to complete this test with water retrieves on Sunday.
On Saturday evening, 59 HWA friends came together at the traditional Banquet and Auction at our headquarters hotel, the Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark, OH. A highlight of the evening was the pulling of the winning ticket for the one-of-a-kind, work-of-art Limited Raffle item, a hickory walking staff with hand-forged steel Airedale head finial, made by Ron Swisher to benefit HWA. Andy Michalak of Buffalo, NY was the winner, and Ron said he couldn’t have been more pleased with that result.
On Sunday morning an excited crowd of Airedales and owners reassembled at Rush Creek for the first event, the water portions of both the Upland and Retriever tests. The two Junior dogs who had qualified so far in both the Upland and Retriever tests would have to do two retrieves, from two different entry points on the pond. The five additional dogs who had passed the Upland test had to do one retrieve (there was one withdrawal).
A tremendous amount of suspense and pressure came to the line with the first contestants, Carrie LaCombe and Force. This young dog had already passed his Junior Fur Test and the land portions of both the Upland and Retriever test. By successfully retrieving two ducks in this water tests, Force would complete all requirements of the three tests comprising his Junior Hunter Versatile title. Achieving all three titles at the National meant that Force and Carrie would be awarded the Joan Shea Gordon Memorial Trophy. Since its inception in 1989, only seven Airedales have received this award, with no winners since 2002.
Following the launch of his first duck into the pond, Force jumped into the water and swam vigorously to the bird, only to touch it with nose and return to Carrie without it. Carrie sent him again with the same result. Carrie would later explain that she wasn’t able to find ducks to use for training, so Force had never seen or smelled a real duck. Many dogs at first reject the oily, “foreign” smell and taste of ducks, so this was easy to understand, but incredibly disappointing for Carrie and all her friends and fans – basically, everyone there.
As the water test continued, one dog would complete his two retrieves for his Junior Retriever and Upland titles, and four dogs brought in their duck to earn their Junior Upland titles.
Meanwhile, in another part of the grounds, Graham Sharp presented part II of this Retriever Workshop. Graham quickly built on the basics of his first workshop, now stressing how much of the work a retriever will do in the field and on the water should first be introduced and practiced with bumper drills in the yard. One drill with a pile of bumpers can be used to teach the “Back” command (think of the “Go Out” in advanced obedience); taking the handler’s direction in going out in a straight line; and later stopping the dog with on a whistle command, so that the dog can be redirected to take a new line to a hidden object or bird. While it may sound straight-forward, Airedales have their creative diversions, but Graham was full of tips to address problems.
The Awards ceremony followed our lunch break. With special thanks to the Ohio River Valley Airedale Terrier Club (ORVATC) for arranging the wonderful catered breakfasts and lunches, we recognized our winners. A complete list of Airedales who won awards and titles follows at the end of this report. Whether or not among the winners, each dog participating for the first time in an HWA event received a certificate that said in part “through participation in the 26th Annual Airedale Field Nationals [you have] joined into the spirit and mission of preserving and promoting the Airedale Terrier as a versatile hunting and working companion dog.”
Last but not least, Joyce Contofalsky presented her “How to Get Started” Workshop. Joyce addressed topics such as “What equipment do I need? Where do I get the best prices on gear? How do I find a good trainer? What do I do next?”. Each participant received a “getting started” kit with basic whistles and tools needed to launch adventures in the field.
And the morning wasn’t even half over. Action proceeded with two workshops. On one part of the grounds, Dave van Garderen brought together a circle of Airedales and owners entered in his “Build Your Puppy” workshop. In 2010 Dave and his Belgian Malinois won the DVG Schutzhund Nationals and represented the US in the 2011 World Championships. As a longtime obedience trainer and competitor, Dave explained why it pays to build up the confidence and drive of every dog, whether the Airedale is headed for performance events or the traditional Airedale role as home guardian. The corollary to building a dog’s energy is the owner’s shaping and controlling that energy. Dave gave participating dogs a chance to burn some energy with a tug toy, with tug toys increasing in size from a towel to a padded sleeve. The workshop concluded with demonstrations by accomplished dogs. Ed Weiss’ Airedale, Ohiuvo Brisco, JHV, SHR, MHR, AD, BH, VPC 1, 2, 3, FH1, at 9-1/2 years, still displayed the form that placed him at the top working Airedales in the US. Dave also brought out his Malinois, Stuart, to show us the power, precision, and control of a National Champion working dog.
As this year’s Nationals came to a close, the event planners fielded compliments and constructive suggestions for an even better event next year.
As we turned to our dogs, however, pro trainer Graham Sharp’s parting words stayed with us:
“I’ve trained a lot of Airedales,” he said, “and I’ve helped with your event before. But this year’s was the BEST GROUP of young Airedales I’ve seen so far.”
