NSTRA question

[rinker]

I was at the NSTRA 'Dog of the Year', trial today in Amo Indiana. I am not a NSTRA trialer, but I live close by and usually try to watch a little each year. I saw something today that really surprised me. This happened close enough to the front of the field that I could see and hear the whole thing pretty well. A dog went on point, his handler was on the other side of the field and it took him a few minutes to get there. When the handler got within about 100 yards of the pointing dog, he began shouting/screaming "WHOA", as loud as he possibly could. While walking to the dog and during the flush this handler shouted/screamed "WHOA", at least twenty times, maybe more. The dog handled the find pretty well as far as I could tell. Is this common? Would constantly cautioning the pointing dog in this manner reduce the score for the find?

[kninebirddog]

It is very common that handlers feel the need to start saying whoa and Yes as a judge I do down grade a little for it because I as a judge now have to question if the dog is doing their job or if they are standing because the handler has to yell a command at the dog..I do not down grade it majorly but it will be that of a point or two it maybe more if the handlers yelling distracts the dog

I see this with hunters also.. :roll:

[topher40]

The handler wasnt saying "whoa" but screaming to the heavens "MY DOG HAS HOLES IN IT AND I DONT TRUST HIM!" If I was judging it surely wouldnt impress me. This is a team sport and you have to judge both the handler and the dog. Sometimes the dogs hate that fact.

[hustonmc]

If the dog has never moved or lost intensity, etc. Then I as a judge won't downgrade the dog because it has an idiot as a handler. Although if all that screaming the dog starts to soften up, look around, I'm knocking points pretty severely. I'm pretty tough judge too though, don't get invited to judge much.

[romeo212000]

If the dog has never moved or lost intensity, etc. Then I as a judge won't downgrade the dog because it has an idiot as a handler. Although if all that screaming the dog starts to soften up, look around, I'm knocking points pretty severely. I'm pretty tough judge too though, don't get invited to judge much.

Exactly. You're judging the dog, not the handler. That said, all things being equal, the handler who's dog is staunch and the handler never says a word to the dog will score a couple points higher.

[snips]

That's why there is an obedience score.