Judging Guidelines

The scoring system is from 0- 100 for finds, retrieves, ground coverage and 0-75 for obedience. Only one back is scored.  Obedience and ground cover is combined score of both judges.  All finds and retrieves will be scored.  Judges switch dog assignments midway through each brace.

The following guidelines, rules and NSTRA Handbook, "Judging Guidelines" are set forth to assist you in judging recognized Shoot-To-Retrieve trials. Judges should use the full range of this system and shall be judges rather than scorekeepers.  

1. OBEDIENCE - SCORE: 0-37.5 (Each judge)

  30-37 ½ A dog must display immediate response to every handler command. All commands (hand, voice, whistle) that are given by the handler are expected to be obeyed by the dog

20- 30  Dog is allowed to refuse a few handler commands

10 – 20 Failure to keep the dog under control or the dog spent the majority of his time out of bounds

0 – 10  Total lack of control.  Dog does not come at end of the brace.

2. GROUND RACE (Each judge)

45- 50 A dog should have good speed, style, spirit and intensity  in finding game. Consideration should be given to breed characteristics.

35 – 45 Line casting, coming from behind infrequently (depending on conditions), slight lack of continuity as a hunter team

20 -35 Excessive line casting, frequently comes from behind (depending on the conditions), misses birdy objectives, lacks some hunting intensity, lacks speed according to breed characteristics

0 – 20 Spends majority of time out of bird field, Completely ignores the location of the handler, excessive pottering, or total lack of desire or intensity in finding game

3 BACK

70 – 75 A dog must back immediately when seeing a dog on point, being intense with good style, remaining this way until the handler reaches the dog to control him while the pointing dog completes his retrieve or is released by the judge.

60 – 70 Very minimal movement by the backing dog

50 – 60 Very slight flagging or head movement, NO creeping!!!

40 – 50 Flagging head movement, slight creeping, or slight lack of style and/or intensity

20 – 40 Unnecessary crowding, excessive creeping, looses composure when handler approaches, lacks style and intensity

1 – 20 Excessive crowding but doesn’t break the plane of the point or total lack of style and intensity.

 0 Steals the point. (Breaks the plane of the pointing dog)

4 FIND

90- 100 A dog must have a quick location, outstanding style, be intense and maintain his composure until the bird is flushed by the handler or the gunner

80 – 90 Very minimal movement by the dog. One step allowed after the point is signaled by the handler.

70 – 80 Slight flagging or head movement. Two steps allowed after the point or find is called

50 – 70 Flagging, head movement, slight creeping.

40 – 50 Excessive flagging, head movement,  creeping or lack of intensity.

1 – 40 Excessive creeping, poor location, excessive relocating, lack of composure during the point.

0 Dog moves the bird from cover.  (Any movement by the dog that causes the bird to flush is a zero for the find!!!)

5 RETRIEVE

90 – 100 A dog must have a good speed, quick location of the bird (based on conditions). Quick pick up, returns directly to handler with speed, willing release of bird with tender mouth to hand.

80 – 90 Slight hunt for bird (in area of fall) slower pick up, or trots back with the bird. Must deliver to hand.

60 – 80 Hunts for the bird in the area of the fall, hesitant pick up, returns at a walk or hesitates to deliver the bird to hand or delivers to hand with a tight grip.

40 – 60 Excessive hunt for the downed bird in the area of the fall. Indecisive in the pick up, slow going out or returning, delivers in three feet and spits it out, drops the bird  once during the retrieve or is slightly hard mouthed.

1 – 40 Excessive hunting for the bird out of the area of the fall, pottering, multiple dropping of the bird, reluctant return excessive hard mouth,(you can hear the bones breaking).

0 Failure to return to within three feet of handler or refuses to retrieve or eats the bird. (Benefit of the doubt to the dog when the bird is badly shot up)