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I had my first Golden Retriever in May, 1936 and I registered him as Simon of Brookshill. I had no intention of showing or breeding until I met Mrs Morgan, of the Weyland Goldens. Simon was about four months old and she said, "He is a beautiful puppy, but you had better show him as soon as you can before he grows too big", which he did. She also said that if I wanted to breed she knew of a nice bitch, so in August of 1936 I bought Speedwell Dulcet from Mrs Evers Swindell. I entered her for a show. I don't know where it was, except that it was somewhere in London, or what society, but I went into the ring, full of hope as Dulcet had already won a Puppy Class with her breeder. Of course I had no idea of how to show her, or what to do, so I stood there with Dulcet on her lead and did absolutely nothing. Obviously I didn't get anything and when I came out of the ring a rather cross Mrs Evers Swindell came up to me and said that I would never win anything if I showed her like that, but she didn't give me any hints as to what I should do and there were no ringcraft classes then!!

1957 GRC Show at Sandford-on-Thames, Judge Joe Braddon

Joan Gill with Ch Simon of Westley (BOB) and June Chamberlain with Chalice of Altarnun

Later Mrs Nairn, of the Stubbings Goldens, helped me a bit and gave me some tips, but I wasn't very good. In fact I was very bad. Then Mrs Pilkington, of the Alresford Goldens, said one day, "Let me have your bitch and I will win with her. You have mine." She won the class with Dulcet and I was second with her bitch. I didn't do very much showing, but I went to one or two shows without my handling improving very much. I did enter the Golden Retriever Club Show, I think it was at Maidenhead, with Mrs Charlesworth judging. I had the 'flu so my father took her and he won second and after the class Mrs Charleswoth came across and said that he could have won the class if he had handled her better.

Dulcet had a litter in October 1937. I showed her at Crufts in the following February, though, as the puppies were only four months old, I shouldn't think she had much coat, but I went anyway. In those days it was in the Agricultural Hall at Islington, which was a very dark and dingy place. You had to stay for two days, whether you won anything or not. If you took your dogs home, you had to pay a deposit. I don't think it was very much, and you had to bring them back the next day. You could leave them overnight on your bench if you wanted to and there were people on duty all night to see that the dogs were alright, but I don't think many people did that. I certainly didn't. I only lived twelve miles from London in those days, so I obviously went home and came back the following day. I think the breed judging was on the first day and the gamekeepers classes and some variety judging and Best in show, on the second day. There were no groups then and all breeds went in the big ring. I remember that Mrs Wentworth Smith won Best of Breed with Ch Chief of Yelme, a big, fairly heavy boned dog, not very dark, medium to pale. I saw Mr Lloyd win Best in Show with Exquisite Model of Ware and I was absolutely fascinated by how he handled her, he didn't touch her. She just stood there, looking up at him, standing perfectly and never moving. All his cockers showed like that. How he did it I just don't know. The next show I went to Ch Anningsley Fox won the C.C. He was a rather different type, a lighter build, smaller and very dark. Goldens were always handled free then. The first person I saw "topping and tailing" was Enid Minter (Stenbury) at one of the early post-war shows, but it gradually became more popular. Necks were not trimmed nearly as much as they are today.

I don't know much about the wartime shows. I didn't go to any, as I was first an ambulance driver and then in the WAAF. Shows were confined to exhibitors living within a 25 mile radius of the venue, which continued for a short time after the war because of petrol rationing. In 1945 we moved to the village of Westley, near Bury St. Edmunds and I bought a puppy from Miss Dixon (Gazeon) on the advice of Mrs Wentworth Smith. I lost my pre-war affix of Brookshill as I didn't maintain it, but was granted Westley and compounded it for life for £7! I registered my puppy as Susan of Westley and took her to all the radius shows and together we learned what to do in the ring. I also trained her to the gun.

Championship shows were allowed in 1947, there were just 12 general Ch Shows that year and 241 Specialist shows.

In 1948 there were 22 general and 76 specialist shows. Now there are 26 general Ch Shows and I don't know how many group and breed club shows. Many of the 1947 and 1948 shows have lost their Ch status over the years. Some that come to mind are Kensington, Croydon (where I made up my first champion), Metropolitan and Essex, Chester, Ayr and Stockton on Tees. A popular venue in those days was London's Olympia, where the catering by Lyons was extra good! Crufts was held there until it was no longer available for dog shows, so in 1979 it moved to Earl's Court.

Charles Cruft died during the war, so the Kennel Club took over the show and the name and it replaced the Kennel Club's own show. The first show was in October 1948 and I won the CC with Susan. The previous Saturday she had won a Certificate of Merit at a field trial, so I was lucky enough to win the lovely Gold Cup, which was later won outright by Bill Hickmott. It was much easier to have a dual purpose dog then as the split between show and work was almost non-existent, but it became wider and wider. The next Crufts was in 1950 in February, Crufts traditional date.

