Finland's Retriever Association

An umbrella organization of 20 regional societies and three retriever breed clubs.

Finland’s Retriever Association, FRA ("Suomen noutajakoirajärjestö", SNJ) was founded in 1963. In the end of year 1997 there were 6000 members mostly through member societies. FRA is a nation wide retriever organisation. In excess to specialized regional retriever societies and nation wide breed clubs, some local kennel clubs with retriever activities have also joined as members.

The purpose of FRA is to promote breeding, working and publicity of pure-bred retriever breeds in Finland.

Retriever Magazine

FRA publishes its member magazine, "Nuusku" (sniffer) four times a year, unfortunately only in Finnish. There are articles on retriever training, health care of dogs, trials and tests, shows, hunting and happenings. The magazine contains also a nation wide calendar of  happenings in the regional retriever societies, such as tests, trials and shows.

The articles are mostly produced by members of FRA. All champions have their photos published. Specialists comment on questions or observations submitted by readers. "Nuusku" is published in A4 format in partly coloured editions, minimum 48 pages each issue.

Advisory Role

FRA offers advice by phone about retriever basic training and training for tests and trials. The breed clubs advise on breeding questions and support breeders’ puppy register.

Training

FRA organizes courses for trainers of the member societies. FRA trains judges for retriever working trials. FRA organizes training of the championship show judges in cooperation with the breed clubs.

Training courses for dog owners are organized mostly by the regional retriever societies.

Summer Jamboree

This annual meeting for all retriever owners from all over Finland is held in a suitable lakeside resort. We have had the pleasure of having some foreign guests, too. During this one week's period there is a Championship show, training in different activities, tests and trials. There also is, of course, a lot of evening programs, swimming, sauna and an indoor/outdoor pub depending on the weather...

Regional Societies

The regional societies offer basic training and courses in test and trial activities for retriever owners. The Societes are also active in shows, tests and trials, clubmeetings, training weekends etc. They also publish their regional info papers for the members.

Tests and Trials

In Finland retrievers attend regularly many kind of tests and trials. There are, of course, the retriever breeds' own gundog working trials, but many have found retrievers very able also in tracking of wounded elk and deer, obedience training, utility dog training and recently also agility. FRA has a nation wide committee for coordinating each of these activities with the regional societies.

Gundog working trials

These trials are sometimes called field trials but with the shortage of managed shoots in this country the trials are organized as working trials with cold game. They simulate mostly wildfowling as this is the main interest of most retriever hunters. Water work is essential. Our trials have for natural reasons much similarity to those in Sweden and Norway. The trials have a four-level system: The retrieving test and three classes of trials.

Retrieving test

1. An initial meeting for 4 to 8 dogs. The social behaviour of the dogs is estimated.
2. Water work section testing the dog's willingness to swim and retrieve from water. Nowadays there are two water retrieves. First a gull is thrown from the shore into the water. The second gull is thrown from a boat some 25 meters off the shore.
3. A hunting section with a shotgun shot. Reaction to gunfire is judged. The dog must show ability for successive retrieves from distance of 15 to some 70 meters. Five crows (occasionally pheasants) are hidden in advance in the area. Before the first retrieve the dog sees a bird thrown in the area after a shotgun has been fired.
4. Tracking section. If the dog has passed the first sections, a trail of some 80 meters long is made in woodland using a dead rabbit. This tests the ability of the dog to enter the terrain deep enough to find the rabbit and retrieve it.

With these four excersises, the following abilities of the dog are tested:

• Reaction to strange people and dogs,
• Confidence and initiative,
• Reaction to gunfire,
• Use of scent,
• Willingness to hunt,
• Willingness to retrieve,
• Game handling,
• Returning of the retrieve,
• Willingness to swim,
• Cooperation with the handler.

The dog must be approved in every aspect. The whole test is judged "approved" or "not approved". The number of times to attempt the test is not limited.

Passing this test is a requirement to enter any retriever working trial. Dogs applying for the Show Champion title must also pass this test.

Working trials

Working trials have three levels of stakes: Novice, Open and Winner. These trials are not competitions but the dogs receive a written quality judgement. The dogs that fail receive a "0". The dogs working through the whole trial are awarded a third prize (3) satisfactory, second prize (2)good, or for excellent work a first prize (1).

