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Working Certificate Program
The CKC Working Certificate Program is divided into three levels.
Only one pass at each level is necessary to achieve the title. To
pass the first level, Working Certificate
(WC), a dog must retrieve two birds on land and two birds on the
water. These are singles - only one bird is thrown at a time before
the dog is sent to retrieve it. The marks are short, less than 75
yards on land in light cover and 25 to 40 yards on the water. Dogs
can be restrained at the line. The WC is an instinct test and is
well within the capabilities of most Tollers. Delivery to hand is
not required at this level but the birds must be brought back close
to the handler.
The Working Certificate Intermediate
(WCI) is comprised of a land double (two birds are thrown before
the dog is sent, the dog must remember where both birds land and
deliver the first one back to the handler before retrieving the
second) in cover of about 75 yards in length. The dogs are off leash
at all times and may not be physically restrained by the handler.
All birds at the WCI and WCX level must be delivered to hand. The
dog must also complete an honour on land, which means that the dog
must sit quietly and watch another dog retrieve. This is the downfall
of many Tollers who feel that all retrieves should be theirs. Dogs
who complete the land part successfully then do a double water retrieve
of 40 to 50 yards in length.
The Working Certificate Excellent
(WCX) is the highest title in this program. It is comprised of a
land double, 50 to 100 yards in length, and a walk-up honour where
the honouring dog accompanies the working dog on a short off-leash
walk to a pre-determined spot before the first bird is thrown. In
addition to the first two birds thrown, there are two blinds - one
on land and one in the water of 50 yards in length. A blind is to
simulate a hunting situation where a bird comes down that the dog
did not see. The dog must go in the direction the handler sends
him, stop on a whistle and change direction at the handlers command.
The dog is not to just run out and hunt all over the field but must
show control and obedience to the handler's instructions. There
is also a water double of similar length to the WCI before the water
blind is run.
In the Working Certificate program all gunners are seen in the
field and a shot is fired before the bird is thrown. All shots,
except for one in the WCX, are fired by the gunner in the field.
This is a big help in aiding the dog to focus on the gunner and
therefore locate the birds being thrown.
Hunt Test Program
The CKC Hunt Test program has three levels, Junior
Hunter (JH) which requires three passes, Senior
Hunter (SH) which requires four or five passes and Master
Hunter (MH) which requires five or six passes. The lower
number of passes is sufficient if the dog has the previous title
(i.e. a JH would count as an SH leg and require only four passes
at the SH level to title). The hunt tests are much more challenging
than the Working Certificate program.
In Junior Hunter the dog must retrieve
four single marks, two on land and two on the water. The dogs may
be gently restrained and all birds must be delivered to hand. Marks
are approximately 75 yards in length.
The Senior Hunter test is comprised
of a land double, a water double, two blinds, one on land and one
in the water, and a quartering test to find birds down in the field.
Distances are in the 100 to 125 yard length usually. Dogs must be
steady at all times.
Finally, the Master Hunter is comprised
of a land and water triple, a land blind a water blind and a quarter
to flush test. Distances are again 100 to 125 yards in length.
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