| Glossary of Basic Terms |
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Top | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | x | Y | Z | Bottom | |
| A Return to Menu |
| Air To provide a dog with a period of time to empty his bladder and bowels. |
| Angling Diagonally traversing terrain or entering water other than on perpendicular lines. |
| B Return to Menu |
| Back A hand signal or verbal command issued to the dog to direct him away from the handler. |
| BaseballPrimary drill for teaching directional casts; right and left “overs” and “back casts. |
| BalkDog refuses to leave handler when ordered to retrieve. Also called a “no-go”. |
| BirdinessHigh appreciation of feathers, a desirable quality in a dog. |
| Blind A bird or dummy planted where the handler knows the location but the dog does not. The art of guiding a dog to an item the dog did not see fall through the use of voice, whistle, and body movements. |
| Blind Retrieve Any retrieve in which the dog does not know the location of the bird or bumper, but the handler does. |
| BlinkWhen the dog goes by an item that it has clearly seen and is supposed to have retrieved. Refusal of a dog to pick up a bird or training dummy. |
| BoltWhen a dog runs away (bolts) from the trainer. Dog refuses handler’s directives (voice commands and/or whistles) to stop or to return to handler. |
| BreakAttempt of a dog to retrieve a bird/bumper before being released by his handler. |
| BumperA plastic or canvas boat fender, usually cylindrical and approximately the size of a bird used for training; most have a throwing rope attached. |
| C Return to Menu |
| Call BacksA list provided by the judges prior to the next series in an event. This list denotes those who are invited back to continue participating in the hunt test. Those who do not make the “call back” list have been disqualified for some reason. |
| CastA whistle and arm signal or body movement given by a handler that tells the dog a specific direction to take to find a bird or bumper. |
| Cast RefusalDog fails to go in the direction ordered. |
| CERF (Caninie Eye Registration Foundation) CERF is dedicated to the elimination of heritable eye disease in purebred dogs through registration and research. CERF Registry registers dogs certified free of heritable eye disease by members of the of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO). More information at www.vmdb.org/cerf.html |
| ChannelingSwimming a long, deep, narrow body of water. |
| CheatingWhen a dog avoids cover or obstacles reroute to or returning from a retrieve. |
| CNM (Centronuclear Myopathies) A group of congential myopathies where cell nuclei are abnormally located in the cells of skeletal muscle cells. Nuclei are located in the center of the skeletal muscle, instead of the periphery. Symptoms in puppies includes significant weight loss, an awkwark gait, low muscle tone and weakness (hypotonia). CNM has been found in both field and conformation Labrador Retrievers globally including the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Sweden. More information at www.labradorcmn.com |
| Cold blindAny blind retrieve that the dog has never run or practice before |
| Controlled BreakA dog which tries to break but is called back by the handler after a short distance. Permissible but subject to penalty in some hunt test and field trial events. |
| CoverAny grass, brush, vegetation, or trees that may conceal the bird or dog and affect scenting conditions. |
| CreepDog moves a short distance in the direction of a mark(s) while they are being thrown and before being sent for the retrieve. |
| D Return to Menu |
| Delay BirdAny mark shot after one or more birds of a multiple are retrieved. |
| DiversionAn accompanying mark or blind that adds difficulty to a following mark or blind |
| Double MarkTwo marked-fall retrieves. Both marks fall before the dog is released to make a retrieve. |
| DragbackTrail of incoming scent left in the field by preceding dogs and birds. |
| Dry ShotA shot fired without an accompanying dead bird throw or flyer. Also called a dry pop. |
| E Return to Menu |
| Exercise-Induced Collapse Syndrome (EIC) Genetically inherited syndrome; most affected dogs have been from field trial breeding. It is a common reason for exercise intolerance and collapse in apparently healthy Labrador Retrievers. Signs typically first become apparent in young dogs between 5 months and 5 years of age (average 12 months). Labradors of all colors (black, yellow, chocolate) are affected, and males and females are equally affected. Dogs with EIC are often described by their owners as being extremely fit and muscular with a very excitable temperament and lots of retrieving drive. DNA testing is available. More information at www.labradorclub.com |
| F Return to Menu |
| FlyerA live bird shot for dogs to retrieve. |
| Force-fetchA method that teaches the dog he must retrieve when commanded. |
| Forty-nine-day theoryA belief of some canine behaviorists’ in the optimum time (seven weeks after birth) for a developing puppy to leave the litter. |
| FountainA gun station that throws two marks, on to each side of the position, in sequence. |
| FreezingA dog that refuses to release a bird to his handler is said to “freeze” on the bird. Also called “sticking”. |
| G Return to Menu |
| GalleryThe main body of hunt-test or field-trial observers; the audience. |
| GunnerPositions or people who throw and shoot birds as a mark. |
| H Return to Menu |
| HandleTo direct a dog to a bird/dummy by using whistle, voice and arm signals. |
| HandlerThe person releasing the dog to make a retriever. |
| Happy Bumper A frivolous fun mark; i.e. throwing fun bumpers following a training session. |
