Pro's, Am's, and the Grand

[flyntwt]

Let me preface this entire post by saying that I am an inexperienced handler- only hearing grand reports on a secondary or tertiary level. Never been to one, never had a dog capable of competing in one (yet ). I was just hoping on some honest discourse about the general direction of the grand.

DIBs, ehemmm...., 'MRC Dream's' snapshot stats got me thinking: 14% of Amatuer dogs are going to the 5th , 31% of Pro's dogs.

Is it becoming realistic for guys like me- who work 5 days a week, regular hours, with families and limited training grounds- to expect to pass this thing ONCE!? (forget about twice!!!)

I've read past reports from previous Grands, and it seems the test are getting harder- a natural function/evolution of the sport.

But if HRC and the Grand is supposed to represent Hunters, average guys like myself, then I guess I should put my dog with a pro... If I reasonably expect my dog to pass.

[bigsprig]

its not just the grand though. these are stats from the double master at black warrior 2 weeks ago.

master 1a- 57 total, 26 pass. 18pro, 8am
master 1b- 59 total, 36 pass. 29pro, 7am
master 2a- 57 total, 21 pass. 16pro, 5am
master 2b- 56 total, 26 pass. 25pro, 1am

the higher level tests require more training and preparation that many amateurs do not have time for or access to, but it is not impossible by any means. i was a very inexperienced amateur handler a couple years ago. (jury is out on my experience level now ) a year ago i thought i had no shot to get a master pass, much less a title. i also have a little more than a full time job. do not get discouraged. keep working with the dog, going to the line, and having fun.

long answer to your question, but yes...its realistic.

[Mike Perry]

Warren, I think that your good pros train to the Grand level from day one. They pay attention to the little details that make the difference between a 1 and a 2 and that is he difference between a pass and a DQ. Things like a small creep in training that turns into a CB in the test, quick sits that keep the dog in sight on a blind, being able to give that angle back or literal cast that puts the dog right on the bird not downwind to stumble on or wind it are the type of things I think are the difference. They also know the standard. A good mark or blind to an inexperienced am. might be a poor one to a pro who has Grand aspirations from the get go. The Grand judges I know are looking for the dog to get to smaller AOF than the weekend test and come up with the bird very efficiently. very direct lines to the blind and very quiet, non creepy honors.
Ams can and do it, but you need to know the standard and train to it every day.
JMHO
MP

[flyntwt]

[MRC Dream]

So Mikey, when you going to play?

[Copiah Creek]

[Mike Perry]

[dukdawgn]

The Grand used to have a quad set of marks, poison birds, you name it. 200 would enter, less than 20 would pass. The Grand isn't getting more difficult to pass; however, more handlers are advancing their training in order to pass it. Some of those handlers offer to train more than just their own dog for the Grand. Meanwhile, the Grand itself has worked to implement some consistency in scoring around the test setup. For instance, instead of a 3,2,1,0 scoring we now have a 2,1,0 scoring range. To help provide some consistency, quad sets of marks are not throw, which alleviates the discrepancies seen when trying to apply a 2,1,0 scoring to a quad set of marks.