JKP wrote:I hope all the proselytizing about the virtues of walking with a dog and the gun for beauties sake doesn't mean we are glorifying the process rather than measuring the result. It is this type of reasoning that has always made me suspicious of some trialers, who would rather have a stiking find (in view of the gallery of course) on the far ridge as part of a 2 bird brace than a 6 bird less showy run. Like I said, they seem to have a lot in common with the matrons parading their "poopsies" around the show ring. If we insist on calling our dogs hunting dogs than what they do when actually hunting can be the only measure....and efficiency the only real parameter.
Most on your side of the fence feel that a real bird dog needs to be worked on wild birds (as do I and most of the trialers who hunt their dogs on wild birds), but how could you measure what is most important to you, efficiency or finds on wild birds? Some courses have more some less, doesn't sound like the best dog would always win.