Shows then were much more relaxed with much smaller entries, one judge, who always had a proper lunch break, and starting at 11am, or even later, and finishing in time for us all to go and have tea! There was no worry about leaving our dogs on the bench, we knew they would come to no harm, but I wouldn't leave them now. There was a fixed removal time and an early removal time, an hour earlier for people living over 50 miles away "as the crow flies". The removal time was usually 5.30pm, but at Crufts no dogs were allowed out until 8pm.

The entries for all Ch shows got larger and larger and starting times earlier and earlier and when the GRC show drew over 300 dogs for Mrs Wentworth Smith (Yelme) we realised two judges were necessary for our club show. This was held for many years at Sandford on Thames Country Club, a lovely ground where the dogs could swim in the river afterwards. We were usually lucky with the weather there. Fortunately we were for Mrs Wentworth Smith, and with the help of efficient stewards and a collecting ring she got through it very well. There was always a "party" atmosphere at Sandford but sadly we outgrew it as entries continued to rise until the 1980s.

Before there were motorways and many more dual carriageways Joan Tudor and I often used to go by train. Mrs Cooke, from Kent, used to organise these train parties and there was no trouble then about driving into London and leaving your car at the station for two nights. We had a reserved carriage, one with a corridor and separate compartments and with usually, only two people and their dogs in each compartment, we managed to get some sleep! One of the SKC shows was held at Waverley Market, adjacent to Edinburgh station. We arrived about 6am, but we were allowed to stay on the train until we could get into the market, which was one of the dingiest, most miserable venues I've ever been to. The other SKC show was held at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, which wasn't much better!

One year Joan and I decided to go by train to Manchester under a judge who had done her dog and my bitch very well the previous year. When we arrived we found the dog (lets call him Moss), who had won the CC under this judge last time she judged, was entered (something we all know is "not done"). The judge was one who divided each class into two as she judged each dog, but she didn't always stick to the same side for the "ins" and "outs", which was confusing, but at least it kept everybody optimistic until the end! Joan was in Open dog and was put the same side as Moss, so we thought she was alright and were rather shocked when that was the group sent out, but we decided it served Moss's owner right! When the same thing happened to me we saw the funny side of it.

Birmingham National, Old Bingley Hall, Dec 1957, Judge, Joan Gill

Miss Miriam Clarke with Ch Heatherdell Gay Boy (BOB)

and Mrs Lucille Sawtell with Sh Ch Pandown Poppet of Yeo

For some of the summer shows we would set off the previous evening and sleep in the car somewhere along the way. To begin with it was in Joan's ordinary saloon car and then I had a sort of van with windows, which I suppose was a very basic "people carrier". With all the seats down we could lie down properly and leave room for the dogs. I remember we had some rather strange breakfasts on those occasions! Later when we went to several shows in John Tiranti's camper van, with 4 people and up to eight dogs, we would get to the showground the night before and have a sort of bed and a proper breakfast. That was luxury! At that time they were all one day shows, but ever increasing entries and the number of breeds made the extra days necessary.

About 1967, when Joan had a roomy van with windows, we were joined by Hazel Hinks to go to Paignton, which was then actually in Paignton. It was on a Thursday and the plan was to go back to Hazel's house, which was in Cheshire and have a good night's sleep, a quiet day on Friday and go to a Ch Show in Scotland on Saturday. Unfortunately, as we left the show, we had a severe thunderstorm with torrential rain and flash floods. We kept finding roads impassable and on one occasion got stuck in the water and had to push the car out. We eventually found ourselves somewhere outside Bristol with water all around us, but we could see at the top of the hill, a pub on dry land. The storm was still raging, but I decided I would "paddle" up to the pub and see if we could stay there. Fortunately the water wasn't too deep, but when I got there the landlord said we couldn't stay there, not even in the bar just to keep dry. Then a very kind girl behind the bar said we could stay the night in her caravan, which was in the car park. Joan had managed to get the van up to the pub and when we got to the caravan found the calor gas cooker full on, with the door open, to warm us up and dry our clothes. We were so grateful. Eventually with the help of the cooker and some brandy we got warm enough to get some sleep. The next day was fine, but we found road after road flooded and had to go as far as Banbury before we could start going north. We didn't get to Cheshire until evening and after a few hours sleep got up at 4am and went to Scotland. We must have been mad, but at least, I remember, we all did well at the show.

I usually stayed with Elma Stonex for Paignton and on other occasions (Taunton used to have a Ch show) and I learned such a lot from her. We used to sit up very late looking through all her scrap books and records. One night, at about 1am, we heard her kitten crying and discovered she was at the top of a tall tree and couldn't get down, so I climbed up the tree, with Elma shining a torch to light my way, and rescued the kitten. That was about 40 years ago!

Before the days of motorways with their services and Little Chefs (who for many years closed at 7pm) it was very difficult to find anywhere to get even a cup of tea, especially on Sundays. On one occasion, coming back from Scotland in John's camper van, we were all very anxious for something to drink and we searched the whole of Kendal for a cafe but nothing was open. Eventually we found a shop, but all they could offer us was a bottle of Dandylion and Burdock, a very strange drink that we didn't like very much and most of it was spilled all over the floor of the van.

