Manwork

The Manwork Training undertaken by Rod Roberts is based around and targeted on

Competing In the Kennel Club Working Trials Patrol Dog Stake

The following is my interpretation of the Kennel Club rules for the Patrol exercises in the Patrol Dog Stake. The link which follows is direct to the KC rules ;~

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/download/4439/wtbtregs.pdf

These Rules have stood for many years with only small changes being made as required. Reading the rules will show they are written with a degree of vagueness deliberately incorporated to allow the judge as great a freedom as is practical. This freedom shows in the great variety of the tests which are the Patrol Dog Stake as seen in competition.
A few instances of this variety are;~ The concealed person in the quartering exercise might be standing with an obvious protective sleeve (as seen in other dog sports) or concealed sitting or lying in a hedge, up a tree, under a tarpaulin, or sitting in a chair reading a news paper. Literally anything the judge can come up with.
Exercises are frequently ‘run-together’  Exercises can be done in two parts with the points for each segment being allocated from the whole but at the judge’s discretion.

The Patrol section as required in the Kennel Club Working Trials Schedule is a series of 5 exercises these are:~

Quartering the Ground. 45 points

The Dog is tasked to search an area of ground (supplied by the society running the trial)
During this search the dog will be required search in the manner determined by the judge, on finding the passive person the dog should spontaneously and emphatically give warning (Barking) without being directed by the handler. The dog may be offered food by the concealed person, points will be lost if the dog eats the food. Dogs that bite the hidden person will be heavily penalized.

Test of Courage 20 points

The Test of Courage will be anything the judge can devise; it will however be non-injurious to the dog. The real difficulty in this test is to try and prepare for the judges imagination; there could be a crowd of people or a single person, there might be a huge element of surprise or a prolonged anticipation of conflict. The variability of this test is its true difficulty.

Search and Escort 25 points

The ‘Acting Criminal’ (here after known as Criminal) will be searched by the handler while this is occurring the dog will be guarding the criminal or criminals and placed ready to defend if called on to do so. The handler will be required to escort the criminal as directed, at some point during this exercise the criminal will try to attack the handler, (a touch will be considered a successful attack) the dog is expected to defend the handler spontaneously or on command and must release the criminal at once on command from the handler.

Recall from the Criminals 30 points 

The criminal protected consistent with safety (wearing a sleeve) will be challenged by the handler, the dog will be off lead but controlled at heel, the criminal will run away, the handler at the judges discretion will be ordered to send his dog to chase and apprehend the running man, at some point during the pursuit the handler will be ordered to recall the dog by voice or whistle. The criminal will continue running until the dog’s response is obvious. Extra commands will be penalized.

Pursuit and Detention of Criminals 30 points

This exercise starts in a similar way to the recall with the handler his dog at heel off lead challenging the criminal or criminals on Stewards command the dog will be sent to apprehend the criminal by biting his protected arm. If the dog does not make a convincing detention any marks gained on the recall from a running man will be lost, alternatively if the recall exercise follows the Pursuit and Detention the dog shall not be tested on the recall.

Here follows a Judges report with a description of the Test for a Championship Patrol Dog Stake Held at Lauder in Scotland in May 2004.

The Test

The Patrol Round started with all handlers and dogs present. In the first exercise, a criminal came out from behind a wall about 40yards away and after an unheated conversation with the handler started to run, the dog was sent and recalled after about 20 yards. All dogs successfully recalled, as soon as the dog was back at heel a second criminal came out exactly the same as the previous one who was still in the dogs sight. As the criminal ran the dog was sent to apprehend him, the handler followed and completed that part of the test.
All the dogs were returned to the vehicles. After a briefing the handlers and dogs were brought to the test individually so the was no opportunity for the dogs to wind up. The test started with a location on a hidden man who was standing passively leaning against the wall. After the dog had given tongue the handler approached and called the criminal out into the open, the dog was positioned on a predetermined spot. The handler then commenced a search on the criminal, as this was happening 2 criminal walked obliquely past the dog talking conversationally when they were about 2 yards behind the dog they ran screaming at the dog dousing it with 8 pints of water, some responded well by attacking, some not so well, (John Gray’s rottie showed how it could be done) Once the dogs reaction was obvious the criminals turned passive, the handle then took control and after a cursory search on the other 2 criminals the handler started to escort the 3 criminals the middle one at this point was walking backwards randomly talking to the handler as a distraction. At a variable point on the 150 yd escort, one of the outer criminals stumbled and fell, 2 seconds later one of the other criminals did a really fast attack on handler. Quite a few dogs bit the falling man and missed the attack. The escort recommenced to a predetermined point in the field.
The next exercise was quartering the ground there were four visible hides 140 yards to the first 250yards across the field to the second. 250yards down hill to the third, 300 yards across to the 4th hide as the dog rounded the hide it was redirected onto the recall criminal who had set off up the hill, approximately 150yds into the chase the dog was recalled from the running man and redirected on to the chase criminal who was running in the another direction no dogs failed either chase or recall. The handler rejoined the dog for the completion of the test.

We finished with three dog qualifying excellent.

Manda’s dog, Jake a 9 year old WSD showed us all how well an older dog can hold its fitness. When on to win and become a Working Trials Champion Very Well Done !!!

Results

1st Manda McLellan Jetfire Jake of Ashlindt CDex TDex PDex 297.5 Qualifying Excellent
Making Jake subject to Kennel Club confirmation a Working Trial Champion.

2nd Wendy Beasley WT. Ch.Bridgealpine Libra of Stardell CDex TDex PDex 285 Qualifying Excellent

3rd John Watts WT.CH. Starlight Blue CDex TDex PDex 281 Qualifying Excellent