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Field Trials at AthleticDogs.com
Field trials are competitive events for hunting dogs. They are generally organized by kennel clubs or other gun dog organizations. Field trials are a step up from hunt tests – they cover longer distances and more complex paths than most hunt tests. And, field trials are geared toward judging breeding quality, rather than the individual dog’s hunting skills. A variety of organizations sanction field trials, and each has established its own standards and rules.
Field Trial Basics
Field trials and hunt tests provide practical demonstrations of hunting dogs’ ability to perform the functions for which they are bred.
Field trials are generally open to pointing breeds, retrievers, spaniels, beagles, basset hounds, and dachsunds. The types of events vary depending on the participating breeds’ functions, but in all trials the dogs compete against each other for placement and to earn points toward their championships.
The AKC sanctions a number of different field trials, including:
- Beagling The AKC has run Beagle field trials for over 100 years and currently there are three types: brace, small pack option, and large pack trials.
- Basset Hounds Field trials only (no hunting), run much like the Beagle Brace trials.
- Dachshunds Field trials only (no hunting), run much like the Beagle Brace trials.
- Pointing Breeds The AKC has run Pointing Breed field trials for over 70 years and added hunting tests about 25 years ago. The pointers are run in braces (pairs) around a course where birds are released. The dogs demonstrate their ability to find birds, point staunchly, and retrieve the downed birds. The eligible pointing breeds include Brittany, English Setter, German Shorthaired and Wirehaired, Pointers, Gordon Setters, Irish Setters, Vizslas, Weimaraners, and Wirehaired Pointing Griffons.
- Retrievers Retriever events include both hunting tests and field trials. The dogs are tested on their ability to mark the location of downed birds and return those birds to their handler. As retrievers progress through the levels, the difficulty increases such that the dogs must mark multiple birds and blind retrieves (find unmarked birds). Eligible retriever breeds include Chesapeake, Curly Coated, Flat Coated, Golden and Labrador Retrievers, and Irish Water Spaniels.
- Spaniels Hunting tests are available for most Spaniel breeds, but field trials are currently only run for Cocker, English Cocker, and English Springer Spaniels. The dogs are tested on their natural and trained ability to hunt, flush, and retrieve game both on land and in the water. Eligible breeds (for hunt tests) include Clumber, Cocker, English Cocker, English Springer, Field, Sussex and Welsh Springer Spaniels.
The most common types of field trial events are:
- Brace The brace is the oldest field trial event and is run in braces of two or three dogs who are judged primarily on their accuracy in trailing a rabbit. Used in Beagle,
- Small Pack Option (SPO) The SPO divides the dogs into packs of seven to track the rabbit.
- Large Pack Trials These events turn all the dogs in the class loose to find and track the hares.
Pointer Field Trial History
The field trial was invented in England as a way to evaluate the breeding stock of hunting dogs, and this purpose is still a priority for field trial organizations around the world. The first recorded field trial was held in Bedfordshire in 1865. This was a brace event testing only setters and pointers. Other European countries soon followed suit, including Germany in 1876, Holland in 1878, Belgium in 1882, and France in 1888. In 1897 solo field trial contests were added.
The first US field trial was run in 1874 near Memphis, Tennessee. These original events were held for pointing dogs (“bird dogs”) under the auspices of The American Field. The AKC’s first field trial was held in 1024 by the English Setter Club of America in Medford, New Jersey. The same club still owns and conducts field trials at this venue!
The AKC did not host another field trial until 1931, and very few occurred during the Depression of the 30s and war years of the 40s. Once the war ended, however, AKC field trials events popped up throughout the US. Also a likely result of the war, field trial entries saw an increased number of continental breeds: German Shorthaired & Wirehaired, Brittanys, Vizslas, Weimaraners, and Wirehaired Pointing Griffons.
Through the 1950s and 60s, breed clubs all over the country began conducting field events and even national championships. The AKC Field and Amateur Field Championship program has seen thousands of dogs gaining titles since its inception, and the sport continues to grow in popularity.
The AKC, in an effort to improve and increase the scope of its pointing breed field
trials, began the AKC Gun Dog Championships in 1993. This has become an immensely
popular event with both Retrieving and Non-
Today, hundreds of AKC Pointing Breed Field Trials are held each year. Total entries number in the tens of thousands. The sport has made considerable progress since the early 20th century and will continue its growth in the 21st.
Beagle Field Trials
Beagle Field Trial History
Beagle field trials are found only in the US and Canada. The first recorded trial was held by the National Beagle Club of America in Hyannis, Massachusetts on November 4, 1890. There were 18 entries in that first beagle field trial. The organization tried to gain membership with the AKC right away, but were rejected until they joined forces with the beagle organization already in, the American English Beagle Club. There was some disagreement among the AKC elite about whether the breed club should be involved in both show and field trials, but the National Beagle Club stood strong and the AKC finally relented.
Three Formal Packs were entered at the National Beagle Club’s meet in 1896. The packs
were foot handled and judged as a unit or team and competed against the other packs
entered in the field trial. By the early 1900s, the beagle’s ability to hunt independently
of pack mates had led to a more open field of entries – hunters no longer had to
be super-
Beaglers are known for their conservation efforts. Many beagle clubs own or lease land to work their dogs and hold trials, and this practice has long been encouraged by the AKC. Beagle clubs often purchase marginal land and work to both improve the soil and “farm” rabbits for training and trials. Over time, the clubs had to enclose their grounds with fencing to avoid the rabbits and dogs running across dangerous roadways, a change which had a drastic impact on the sport.
The enclosed area bred rabbits who ran differently than those who lived in the wide open, and the result was that slower more precise beagles performed the best in most of the field trials. Thus, houndsmen began breeding for these traits. Unfortunately, the best trial beagles were now undesirable as actual hunting beagles! By the early 1970s, a movement backward to breeding real gundogs, or hunting beagles, took hold.
Meanwhile, northern clubs were still running their hounds in large packs and believed that trial method to be the best example of beagles’ abilities, at least as compared to the hunting beagles now popular in the south. Eventually, each of these standards were given their own trial format, including the brace on wild rabbit or hare, gundog brace, small pack option, and large pack classes.
Beagle Field Trial Basics
Sport beagles typically compete in just one of the four types of beagle field trials run by the AKC – brace, small pack option, large pack, or gundog brace field trials – or in the basic hunt tests.
Brace trials involve two or three beagle packs running as a brace. The dogs are judged primarily on how accurate they are in trailing the rabbit. Small pack option trials run in packs of seven beagles. They are expected to find and pursue the rabbit enthusiastically while maintaining control of the rabbit’s trail. Large pack trials involve packs of up to 25 dogs. They are expected to run for a minimum of three hours in Open trials where they earn points toward a field championship. Gundog brace trials involves pairs of beagles finding their own rabbit. They are judged on how well they follow the rabbit and must continue through a test for gun shyness.
The AKC hunt test for two couple packs are run with packs of four hounds. They are judged on how well they search for their own rabbit. They are also tested for gun shyness and are run for at least 20 minutes. The title of Master Hunter (MH) can be earned through the AKC hunt tests.
Amateur Field Trial Clubs of America
National Field Trial Championship
National Field Trial Championship Sequel Book Project
National Red Setter Field Trial Club
Pointing Dogs FCI Field Trials
AKC Field Trial Rules and Standard Procedure for Retrievers
Field Trials in Europe (compared to the American system)
North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association