Occasionally I went by coach and after one show it became very foggy and we stopped at a transport cafe for refreshments. We were told the "Ladies" was round the back, so we groped our way through darkness and thick fog until we found a building and we all trooped in. As we were getting ready to go out and find the coach a lorry driver came in and was very shocked to find a crowd of women in the "Gents"!

Now we have motorways and by-passes, which means we rarely have to go through towns, and plenty of services, but we also have a lot more traffic and traffic jams, early starts and huge entries. We have ringcraft classes, gundog training classes, seminars and plenty of books and articles to help us learn about all aspects of the dog world, but in the course of "progress" older exhibitors agree that shows have lost something, perhaps they are more competitive and less of a social occasion than they used to be. However, I still enjoy shows, especially when I come without a dog and can watch more of the judging, but even that was much better when we had one judge and could watch both sexes. Field Trials were also more fun, but that is another story!

Judging has also changed over the years. Judges always wore hats, even the men. Jimmy Garrow, a famous Scottish all rounder, always wore a very large brimmed hat and Bill Burrows always wore a bowler. I never liked wearing hats, so when Rene Parsons, of Torrdale fame, judged without one, I decided that if Rene could judge without a hat, so could I, and I've never judged in one since.

Another thing that so many judges used to do, was to pull out their winner, line them up and then proceed to change them all round. At one Ch show, the judge had "rounds", she lined them up, moved them round the ring and then changed their positions. In one class, after the 4th round she finally placed them and the poor girl who had stayed first all the time was put down to VHC. I feel judges should make up their minds before placing the dogs and then leave them alone. Fortunately this is the normal method now.
One thing that isn't so good now is that some judges are describing dogs of 23 inches at the shoulder as too big. So many dogs are at the lower end of the standard (and I suspect some are under 22 ins), that anything nearer the middle to top height appears too big to some judges. There are maybe a few bitches that are over 22 inches, but it is a long time since I saw a dog over 24". I think there should be some proper measures available to check the correct height. Tape measures and such things are useless. It doesn't matter if the dogs are at the top, or bottom, of the standard as long as they are balanced, but goldens with short legs and exaggerated depth of body (and often length of loin as well) are not!

So many changes have taken place in the 60 plus years that I have been involved with showing, breeding and judging, but one thing has never changed - the beauty, the character and the charm of the Golden Retriever.
JOAN GILL

We are very grateful to have the following article written especially for our website by Mrs Joan Tudor of the world famous Camrose kennel. Insight into the Influence of 'Golden Camrose Tess' on the breed.

'Golden Camrose Tess' was the foundation bitch of the Camrose kennel and was to have a profound influence on the breed post-war, as every Golden with a 'Camrose' ancestor is descended from her - and this is most of today's Goldens. Tess was the last puppy for sale from a litter of 9, and cost the princely sum of 8 guineas (or £8.8s) and what a bargain she was to prove!

She was bought purely as a pet, but when studied, her pedigree was found to contain many Champions, and amongst many famous dogs, she was a great granddaughter of Dual Champion Anningsley Stingo. So it was decided to find out more about Goldens and Joan bought the only book on the breed at that time which was written by Mrs W. Charlesworth.

Having read and re-read this, she decided to visit some shows as a spectator - and learned so much from listening to people at the ringside, and watching the dogs being shown , and came to the conclusion that Tess might be able to do some winning. This she eventually did by taking 1c.c. and a res.c.c.

Being very impressed with the fact that Tess's g.g.sire was a Dual Ch., it was decided to mate her to a dog also descended from him, namely Ch Colin of Rosecott.

Tess was quite a big bitch, with a very lovely head, quite dark coloured, but failed in hind angulation. Fortunately Colin was able to improve this in her litter, for she produced a Champion bitch and a dual c.c. winner in Camrose Antony.

Tess with her son Camrose Antony

Antony and Ch Camrose Fantango, from Tess's second litter to Dorcas Timberscombe Topper, were to be responsible for a long line of Champions for 'Camrose' and other breeders. Probably many of today's breeders do not realise that one or both of these dogs are in the extended pedigrees of their Goldens through such famous sires as Ch Camrose Cabus Christopher, Ch Sansue Camrose Phoenix, Ch Camrose Nicholas of Westley. Ch Stolford Happy Lad, Ch Davern Figaro. Ch Gaineda Consolidator of Sansue and Ch Nortonwood Faunus.