| Hard MouthThe action said to occur when a dog uses too much force in picking up or holding a bird. This action renders the bird unfit for human consumption and is a major problem. This is difficult to remedy once the habit has been formed. |
| HoldA command used during conditioned retrieving by some to insure that the dog knows that he must hold, in his mouth, any object placed there. |
| Holding BlindA fabric (usually) screen put in place to hide a retired gun or prevent a dog from viewing a test before he has run. |
| Honor(1) When a dog must observe another dog making a retrieve. An honoring dog should watch the entire sequence of birds flying, being shot and falling without interfering through sound or motion with the “working dog”. (2) The honoring dog must watch and remain steady while another dog retrieves. |
| K Return to Menu |
| Kennel (1) A dog run. (2) A command for the dog to return to his crate or dog box on a truck. |
| Key Bird The most difficult mark of a multiple . |
| L Return to Menu |
| Land MarkA mark that is in a location where a dog is directed to it via mostly land. |
| Leave It A command for a dog to ignore a bird or bumper. |
| Line MannersA term used to describe how a dog acts while sitting at the “line” under judgment. |
| LiningThe handler’s adjustment in setting up the position of his/her dog before running the mark or blind. |
| Lining the Blind Executing a perfect line of travel between the handler and the blind without a single whistle or cast. |
| M Return to Menu |
| MarkA bird or training bumper thrown as the dog can watches it go down. A foundation task for dogs. |
| N Return to Menu |
| No-GoDog refuses to leave line when ordered to do so. Also called a “balk”. |
| O Return to Menu |
| OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals)An organization that disseminates information concerning orthopedic and genetic diseases (i.e., hip displasia) of animals, which is dedicated to lower the incidence of orthopedic and genetic disease in animals. More information at www.offa.org/index.html |
| Old Fall The place where another bird has previously been retrieved, leaving a scent that may divert a dog in a subsequent retrieve. |
| Over(1) A term denoting “in a lateral direction”. (2) A signal given with the arm and hand, directing the dog in a lateral direction. (3) A verbal command issued to the dog to send him in a lateral direction (4) The movement of a dog in a lateral direction. |
| Over and Under A configuration of marks in which a long bird falls on the same line as a shorter mark. |
| OutcrossA breeding made between unrelated family bloodlines. |
| P Return to Menu |
| PatternAny familiar or memorized drill. |
| Permanent Blind A memorized patter blind made to teach line running and build a dog’s confidence. |
| Pick Up (1) The physical act and the individual dog’s style in picking up his game birds. (2) “Pick up your dog” – a judge’s request of the handler to call in or remove his/her dog from the test field (3) “Pick up dog” – a dog that goes down the field and locates birds that were not recovered during the hunt test. |
| PinWhen a dog runs directly to the fall and picks up the item with out a hunt. |
| Poison Bird A marked bird that the dog is instructed to ignore before executing another task. |
| Poison Ground An area deliberately scented (“salted”) with bird scent by the judges. |
| Pop(1) A dog who stops its hunt and looks at the handler for direction without being directed to do so is said to “pop”. It is considered a fault. (2) To shoot a blank shotgun shell, i.e. pop and throw a bird. |
| PremiumA notice sent out by the club holding an event. This notice usually includes the time/date/place of stakes being held, entry cost, Judges names, directions and other information concerning the event. |
| Pull (Suction) The attraction of the dog to a certain area because of scent, previous marks or geographic topography; enticement to an area. |
| Q Return to Menu |
| QuarteringThe orderly method of questing for game, employing the dog’s nose. |
| R Return to Menu |
| RecastA second attempt to send a dog from the line. |
| Retired Gun A gun that disappears from sight after throwing and shooting the a mark. |
| S Return to Menu |
| SelectionAny method of retrieving multiple marks out of the sequence in which they fall. |
| SingleOne marked retrieve or blind. |
| StakeAn event or contest; an event level i.e. Started, Hunter, Intermediate or Senior stake. |
| SteadyA dog which waits to be sent for a mark(s) after they are thrown; a dog that does not break. The term is used to describe when a dog sees a bird or birds fall while remaining in the position commanded by the handler. A steady dog should remain steady until commanded to do otherwise by the handler. |
| StickingA dog that refuses to release a bird to his handler is said to “stick” on the bird. Also called “freezing”. |
| Suction (Pull) The attraction of the dog to a certain area because of scent, previous marks or geographic topography; enticement to an area. |
| SwitchThe act of a dog to leave the area of one mark after hunting for it and to go to another, more easily remembered mark. |
| W Return to Menu |
| Walk Up A test intended to simulate actual hunting: The handler, with dog at heel, judges and gunners, all advance together in the field before the birds are thrown and shot. |
| Water MarkA mark that is in a location where a dog is directed to it via mostly water. |
| Whistle Command Commands give to the dog by the handler using his/her whistle; i.e. repeated short toots means “come” or “come in”; one long blast means “sit”. |
| Whistle RefusalFailure of a dog to respond to a whistle command. |
