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Club
History
The Craigavon Gundog Club
was formed in 1985
in the Craigavon area of County Armagh, Northern Ireland by a group of
dedicated gundog handlers. Over the last seventeen years it has
grown to be recognised as one of the top gundog associations in
Ireland, with a current membership of over 120. The club is
registered with the Kennel Club and regularly holds field trials and
working tests under the auspices of the
Kennel Club.
While all breeds of working
gundogs are represented within the membership of the club, most
members are involved with retrieving breeds, principally Labrador
retrievers, golden retrievers and Irish water spaniels. We do have
number of members who own and work breeds like the Chesapeake Bay
retriever and the flatcoated retriever. In the main, however, it is
the Labrador retriever that figures in the club's activities.
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 Working
Tests & Field Trials
It is during the shooting
season that the
field trials in Ireland are held. In this country all field
trails are regulated by the Kennel Club in Northern Ireland and the
Irish Kennel Club in the Irish Republic. Licences are granted for
the running of field trails and they are strictly governed. Usually
held on sporting estates or private shooting grounds, the quarry at a
field trial can range from pheasants and other
game
birds, to snipe, duck and rabbits. All field trails in Ireland
are held with live game being shot thus testing the dogs in a normal
shooting environment. Field trails, or stakes as they are referred to,
have a limited entry, usually restricted to 12 dogs for a one-day
stake in Northern Ireland and up to 16 dogs in the Irish Republic.
Working tests
are held by the Craigavon Gundog Club in the
 close season with canvas
dummies being used as a substitute for shot game. The Club's annual
working test is held each year at the beginning of May at the club
grounds, which are located near the town of Lurgan, County Armagh.
Working tests feature up three categories representing the three
stages in the development of working gundogs. The first is the
Preliminary Working Test for dogs under the age of 18 months.
Secondly, the Novice Working Test, restricted to dogs that have not
won a novice event or have been placed in an open test and, thirdly,
Advanced Working Test that is open to dogs of all ages.
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 Gundog
Training Evenings
The club regularly hold
gundog training sessions at their
grounds at Craigavon Lakes, by courtesy of Craigavon Borough Council.
These training sessions are open to all gundog retriever enthusiasts, irrespective of their level of competency.
Sessions are held every Monday evening, starting at 7.30 p.m. until
9.30 p.m. and they run from April until late August
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Craigavon Gundog Club at
 The
National Countrysports Fair 2007
The Craigavon Gundog Club
will organised all the retriever events at the 2007 National Countrysports
Fair, which will be held in the grounds of Moira Demesne, County Down, over
the weekend of 26 & 27May.
The following
competitions will staged:
- Irish National
Retriever Preliminary Working Test
- Irish National
Retriever Novice Working Test
- Irish National
Retriever Open Working Test
- International
Retriever Championship
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Scottish International
Gundog Team |
N. Ireland International
Gundog Team |
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English International Gundog Team |
Welsh
International Gundog Team |
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Republic of Ireland International
Gundog Team
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Event sponsor, John Murphy, presented the prizes
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For more
information about Craigavon Gundog Club e-mail the Field Trail
Secretary here
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Craigavon
Gundog Club