 

Memories of Past Camrose Dogs   CAMROSE ANTONY (2cc' and 6 res cc's)

was the sire of Ch.Camrose Tantara who started a line of Champions for several generations, so I feel he should be mentioned here. He was one of my very special dogs who was a real personality boy. All strangers who came to the door were terrified of him, as he greeted them with his special 'talk', which was a very low rumbling sound, assumed by them to be a growl - it was wonderful for keeping dubious characters at bay, but loved by all who knew him.
Antony was very unlike either of his parents, as he was a very powerfully built dog with profuse wavy coat, very strong head and bone and very 'throaty' (which I succeeded in hiding from judges!!) The emblem for the Scottish G.R.C. is taken from one of his photos, and though supposed to be anonymous, of course I recognised the photo.

  Ch. CAMROSE FANTANGO

 

was completely different from his half-brother , as he was much paler coloured, had the most beautiful head of any Golden I've ever seen. Always rather lacking in substance and a menace for me to show! He would go half way down the ring and come to a stop. But he adored Mrs Barron, as his favourite wife was her Ch. Jane of Anbria, so Margaret offered to show him for me, and was instrumental in getting his last 2 cc's to get him his title.'Tango' was known here as the 'Cushion King' as he always greeted people with one of the lounge cushions in his mouth - he would then lie down and use the cushion as a pillow!

  Ch. CAMROSE CABUS CHRISTOPHER Christopher seen here winning BIS at Leeds Ch Show

was another of my very special dogs, as he was always MY DOG. He was no oil painting as a puppy, as nothing seemed to be in the right place! Certainly I didn't dream that he would make the dog he finally did. 'Toffer' to his friends, had the most wonderful construction, which was why he became such a favourite with the All-rounder judges, enabling him to win 8 Groups and 2 BIS at all breed Championship shows - but his head was never his fortune! His lateral movement was a joy to watch, and I often watched him moving round my paddock, with his long flowing stride, which was just 'poetry in motion'.

Reserve BIS Blackpool Ch Show
Toffer was a born showman, and just loved being in the ring, but he had one habit, which I found most embarrassing, in that he would insist in either carrying his leash or the sleeve of my anorak! A natural worker, he was a joy to have on a shoot, as he would never tire, face any cover, and had a wonderful nose.

 

Sh Ch CAMROSE MATILDA

(jointly owned with Miss Wilcock) as a puppy was very solidly built and had a short coat, with little feathering, and as she had a fairly strong head, she could be mistaken for a Labrador, by those who didn't know the breed! However things changed after she had her first litter, when she really began to look like a Golden, for suddenly she developed a beautiful wavy coat with masses of feathering! Looking at photos of her when she was quite old one can see her very intense waves. I remember the day at Crufts when Mrs Stonex was judging and wearing a large-brimmed hat, 'Tilda' was so astounded that she backed away from her at first, never having seen anything like it before! However she soon recovered and was able to win the C.C. That taught me a lesson, never to wear a hat with a brim when judging - at that time we all wore hats for those occasions!

  Ch CAMROSE FABIUS TARQUIN

(jointly bred and owned with Miss Wilcock) was one of Matilda's titled sons - the other being the Weeks' Sh Ch Camrose Hardanger Fjord of Beldonburn. 'Tarquin' had a wonderful career as a Junior, taking his JW three times over, and having numerous Best Puppy in Shows. He was a very mature youngster, as his puppy photo at 10 months shows. He had a profuse coat, very good construction both ends, and was a super mover, so took the All Rounders eye. After his Junior days, he went through a very teenage stage and was very immature for quite a long time, and took quite a long time to come to his prime. I loved his head which had a super eye and expression - which was much better than that of his sire (Christopher).

 

Ch STYAL STEPHANIE OF CAMROSE

- the breed's record holding bitch (bred by Mrs Hinks , but jointly owned by Miss Wilcock and myself) 'Teffie' was another of Christopher's famous off-spring and was the most heavenly bitch to own. She had the most superb nature, but had one 'quirk' - she was scared of hairy dogs! In Best of Show rings she could not stand next to a Bobtail or one similarly coated or she would not show. I remember one day when I had her out 'picking up' we had to cross a field in which were a flock of sheep and she would insist on going right round the perimeter to avoid them - I suppose she thought they might be vicious dogs! As 'Fantango' had the perfect dog's head, so 'Teffie' had the most beautiful head for a bitch. I handled her in her early days in the ring, but Miss Wilcock was the one to gain her numerous CC's and Group wins, as they had a wonderful rapport.

  Memories of some of the early post-war dogs.

One of the first famous dogs I remember seeing in the ring was Ch. Torrdale Happy Lad - a very glamorous, heavily built extrovert cream dog - beautifully handled by Mr Fred Parsons.

