The Kennel Club’s prestigious Gundog Working Test, sponsored by Eukanuba, will be returning to the Chatsworth House Estate in Derbyshire this summer, from Wednesday 14th to Sunday 18th June, and will be hosting a number of tests and gundog activities for Spaniels, Retrievers and Hunt, Point and Retrieve (HPR) breeds.
Entries to the competition are now open, and entry forms and schedules are available from the Kennel Club website for those hoping for a chance to showcase the talents of their working gundogs.
The event, regarded as a highlight in the working gundog calendar, will begin on the Wednesday with a special field trial training day designed for Spaniels, Retrievers and HPR breeds.
The popular International Retriever Team Event, where invited teams from all over Europe will compete with their best dogs, will take place on the Thursday and Friday. With more international teams expected than ever before, this event is set to kick-start a friendly but competitive atmosphere and spectators are welcome to come along to watch the different nations compete for this year's title.
Saturday and Sunday will feature Novice and Open Gundog Working Tests for Retrievers, Spaniels and HPRs. These tests will enable the dogs to show off their working prowess. There will also be a Young Handlers Gundog Working Test on the Saturday, giving young competitors the chance to showcase their dogs’ working abilities as well as their own as handlers.
Kennel Club Secretary, Caroline Kisko said: “The Gundog Working Test at Chatsworth grows every year and we are expecting this year to be bigger and better than ever. The event is the highlight of the year for many of those involved in working gundogs and it brings together competitors of various ages, from across Europe, to compete with their dogs in a friendly but nonetheless competitive environment.
“Teams from different countries are competing in the team event again this year, and we are expecting a wider variety than ever before, showing the truly international flavour the event now has.
“The Gundog Working Test aims to assess the working abilities of different gundog breeds and is very much in line with the Kennel Club’s belief that dogs should be fit for the purpose for which they were originally bred, which encourages putting the dogs’ natural instincts to good use to work well for their owner or handler.
“The Chatsworth Estate is a fantastic venue for the competition, with woodland, moors, lakes and walls that can all be used in the retrieves, and we are very grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire for once again kindly allowing us to hold the event there.”
More information about the Kennel Club Gundog Working Test and training sessions at Chatsworth can be found on the Kennel Club website, where entry forms, schedules and general visitor information are available.
Those wishing to enter the competition can do so quickly and conveniently online using the Fosse Data Systems Ltd online entry system, at www.ft.fossedata.co.uk.
All the latest updates on working gundogs can be found on the Kennel Club’s Working Gundog Facebook page.