Working Trials
Working Trials Control
Working Trials Agility
Working Trials Nosework
Working Trials Results
Working Trials Points CD Stake
UD, WD, TD Stakes Points
Patrol Dog (PD) Stakes Points
What are working Trials?
Working Trials date back to 1924, when the Associated Sheep, Police and Army Dog Society held the first event. In May
1927, the first Championship Working Trial to be recognised by the Kennel Club was held be the Alsatian League and Club
of Great Britain at Castle Bromwich.
In 1961, the Working Trials tests where changed into a format which has continued for the past forty two years. The minor
amendments made since then bear testimony to the standard set all those years ago.
Dogs compete at various levels called stakes. From the lowest stake, Companion Dog (CD), through to Utility Dog (UD),
Working Dog (WD), Patrol Dog (PD) and Tracking Dog (TD) at the very top, the dog is required to obtain 70% of the marks in
each section of the competition to qualify. In championship stakes, 80% of the overall marks must be gained to be awarded
the accolade ‘excellent’, which is a necessary requirement in progressing upwards to the next championship stake.
Two wins in Championship TD or PD stake qualify the dog to the title of Working Trial Champion.
The Exercises are basically divided into three sections:
Control - Consisting of heelwork, sendaway, retrieving a dumb-bell, down stay and steadiness to gun test. In TD there is no
retrieve, but there is a speak. CD has no gun test, but does have a recall and a sit stay.
Agility - The elements are a three foot clear jump, six foot scale and nine foot long jump. In the CD and UD stakes, the height
and length is reduced pro rata for smaller dogs (381mm or under at the shoulder)
Nosework - The dog follows a track laid by a track layer (who is a stranger to the dog), walking a set "pattern". The track is
approximately half a mile long and laid on grassland, corn, ploughed field, etc., with each competitor working on a similar
terrain to each of the others in the stake. As the dog follows the track, it has to seek out and recover articles placed along the
track by the track layer. The track is laid at least half an hour before the dog works in UD, one and a half hours before in WD,
and three hours before in TD. There is no track in CD.
The other component of the nosework is the search, where the dog has to search and retrieve articles placed in a marked
area. Three articles are placed in the square in the CD stake and four articles in all other stakes.
In the P D stake, in addition to the control, agility and nosework exercises, the dog has to quarter the ground for a hidden
person, complete a test of courage, escort a person following a search by the handler, detain a running person and perform
a recall from a running person. These exercises are completed under strict control and the dog has to qualify W D before
entering the P D stake.
Many different breeds compete in Working Trials. The largest groups are probably Border Collies, Working Sheepdogs,
German Shepherd Dogs and Labradors. There are several Weimaraners competing successfully within the sport. Dogs
cannot be entered into Working Trials until they are eighteen months old. This age restriction prevents young dogs
competing in agility exercises which could cause injury to growing bones and joints.
A calendar of Championship Working Trials approved by the Kennel Club is available by telephoning their Trials and Awards
Department, also available from them is a list of Working Trials club’s in your area.
All Weimaraners love to do something - why not have a go with yours.
Originally printed in Grey Matters (the Weimaraner Associations Newsletter) in May 1999
Edited: Feb. 03.