LOCAL CLUB EVENTS
Events are posted on our home page.
CLUB MEETINGS
SWC holds six board meetings and six general meetings a year. Club members meet in a Los Angeles area restaurant to enjoy dinner together, and then discuss upcoming events and Weimaraner related items. Guests are always welcome; this is a great way to meet fellow Weimaraner owners! Joining the club is also a great way to meet people who share your love for the breed as well as making a difference for the breed.
For a listing of upcoming SWC club meetings, please see the Calendar page.
CONFORMATION SHOWS
Showing dogs is a great sport where the thrill of competition is combined with the joy of seeing beautiful dogs.
Dog shows (conformation events) are intended to evaluate breeding stock. The size of these events ranges from large all-breed shows, with over 3,000 dogs entered, to small local specialty club shows, featuring a specific breed. The dog’s conformation (overall appearance and structure), an indication of the dog’s ability to produce quality puppies, is judged.
Show dogs compete for points toward their championship (Ch) title. To become an official AKC champion of record, a dog must earn a total of 15 points, which includes 2 major wins under 2 different judges. A “Major” is 3, 4, or 5 points won all at once. The number of points earned at any given show is determined by the number of dogs that compete at that show, and the AKC publishes a Point Schedule for each geographical Division.
The AKC has a great Beginner’s Guide to Dog Shows that is very helpful for first-timers.
FIELD TRIALS
Field Trials are a performance event that test a field dog’s natural ability to work game.
Typically, trials are run by local or regional clubs and they offer a variety of stakes to challenge dogs of various ages and levels of experience as well as to accommodate both professional and amateur handlers. Up to four placements are awarded in each stake and the winning placements also earn points towards an Open and/or Amateur Field Championship title. In general, dogs are judged on ground speed, stamina, application of the available course, ability to locate and point game, style on point and manners on birds — puppies are not required to have bird contact.
So if you think your dog may have what it takes — a good ground race, an overwhelming desire to find birds, acceptable manners on birds (this means steady to wing and shot for adults), conditioning to go the distance (usually up to 30 minutes) and do it all with style and class, then how about trying your hand at field trials and giving your dog the opportunity to earn a field championship title?
The AKC has a wealth of knowledge regarding the history and continuation of these events.
HUNT TESTS
The purpose of the AKC Hunting Tests is comparison of bird dogs against a standard, not competition against each other. A dog must be AKC registered in order to receive any AKC Hunting Test title. In the following, “Hunting Test” means an AKC licensed or member club hunting test.
Dogs taking the Junior Hunting Test must demonstrate a keen desire to hunt, show ability to find and point birds, be trainable. They cannot be gun-shy. They may be restrained to prevent interference with another dog.
Dogs taking the Senior Hunting Test must do the same things demanded of a junior hunting dog, but with definite improvement. They must also hold their point until the bird has been shot or they are released. They must retrieve a shot bird but need not deliver to hand. They must initially honor another dog’s point.
Those dogs taking the Master Hunting Test must do the same things as Senior hunter, but show more experience. In addition must also show intensity and staunchness of the point, without breaking for both wing and shot. They must deliver to hand. They must demonstrate absolute honoring throughout the entire flush, shot and retrieve.
Hunt tests are also exclusively done on foot. The three AKC titles that can be awarded are a JH (Junior Hunter), SH (Senior Hunter), and MH (Master Hunter). For a JH title, a dog must have four qualifying runs. Junior Hunters are judged on Hunting, Bird Finding, Pointing and Trainability. The judging scale is from 0-10. The average score for the four categories must total seven or higher and no single score can be below a four. Senior Hunter and Master Hunter tests include judging for Retrieving and Honoring.
For more information on getting started with Hunting Tests – visit the AKC website to get the NEW AKC Pointing Breeds Hunt Test Brochure.