Oriole Dog Training Club is hosting a Barn Hunt (BH) trial on June 4-5, 2016 in Severn, MD. The trial closes next week Friday (May 20th). If you haven’t tried the sport yet, come see what it’s all about.
Please get your entries postmarked by May 20th to avoid a late fee. If you mailed your entry and don’t get a confirmation email within a few days, please contact me ASAP.
We allow move-ups between trials each day; with 4 trials, dogs could earn a title in one weekend (it takes 3 Qs to earn the Novice title). And did you know – as of April 1, 2013, the AKC recognizes titles earned in Barn Hunt Association events. (Owners may apply to have the titles recorded on their dogs’ AKC records).
We will also be offering a Crazy 8s session on Sunday. At this time, dogs do not need to be registered with BHA to participate in Crazy 8s. The full set of rules can be found at:
Entries are now open for Oriole’s NADAC Agility trial held on June 18 & 19, 2016 at the Oriole Dog Training Club in Halethorpe, Maryland. Entries are accepted on a first-received basis.
Entries close at 5pm on Monday, June 13 or when the limit of 450 runs per day (350 jumping runs) is reached. If the trial does not fill, DAY OF SHOW ENTRIES may be taken.
Oriole Dog Training Club held its annual AKC Sanctioned Tracking Test on Sunday, April 10. Thirty enthusiastic and dedicated Oriole club members and tracking students were on site at Fair Hill and surrounding locations on Saturday (weathering a flash blizzard) to assist our four AKC judges plot 16 tracks: 4 TD, 4 TDU, 4 TDX, and 4 VST.
On Sunday the team returned to welcome 16 exhibitors and a gallery of observers. At the end of the day we had four passes.
These were:
New Tracking Dog Urban (TDU) : German Shepard Wild Laelia von Sontausen BN RN TD AX MXJ XF T2B CGCA CGCU and Donna Morgan Murray.
Judge Allison Platt, Donna Morgan Murray, Wild Laelia von Sontausen TDU, Judge Stephanie A. Crawford, Tracklayer Alice Moyer
New Tracking Dog (TD): Golden Retriever Topbrass Field Trip CD PCDX and Tony R Hinson
Judge Sue Ammerman, Tony R. Hinson, Topbrass Field Trip TD, Judge Jack E. Sappenfield II
New Tracking Dog (TD): German Shepherd Osah of Sapphire Mountain and Marie Donahue.
Judge Sue Ammerman, Marie Donahue, Osah of Sapphire Mountain TD, Tracklayer Lynn Glennon, Judge Jack E. Sappenfield II
New Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX): Golden Retriever Sunfire’s Unsinkable TD and Jean Farny. (Jean is an Oriole Club member who will co-teach a beginner tracking class this fall.)
Judge Sue Ammerman, Tracklayer Maria Perez-Mera, Jean Farny, Sunfire’s Unsinkable TDX, Judge Jack E. Sappenfield II
The event was an amazing display of coordinated teamwork by staff and exhibitors. It was a wonderful, challenging, fun, and educational event, with moments of deep disappointment for dog-handler teams who did their best but didn’t pass, and moments of wild cheers of joy for the dog-handler teams who made it all the way to the finish.
Many thanks go out to judges Sue Ammerman, Stephanie Crawford, Allison Platt, and Jack Sappenfield. Much appreciation as well to trial chair Kristi Eisenberg, and test secretary Demarie Givens for all their hard work before, during, and after the event, the members of the trial committee: Joyce Lilly, Linda Miles, Linda Hulbert, Diana Reich, Tom Harding, Jean Farny, Sisi Smith, and Phil Kirby and all the tracklayers who came and lent their feet. Thank you everyone for keeping one of Oriole’s longest traditions and opportunity for canine camaraderie alive and well !
Submitted by Oriole member Linda Grskovich. Article updated on 4/13/2016 with additional pictures and videos.
April 2016 Nose Work Trial in Stevensville Maryland
Oriole Dog Training Club held its third NACSW sanctioned nose work trial event on April 2 and 3 on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The weather was true spring Maryland weather – that is, variable every day. Saturday (NW1), we experienced a rainy morning, with fog and the faint romantic call of fog horns in the distance. On Sunday (NW2), we had cold temperatures and winds at 40 miles an hour. The Bay Bridge was even on traffic advisory. Our site was right on the bay. If it was any closer to the water, it would have to be called an island.
Oriole member Debbie Knowles and “Anna” conducting a Container search at the Nose Work 1 level at the April 2016 trial
“Lilly”, being handled by Oriole member Gail Gee, has her nose right on source for her NW2 exterior element hide.