	The next which impressed me for his type was Ch Dorcas Glorious of Slat (his closeness in relationship to my own Tess, was that her dam was his litter sister). He was a compact, wavy coated dog with a lovely head.
	Ch's Victor and Royal Prince of Dewstraw were of a very different type, being dark, rather less heavily built dogs, and did not appeal to me as much as Sh Ch Roger of Rosecott. I must have watched the bitches too, but do not remember them, I suppose because by that time, I had decided I wanted a litter from Tess, so was more interested in selecting a mate for her.
Ch. Weyland Varley was a really beautiful, masculine dog, with a lovely head and super construction both ends. I awarded him Best of Breed at the first Championship show I judged. He had a lovely temperament and I remember happy days out with his owner, Mrs Morgan, when she was helping me to train my dogs for their Qualifying Certificates
	Ch. Alresford Advertiser always looked immaculate and was a great showman. A beautifully pale coated dog, of good size, well-made, and an impressive mover. I remember my husband and I meeting Mrs Pilkington with him, on one of the London main line stations on the way to a show, and my husband saying 'That's what I - call a dog!!!' (this was one of his expressions which meant a super dog). Needless to say Advertiser usually won over my dogs!! However I still awarded him a cc at one of the Birmingham shows.
Ch. Boltby Skylon was a delightful dog whom I often met at Mrs Harrison's home, as well as in the show ring. He had super happy temperament and was a dog one liked to stand next to in the ring, as so many at that time were not too pleasant and would growl at other dogs. He had a strong skull, but was rather short in foreface for true balance of head. He was not a big dog, but was very compact and had super hindquarters, a lovely pale coat and was very glamorous.
	Ch/Irish Ch. Cabus Cadet belonging to Mrs Morgan (formerly Mrs Moriarty) was to become a sire of several important Champions. He was a good sized dog - very pale coloured - and with lots of substance and bone. However his front was not his fortune but 'Paddy' had super angulation and strength in his hindquarters, a good head and lots of ring presence. I was the first person from the south of England to use this dog - to improve my hindquarters -and he produced a litter for me with 3 Champions in it, which had his rear end but retained my very good fronts!
Miss Gill's Ch. Camrose Nicholas of Westley was a cream dog of lovely type and character. I remember taking his sire Ch. William of Westley to a show in Blackpool for Joan ( who was in hospital at the time), and having a nightmare journey with him. He was a very energetic dog and would not keep still in the train overnight, and when walking to the show drove me mad, as he insisted on lifting his leg at every corner, tree or lamppost we came to! However we did manage to get Bill's 3rd cc that day!

Later Miss Gill returned the compliment for me by taking Ch. Camrose Jessica (Nicholas' dam) to Leeds under Mrs Stonex, and winning Jessica's 3rd cc.! Jessica was a bitch I didn't think very much of, as she was rather small, not very good in forehand and rather weak in head, so I had stopped showing her. One day my husband (with one of his 'hunches') said 'You should show Jessica again - she will do well' She did as on her next outings she gained her cc's!!

I hope that this article enables you to find out something interesting about some of the influential dogs of the past, and is of some help to those of you who have these dogs in your extended pedigrees.

Joan Tudor 2001

THE GOLDEN RETRIEVER AS A WORKING GUNDOG
Graham Cox looks at what makes Goldens distinctive

Robert Atkinson with the 1982 Retriever Champion FT Ch Little Marston Chorus of Holway

The competitive record of the labrador doesn't simply speak for itself. It shouts and stamps its feet. Nor is the record a matter of recent provenance. Once the labrador came seriously onto the scene the speed with which, colossus like, it came to bestride the world of working retrievers, was nothing short of remarkable. The first trial for retrievers in 1899, won by the Flatcoated Retriever 'Painter' was in fact a mixed stake with two Clumbers, one Irish Spaniel and one Field Spaniel competing alongside a Curly Coated retriever and five Flatcoats. So there was no labrador represented. A decade and more on, in the last full season before the Great War, some 14 field trial meetings were held and, of the 247 dogs which entered, no fewer than 179 were labradors. Succeeding years simply accentuated the pattern as curly coats departed the competitive scene and flatcoats receeded.

Golden Retrievers were initially registered as flatcoats and defined, at that stage, only by colour. Registered by the Kennel Club as a seperate variety under the title 'Golden or Yellow Retrievers' in 1911, the following year saw the breed secure its first field trial award when Capt. H.F.H. Hardy took second place in the Gamekeepers' National Association Open Stakes at Netherby. In more recent years only Golden Retrievers have managed, on occasion, to mount a serious challenge to labrador dominance at the highest levels of competition. Just three times during the post-war period has a golden won the international Gundog League's Retriever Championship. In each of the other 51 years the name of a labrador - invariably a black labrador - has been inscribed on the Glen Kidston Challenge Cup. So the public record overwhelmingly endorses the assessment offered by Colonel Hawker when, in 1830, he found himself lamenting the dearth of the dogs he considered 'by far the best for any kind of shooting'. It wasn't until the last decade of that century that the name labrador became common usage, but enthusiasts would soon have no doubt that Hawker's extravagent claim that the breed was 'without living equal in the canine race' had been substantially vindicated. Other breeds, of course, had their committed advocates. One hundred years on from Hawker's paean to the labrador, Captain Hardy published his book Good Gun Dogs and in it he explained why he had kept goldens for more years than any other breed of gun dog. It was not just a matter of sentiment. "I do like them best of all", he emphasised: but he accounted for that liking in very practical terms. "I find them easy to train and to manage, good trackers of wounded game, and excellent at water work."

