Skillful Retriever Series

Posted on October 16, 2003 by Steve Bowman 

The Super Retriever Series presented by Natural Life may be one of the most-watched canine sporting events on television, but that doesn't mean every sports fan is familiar with the sport.

'there's just something that is appealing about watching dogs run, jump and sail through the air or take direction from a handler to retrieve a mark," said Shannon Nardi, producer of the Super Retriever Series. "People just love to watch dogs. Their passion, however, would grow if they understood the skills and knowledge required for these dogs to do the things they do."

In its simplest terms, competition in the retriever trials is one dog following the direction of one man.

The dog following the instincts that were bred into it and the man watching a faithful companion do something it loves so much it can't stand it.

It's simple. But the winner doesn't win for the simple things. This competition is based on actual hunting situations replicated to test the bond between handler and dog.

The bond supercedes the training of the retriever and the ability of the handler.

"It's teamwork in its purest form," said Justin Tackett, organizer of the retriever trials for the Super Retriever Series.

"We are there to find the finest hunting retriever in the world," Tackett said. "We want to find the best hunting dog. We expect hunting dogs to mark off the gun. We also expect them to carry out ridiculous distances. We too must have a winner. Our test is without a doubt the most objective to find the best dog in the world. We don't care how the dog does it, within reason, we just want to see if he can do it."

In this test of overall hunting ability, actual hunting situations are replicated to test how well the teams work together.

The dogs are judged by a three-man panel and two of the three judges must see the same fault, or no points are given. All scores are recorded electronically and no judge knows what the other is scoring, which is similar to scoring in Olympic boxing.

The competition begins with dummies or "birds" launched into the retriever course, which includes grass, meadows and water. There are also decoy "birds" and other elements intended to distract the dog. Time begins and the handler gives the command for his dog to retrieve a selected "bird." The dog is led by a variety of commands, including hand signals and audio commands. The dog that honors his handler's commands and retrieves the designated "birds" in the quickest time will be crowned champion.

One of the toughest parts of the competition is the blind retrieve. This retrieve requires the dog to retrieve a "bird" that it has not seen fall. The dog relies exclusively on the commands of its handler. If teamwork is not perfect this is where the gold can be lost.

"Without teamwork, you're just another dog and a handler retrieving birds," Tackett said.