The American Beagler Forum

Just wondering how many of you beaglers out there have been dissappointed at field trials? Or shocked that one dog won a cast and your dog lost or other similar stories.

Every weekend someone is like this

I can honestly say with 100% certainty that any time if have ever turned a dog loose in competition and it lost, I was disappointed.

Most of the time I am not upset. A lot of the time I am not shocked. But if I don't win, I am always disappointed. If I wasn't going to try to win I wouldn't enter a dog. I would just hang around, BS, and make fun of everyone else's dogs.

It stinks to lose, but it's part of it. I don't always expect to win, but I do expect to have fun.

Well said Jim. I feel the same way.

Being a judge, its hard to please all,but I do my best and sure there are others that do there best.Its hard to see everthing. I have come to the point that when a dog dose something wrong I try to tell the handler about whats going on and when a dog dose good I tell them that too.So at the end theres no surprise.I just don t like it when a guy just sit at a path and when the dogs comes across he judge them at that point and think that the way it was the hold time running.That dog needs to be pick up or that dog to fast,(Not saying you do that)Then when his dog don t win in that cast he start talking about the judge.I find out when that happens I tell them you can judge the next trial.Judging is very hard to do. I repect ever judge out there that dose there best.I love the fellowship at trials and eating too,and the smile on the face that place.You know in all the trials I have done,I never had a trophy.I am always judging or cooking. Just keep going and just have fun.I ve always heard that if you go there just to win then the fun out of it.If your dog get beat so what.theres another day.just injoy life and have fun.Maybe the next trial ask what are the judges looking for.

I agree with you all, well put, but when it comes to judging go by the rule book and not what you like when judging.

One Thing About Trials There Has To Be A Looser!

I try to use the philosophy that my mamaw told me long time ago....
"Don't never expect anything, and you won't be disappointed"

JCM wrote:I can honestly say with 100% certainty that any time if have ever turned a dog loose in competition and it lost, I was disappointed.

Most of the time I am not upset. A lot of the time I am not shocked. But if I don't win, I am always disappointed. If I wasn't going to try to win I wouldn't enter a dog. I would just hang around, BS, and make fun of everyone else's dogs.

Exactly.

Of course I'm disappointed if my dog doesn't do well, but I don't mind losing to honest judging and better dog work. I see it as the luck of the draw. Maybe Cast A had a better running rabbit or Cast B got more rabbits up. With all the snow we've had, this year is far from normal. My dog will be two next month and I look at it as him gaining experience. I'm very pleased with his progress and performance and that he didn't minus out. He has a couple of problems with his big nose that gets him in trouble, but he has placed in seven out of the last eight hunts. The hunts have been small, 10-20 open dogs, but he has a third, three 4ths, a fifth, an eighth and a ninth. He just needs to win a hunt to champion out. He had the third highest score at the last trial but placed fifth due to the scoring method. That can be disappointing when the third place dog in the cast scores a 0 and places ahead of the fourth place dog with 50 points. But that's the breaks of the game. I never mind losing to good, honest judging based on the rules applied equally to each dog. I honestly believe on any given day any dog can be the best that day. Luck plays a part, but it still takes good dog work.

The first thing that comes to my mind when i read these post is do you judge?

backyard beagler wrote:The first thing that comes to my mind when i read these post is do you judge?

Answer: yes

The last time I judged(which was the first time I ever missed deadline) dog A opened on a track twice and dog B piped off three barks(and then some) running to dog A. I ignored dog B and put dog A on the clock when he gave his third bark ON THE track. I truly felt that dog A had a good rabbit and didn't want to give dog B credit for nothing. It goes that they couldn't put it together and I had to minus dog A. If we only use the rule book as a guide line to judging these hounds I feel the right dog took a minus, if we follow it as a bible I screwed the dog out of 10 points. Ive always had Mixed emotions about my choice and this rule.....
When judging all I ever wanted to do is judge that dog on that day on that rabbit at that time. I thought that doing that I eliminated any room for mistakes!!

backyard beagler wrote:The first thing that comes to my mind when i read these post is do you judge?

Yes.

I have found that the majority of judges are very competitive and also have a drive to know hounds. Usually the best judges have good hounds because they know what it takes to win and make a quality rabbit hound. They are also involved in field trials enough to be successful.