Left to Right; FT Champions Holway Jollity; Holway Chanter; Holway Gem; and Holway Gaiety

At little later the Rev. E.N. Needham-Davies, contributing a chapter on the breed to a book entitled Gun Dogs; Their Training, Working & Managment and conscious that his article would be read in a comparative sense with the articles on other varieties of the retriever family, drew attention to similair qualities. Being a younger breed the Goldens, he felt, had not been crossed as had happened with some other varieties. So, whereas some Field Trial work showed dogs to be very reliant on the whistle the Golden had not lost his ancestors' hunting traits. "Fast and sure", he wrote, "is excellent, they are two gundog virtues but the greater of these is sureness. The Golden, broadly speaking, is sure". with "a nose second to none, he holds his line and carries it". Too much pace, he added, and he may drop it.

"Tiptop" as water-dogs, they could also generally be relied upon to be bold in cover: though he was careful to add that generalities can be dangerous. Where he was unequivocal was in extolling the virtue of what we would now call biddability. The Golden, he said, "is a nice dog to teach. He is kind and willing to learn", adding "I would say that he was on the whole easier to break than the other varieties". This from a man who "had, bred, trained and used Curlies, Flats and Labradors." Generalities are, indeed, problematic. Even this one, So, although we may restrict our attention to working bred dogs we soon become aware that the force of different bloodlines may be such that variations within the breeds can be as significant as differences between them. As ever there is no substitute for knowing your stock and moderating the training process accordingly. But there certainly are popular suppositions about goldens and the most prevalent is the truism that goldens are slower to develop than labradors: puppyish and playful for longer with everything which that implies for progress.

FT Ch Treunair Cala

As a generalisation that is on track, but it doesn't say enough. What matters is that temperament develops more slowly than raw intelligence. You have, therefore, to resist the temptation to race ahead: a temptation which is ever present because of the speed which working goldens typically learn things. More to the point, I think, is a less generally acknowledged characteristic which is every bit as relevant to the strategy you adopt. The shortest way of expressing it is via June Atkinson's warning "you must never lose your temper with a golden" and the best way of elaborating the point is to draw on the wisdom of the man who, for over thirty years, was responsible for the breeding, rearing and training programmes of the Guide Dogs For The Blind Association. Derek Freeman's Barking Up The Right Tree published in 1991 presents fascinating insights from an organisation which has had its best success rates with Golden Retriever and Labrador first-crosses. Of goldens he writes that willingness sometimes dries up and that this used to be termed 'stubborness'. That isn't, he says, a fair description. "A better term is 'lack of generosity'. Golden Retrievers are intelligent, they know what life is about and as individuals soon get to know what they can get away with. It is a breed which is easily offended and when their generosity or willingness is withdrawn, it can sometimes be difficult to restore".

Daphne Philpott receiving a Diploma of Merit from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Gained at the 1987 Retriever Championship with Abnalls Evita of Standerwick, whose dam Standerwick Roberta of Abnalls was also running.

That is incredibly perceptive. Goldens need to have their sensitivity respected and they assuredly do not need to have their intelligence patronised by people confusing a different pace of maturing with innate ability. Those are two very different things even if you can only realise the potential of the one by taking full account of the other. Appreciate these points and much else falls into place. Goldens are gregarious and take less readily to kennel regimes. Above all they relate. They want to be with humans. It is possible to let goldens be 'wild' as puppies and still get them back 'in hand'. By contrast, and this is the assessment I have heard from massively experienced and successful trainers, you would in all probability lose a labrador if you let it go. A labrador is more than happy to be independent whereas the golden wishes to be with a human. It is always dangerous to treat the best cases as if they were the generality, but there are guns who have 'lost' labradors and had it suggested that they try a golden and it works.

By the same token these considerations, taken together, go a long way to accounting for the fact that when it comes to labrador enthusiasts fancying 'having a go' at training a golden it seems to be a case of 'many are called but few are chosen'. Janet Webb and Nigel Mann come to mind, but then one struggles. Keith Erlandson's first trial bred dog was a golden who proved, by his account, 'unbelievably easy' to train and in his assessment of the breed a quarter century ago he wrote "A good golden is second to none and at the risk of sounding controversial I believe a top specimen can actually be superior to the very best Labrador but I will admit that such dogs are very thin on the ground." It would be hard to avoid going along with that assessment: though as of now one would have to concede that at the very highest levels of field trial competition 'very thin' is looking even thinner.

Working goldens are an important part of a very broadly based pyramid of working gundogs who make their contribution to the sport of shooting in ways too numerous to spell out. Field trial competition is, or should be, normal work in the field carried to a higher state of perfection. Trials dogs are at the apex of that broadly based pyramid because trials constitute the only public and accountable examination of the quality of a dog's work. At the very highest level, the IGL Championship, the minimal golden presence has not enjoyed any distinction of late and it is now almost two decades since the most recent of the breed's three victories was achieved.