“Stella” is correctly pointing out to Oriole member and handler Carol Jennings that the hide is inaccessible in this NW2 exterior hide
Our Certifying Officials were Jessica Schulte from New York and Wendy Krehbiel from California. Our judges were Christina McCauley from Maryland and Janelle Hohnke from Virginia. The volunteers were awesome and handled the weather very well considering either rain or cold and almost violent winds. They kept competitors’ spirit up in spite of their personal feelings of being either wet or cold; many serious kudos to the professionalism of a super group of people from the nose work community, and their friends and family. Thank you also to Don Grskovich who organized the volunteer effort and flow; he rotated volunteers so they could observe handler competitions and maintain warmth of our volunteers. Our hospitality table was awesome: hot coffee, tea and hot soup were great for these two days, plenty of sandwiches, salads.. desserts.. we were all well fed!
The weekend resulted in 22 NW1 titles with 3 pronounced. The Harry Award was awarded to Monk handled by Chris Hardsock. In first place was Mary Wingfield with Comet, second: Chris Hardsock with Monk, third: Stacy Bennet with Joey. The element pass rate was containers 82%, interiors 91%, exterior 93% and vehicle 89%. There were 27 NW2 titles with 5 pronounced. In first place was Susan Baldwin with Quinn, second: Joyce Smuda with Niven, third: Kimberly Ward with Zayle. The element pass rate was containers 89%, interiors 84%, exterior 95% and vehicle 92%. (And that was with 40 mile per hour winds bay side… the dogs rocked it!!)
Four Oriole members competed at this event and all came home in ribbons. Debbie Knowles and her Smooth Coated Collie, Anna, competed on Saturday and got 2nd place in Interiors. Betty Gardner and her Smooth Coated Fox Terrier, Rascal, got their NW2 on their first time out!! Gail Gee and her Smooth Coated Collie, Lilly got their NW2. Carol Jennings and Stella also got earned a NW2 and a 2nd place ribbon in the Vehicle search element.
The video below is the container search conducted by Betty Gardner and her Smooth Coated Fox Terrier Rascal. There are actually 3 distractions in this search though only two are identified, you can see Rascal pause at the one suitcase in the foreground (wheat thins) and decide to move on to complete his search. Good decision there Rascal, great job!!
Videographer credit: Karen McMillian of Fido Photography
This next video is also of Rascal and Betty. This is the exterior hide. There are two hides. The conditions were cold and the winds were 40mph coming up over a hill off the bay. The winds were keeping the odor swirling under the table. It took some work but Rascal figured it out.
These next two videos show Stella successfully performing a container search and an exterior search. In the first, Stella, handled by Oriole member Carol Jennings, checks out several containers before committing to the odor box.
Videographer credit: Karen McMillian of Fido Photography
Pre-registration is now open for Oriole’s Obedience run-through to be held on Sunday, May 22, at the Oriole Dog Training Club. For your convenience there is an online entry form on the Run-through Information page.
Not sure if you’re coming? That’s ok – we do take day of match entries (but there’s a slight discount if you pre-register). This is a great chance to practice for the Oriole’s AKC Rally and Obedience trial held the following weekend at the same site !
In addition to all the regular titling classes and games, this trial offers 2016 Grand Prix and Steeplechase qualifiers, a Masters Challenge Biathlon, and a new class – the Miscellaneous Standard. Artful Dodgers uses rubberized contact equipment as well as 24″ weaves (MAD Agility bases) and displaceable tires.
The site is Hog Dog Productions which is acres and acres of well draining fields with lots of room to stretch out and walk with a nearby stream to explore. Artful Dodgers is the oldest agility club in Maryland – this is our 25th year of USDAA trials – and this is the weekend we picked long ago and have remained with since for being the perfect time of year to be outdoors.
Entry fees for the titling classes are the usual, affordable cost of $14 per titling class (more for the tournament classes and the two round Biathlon).
For those new to the sport or those wishing to train a more experienced dog in a trial environment, the Miscellaneous Standard class will be offered each day. This class is designed for those who desire some ring training time in a trial environment.
As with all USDAA trials, entries are unlimited, as long as the entry is received by the closing date of April 30, 2016.
All final information for this weekend’s trial is now posted on our CPE Trial Information page. We’re still looking for some workers to sign up for classes; use the link to the online worker signup sheet available on that page and pick the job you like best!
Entry forms and information are now available for the June 25 non-Sanctioned Odor Recognition Run-through and the August 13 NACSW Sanctioned Odor Recognition Test to be held at the Oriole Dog Training Club.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
at the Oriole Dog Training Club
What would you do in the event that a dog should need emergency medical care? Jane Ranier, who is a certified instructor through PetTech, will instruct you in comprehensive first aid/ CPR methods. These include but are not limited to the instruction of bandaging for bleeding control, frost bite, heat stroke, burns, snake bites spider bites, treating and recognizing shock, sprains and splinting, and assembling a first aid kit.
All final information for this weekend’s trial is now posted on our 
Oriole Dog Training Club 