With two "firsts" from a novice trial the dog may enter open stake. With two "firsts" from open stakes the dog is transferred to the "winner" class.

The dogs run individually. There may be 12 to 15 dogs for each judge. The winner class dogs may work in pairs. The trials comprise four kinds of excercises:

• Marking: The dogs must remember one, two or three marked retrieves.

• Blind retrieves: The handler must be able to handle the dog to the game.

• Hunting: The dog must find game without the handler's assistance.

• Tracking: The novice class dogs must find a rabbit or hare in the end of a 200 m long trail.

The trial is held in a terrain suitable for wildfowling. Part of the game is imagined to have dropped in water and part on land. The terrain and vegetation in water should be chosen according to the class. Marks are thrown, the other game is hidden in the terrain in advance. The dog must have a possibility for at least six retrieves. At least three shots are fired with a shotgun during the test for each dog. The excercises should simulate actual hunting as well as possible and suited to available terrain.

The novice class trials are held in relatively easy terrain, the dog visible most of the time. Water area should allow swimming with moderate effort. The dogs must remember only one marked retrieve at a time. The blind retrieves do not require complex handling.

The open class dogs may have to remember two marked retrieves. Blind retrieves are mostly in water. The dogs must hunt on land and in water.

The winner class trials are made more demanding. The dogs may have to remember three marked retrieves. Wide variety of excercises are arranged. Terrain and water area should be physically challenging. Distractions may occur by scent, in retrieving order etc. Pair work may be arranged.

In any trial the dog is judged by one judge. The following qualities of the dog are judged:

• Hunting,

• Efficiency,

• Persistence,

• Use of Scent,

• Handling,

• Marking,

• Reaction to Gunfire,

• Handling of Game,

• Willingness to Swim,

• Tracking Ability (novice class),

• General impression.

Requirements for the working trial champion title are:

• three first prizes (1) in winner class trials,

• passed practical hunting test with live game,

• a second (2) quality prize in a championship show.

Tracking trials

The purpose is to test the ablity of the dog to follow the trail of wounded elk or deer. With some 1000 elk or deer wounded in road accidents and some 100,000 hunted annually, there is a strong demand for good tracking dogs in our country.

To enter a trial the dog must have a second (2) quality prize from a championship show. These trials are open to all gundog breeds. As retrievers are bred to make the difference between dead or wounded and live game, they have proved to be the top tracking dogs in all breeds. Tracking trials are held in open and winner class.

The trail

The trails are made on the previous day before the trial using cow, elk or deer blood in a terrain abundant with live game. The length of the trail is 900 meters in open class and 1400 m in winner class. 1/3 liter of blood is used for each trail.

There are three 90 degrees sharp turns in the trail. There are also places simulating lay down positions of the game with the earth surface broken and a couple of drops of extra blood. The winner class trail has one break, a bloodless section of some 10 meters in forward dirction and 5 meters to either side. A rabbit with some drops of the trail blood is set in the end of the trail. The dog should show the game to its handler in a way typical to its breed.

The trails are planned in advance on a map of the area. First the trail must be oriented very carefully and marked in the terrain. In second stage the blood is spread on the trail using a sponge or just  drops from the bottle. Simultaneously all marks visible from the start direction are removed.

Tracking

The dog uses a special harness allowing its muzzle to be lowered. The harness is attached to a 6 meters long tracking rope. The handler keeps the rope in its other end. The work is judged from failed (0) to quality awards (1, 2 and 3). To be awarded the first prize the dog must cope with the trail totally independently within the time limit, 30-45 min. The tracking team consists of the dog and the handler, the judge and the guide, the person that has prepared the trail.

The trials are quite elaborate and time consuming and require a lot of terrain. This is why the number of attending dogs is usually maximum seven for each judge. The handlers participate many times in the track preparing duties on the previous day.

Training

It must be shown to the dog in training that by faithfully following the initial blood trail he will find something nice in the end. Other cold game than rabbit can well be used in training.

Tracking trials have proved to be a very useful way to find out efficient tracking dogs. The dogs that do well in trials do usually well in real situations, too. The local police have lists of tracking dogs available in road accident situations. The elk hunting teams must have a tracking dog within one hour’s reach.