Daphne Philpott accepts a retrieve from Abnalls Evita of Standerwick, watched by Judge (on left) Roy Taylor of Ardyle fame, in the 1987 Retriever Championship on the Sandringham Estate

It would be quite wrong to draw pessimistic conclusions however. Look at less exalted levels of competition and the picture is one of commitment and enthusiasm. Participation rates can often tell us more than success rates which, for all kinds of reasons, can be more variable. Over the past three seasons the number of Goldens running in Open. All Aged and Novice stakes have remained broadly consistent, with the 1997-8 season clearly the most successful in that eight Open wins were almost matched by seven in All Aged Stakes and five Novice wins were also recorded. A fuller account of the working record of the breed, with particular attention to the dogs who achieved their working titles, can be found in the books of Champions, the fourth one of which covering the period 1996-1999 was published recently. Volume one, which covered the period from 1946 to 1985 is now something of a collector's item, but Volumes two, covering 1915-1939 and 1986-1990, and three dealing with the years 1991-1995 and, of course, the most recent, are still readily available. In 1994, meanwhile, Albert Titterington and Michael Gaffney published The Golden Retriever in Ireland which deals comprehensively with the working side of the breed in the Republic and in Northern Ireland. Good goldens may be harder to find than amongst the more numerous retriever breeds, but the testimony of those who have enjoyed success with them proves time and time again that when they are good they have something special about them. If good goldens are like gold-dust, perhaps that's only to be expected. What is for certain is that to achieve success with them you have to have a feel for what makes the breed distinctive. Develope is effectively and the response can be absolutely splendid. GRAHAM COX

Inter Club Working Test

 

The GRC had the honour of hosting the Inter Club Working Test on 15th June 2003 at Holway, Cattistock, Dorset, by very kind permission of June & Robert Atkinson.

 

The Golden Retriever Inter Club competition has run annually since it's inception in 1979 (except for 2001 due to the F&M outbreak) when there were but 5 Golden Retriever Clubs. Today that number stands at 13 with each club taking turns to host the event.

 

This year the GRC felt incredibly privileged to have been invited, by Mrs June Atkinson & her son Robert to run this competition at the home of their famous working Goldens with the HOLWAY affix.

 

Mrs June Atkinson has been successfully campaigning her Holway Goldens for over 50 years and is undoubtedly the heart and driving force behind the progress and recognition of today's working Golden. Robert followed in his Mother's footsteps by winning the prestigious IGL Retriever Championship 30 years after her.

 

The GRC are extremely grateful to the 6 judges and the many helpers who gave up their time to make the day such a success.

 

 

Of the 13 Clubs, 10 were represented.

These were (in alphabetical order)

 

 

Berkshire Downs & Chilterns Golden Retriever Club

 

Eastern Counties Golden Retriever Club

  The Golden Retriever Club   Golden Retriever Club of Northumbria   Golden Retriever Club of Wales   Midland Golden Retriever Club   Northern Golden Retriever Association   Southern Golden Retriever Society   South Western Golden Retriever Club   Yorkshire Golden Retriever Club

GRC FT Secretary Gwen Knox welcomed the teams and spectators and explained the format for the day. Each team would undergo 6 tests which had been devised by June Atkinson, Ken Chandler & Judith Evans. The judges for the test were Mrs Margaret Allen Mrs Judith Evans Mr John Jones Mr Roy Burns Mr Robin Watson Mrs Judy Hendry, (who kindly stepped in at the last minute to replace Mr Dick Downing who was unable to attend.)

 

Each test under the supervision of one of the judges had two components; one for the Novice dogs and a more difficult one for the Open dogs.

Test 1 was a team test with two seen dummies and two unseen 'runners' with the team deciding who went for what. (Those who forgot that the runners were retrieved first were heavily penalised)

Test 2 was a walk-up with each getting a seen retrieve in the first field, although the dummy fell in rushes and thick grass so no retrieve was easy. After passing through the hedge two dummies were dropped by the thrower and as the team walked on a dummy was thrown for the novice dog to retrieve, but before that could be retrieved the open dog was sent back for the unseen behind and downhill to the right.

The lay of the ground meant that for some of the time the dog was out of sight of the handler and errors crept in. After the unseen had been retrieved the seen was retrieved by the novice dog. This was then repeated for the second pair.

Test 3. was a seen in thick rushes followed by an unseen behind for the novice dogs and a longer seen in front followed by an unseen at right angles along the line for the open dogs but with a deep water filled ditch between dog and dummy.

Test 4. there was a long walk to this test. Here the novice dogs had a seen thrown into a small river, the dogs saw the splash but could not see the dummy. When this had been retrieved the open dog was sent for a retrieve across the river and some yards back. This must have been more difficult for the earlier teams for there was thick cover for the dogs to negiotiate before reaching the river. For the later ones there was a track for them to follow.

Test 5. was a seen in front followed by a seen behind into a pond for the novice dogs and an unseen in front with a seen behind in the pond for the open dogs. Again the cover in front was thick.

Test 6 was again a team effort with points being awarded for each dummy retrieved and some for team effort. Two dummies were thrown in uncut grass/reeds in which the dogs were mostly out of sight of the handlers, and collected by the novice dogs and then the team had to collect a further four dummies in the grass - there was a time limit.

 

One of the dogs successfully completing his task.

 

During the lunch break a scurry and welly wanging competition took place.

 

Competitors waiting their turn at the scurry

 

An enthusiastic return put June Atkinson's dog into 2nd place

 

Scurry Results

1. Ralph Pitafield with Bramble (22.8 secs) 2. June Atkinson with Volley (23.5 secs) 3. Toby Mann with Bisto (25 secs)

 

Welly Wanging Results

Best Male ~ Robin Watson Best Female ~ Jane Hodgson

 

Guess The Weight of the Calf

Won by Miriam Fowler (with a guess of 113lb)

 

The Auction

Organised by Sarah Olner raised over £900

Many thanks to those who kindly donated prizes

 

 

GRC Committee members provided the refreshments & manned the raffle

 

 

 

At the end of the day the results were announced by Gwen Knox

and prizes were presented by Robert Atkinson

 

 

 

 

THE RESULTS

 

FIRST

 

THE NORTHERN GOLDEN RETRIEVER ASSOCIATION

Pebbletoft Polka (B) Mrs A Wagland Pebbletoft Lyric of Moscargrange (B) Mr S Crookes Millrythe Adelaide of Moscargrange (B) Mrs A Crookes Pebbletoft Chorus (B) Mr P Wagland

 

 

 

SECOND

 

GOLDEN RETRIEVER CLUB OF NORTHUMBRIA

 

 

THIRD

 

BERKSHIRE DOWNS & CHILTERNS GOLDEN RETRIEVER CLUB

 

 

Top Scoring Dog (Open & Overall)

Castlemans Classic Fin (B) Ms S Crossland (GRCW)

 

 

Top Scoring Novice Dog

Haremire Apollo (D) Mr J Griggs (YGRC)

 

The GRC presented June Atkinson with a commemorative bench as a token of their appreciation

 

Finally Phil Wagland of the winning team proposed a vote of thanks.

 

 

The day ended with Gwen handing over the 'Inter Club File' rather like the Olympic torch to Midland GRC, the hosts for 2004.

 

The GRC Committee wish to express their grateful thanks to all the Field Trial Sub-Committee for their tireless work in organising this super event on their behalf.

 

All excess proceeds are to be donated to the Children's Hospice South West

 

 

 

REPORT ON THE DAY BY GRC WORKING SECRETARY, ANNIE WALES

 

Was there anyone who did not make the pilgrimage to Holway for the Inter-Club Working Test on Sunday 16th June at Holway, Dorset? If so they missed a day to remember! In fact, a weekend as most people travelled down the day before and met up at the Crown in Cattistock for a most enjoyable evening.

 

 

The day itself was memorable for many reasons. Firstly it was kindly hosted by June and Robert Atkinson on Holway ground - the undisputed mecca of the working Golden Retriever world; secondly, the weather was as near perfect as it could be - especially for those camping in the top field; and thirdly we were graced with the presence of most of the Golden Retriever Club Committee, both for the dinner and for the event itself. And despite the inevitable show versus working banter, it was a great pleasure to be, as it were, a united body for this very special event.

 

 

Organised with her usual efficiency by Gwen Knox with a huge input from Sara Olner who, amongst other things, arranged a very successful auction, and with fascinating side shows such as the welly wanging competition and guess the weight of the calf, it was, in the words of Dick Bridges himself, 'a truly cracking event' which will undoubtedly go down in the Club annals as one of the 'greats'.

 

 

No less than ten teams from all over the country, each of four dogs, two novice, two open, took part and the ground, which lends itself so superbly to all the requirements of a Working Test, provided some interesting and challenging scenarios, all of which could be viewed as typical shooting field situations.

The teams were split into two groups starting opposite sides of the lane and swapping over after lunch. Fortunately the stream flowed through both sides allowing plenty of opportunity for dogs to cool down between tests.

 

 

The atmosphere throughout the day was happy and relaxed and everyone seems to have greatly enjoyed themselves. In such beautiful surroundings and with such perfect conditions it would have been difficult not to and many thanks are due to June, Robert and family for all their help and fantastic hospitality not only over that weekend but over all the previous weeks of planning and preparation; to Gwen, Sarah and Judy for excellent organisation and smooth running; to Ken Chandler, family and friends who came down en masse from Sussex to provide guns, dummy throwers etc.; to Jean Dilloway for her out of this world cakes at the end of the day; to all who helped out in so many different ways - and last but by no means least, to all those people who travelled so far to compete and in doing so made this a very special occasion indeed