He was unbelievably spectacular the whole week. It was a thrill to run him. He was just right on the money...drilled every mark and was beautiful on every blind. While these are certainly words of high praise for any retriever, to have them come from Mike Lardy, the top field trial handler in the US, gives them tremendous weight. Lardy had just finished handling FC AFC Five Star General Patton, LM to first place in the National Retriever Championship, held November 9^th through the 15^th in Oakdale, California and Patton had worked the National like an old pro, even though it was his first appearance at the highly esteemed event.

The difficult and demanding series presented the following challenges over the 7 day event: (For more details on the series, visit Working Retriever Central and, for a guide to field trial terms, visit our Field Glossary)

Tests 1 and 2 - Land Double, Retired Gun and Blind

Test 3 -Water Triple/ 2 Retired Guns

Test 4 & 5 Double Blind

Test 6 - Land / Water Triple

Test 7 Water Quad/2 flyers/2 Retired Guns /Honor

Test 8 Water Blind

Test 9 Land Quad

Test 10 Water Quad

The tenth and final series was run from a panoramic hill top and gave the competitors several challenges in both terrain and water. Of the 93 dogs that qualified for the National, 89 started the first series and only 15 made it to the tenth. There were four marks: two flyers and two retired stations and as Lardy explained it was a very, very difficult test for a 10^th series. No matter how well you'd worked up to that point, it felt like boy, the trial starts right now. Pattons final retrieve was a perfect example of how hed worked all week. As Lardy described it, he came in from that water bird and looked right up at that long retired gun. I lined him up to it and he pretty much steamed up there and picked it up. Patton's picking up is evidently something to behold. His owner, Deb Bredeson of Sussex, Wisconsin says that his trademark style is to run full speed and pick up the marks on the run...scooping them up without slowing down, she says with well deserved pride in her voice.

In telling Deb about the final series, Lardy described her dogs performance as awesome, as if the four birds out there were just four white bumpers in a cut field. He went on to describe one particular mark that other dogs had a lot of trouble with that Patton worked like an arrow, racing straight to the bird in spectacular fashion. Its this accuracy, and style, that distinguishes a winner. With the top retrievers in the country competing, a dog has got to show an intense desire to do the job. As one judge put it, theyre looking for animation, tremendous desire...a dog that goes hard on blinds as well as marks, looks good on the line and works as a real team with the handler.

So how did this fast paced journey to champion begin? Deb met a young-dog trainer named Jim VanEngen of Right Start Kennels in Sheboygan Falls.  I watched him train for a while, and he began helping me with my dog Drake.  When Jim met my husband Michael, they quickly became friends. Jim was looking for someone to build him and his wife a new house and since my husband is a home builder and general contractor, he and Jim started making plans.  During the time that we were building Jims new house, I was training with him and his crew pretty often. That was when John Darling (of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) visited Jims kennel, bringing along a litter of pups.  Jim said to me  if you ever want to get a puppy and try field trialing, youve got to see this litter!

Deb remembers well the first time she saw Patton, in the early summer of 1997: the rest of the litter was running around romping and playing. Patton was the only one laying under the tree in the shade. That was maybe not the best quality to look for in a hunting dog, but he was special from the moment I saw him. The problem was, John thought he was pretty special too- in fact, Patton was his pick of the litter. She pleaded with him to reconsider but John wasnt prepared to let him go and because Deb was so drawn to Patton, she couldn't bring herself to even consider one of the other puppies.

Over the next two weeks, unbeknownst to Deb, her husband Michael negotiated with John and ended up surprising her one day by coming down the driveway with the puppy. The puppy that she couldnt get out of her mind...and now he was hers! For all of his efforts to acquire the elusive Lab for his wife, Michael got to name him. Being a big fan of the famous General George S. Patton, who personified a commanding presence in the field of battle, he bestowed the puppy with a name he would live up to.

Deb now had the challenge of making sure this super puppy had the opportunity to reach his retrieving potential. She drove Patton to VanEngens two to three times a week to watch the big dogs work. At about 6 months of age, earlier than most dogs, Patton was ready to move to Jims kennel to begin more intensive training. Patton lived there until he was about 2, with Deb driving up several times a week to train with him. Jim worked with us right from the start to raise him to be a working dog.  He trained Patton and I to be a team, and prepared us for our first trial, where we took 2^nd place in the derby.  That got me hooked.

Pattons training progressed with Autumn Run Kennel and he eventually got a spot with Mike Lardy and Dave Smith of Handjem Retrievers in Montello, Wisconsin. Deb made the 2 hour drive twice a week and ran her first Amateur and Open under their direction. Patton qualified for the 2003 National by winning a 2^nd in a PRTA (Professional Retriever Training Association) trial in the spring and winning the Central Minnesota Retriever Club trial in May. And at only 6 years of age, he clearly has the potential to be a contender at a national level for several years to come. Deb has her sights set next on the 2004 National Amateur for which he just needs a half point more to qualify, she explains.

In the meantime, hell be pulling her 3 young children (1, 5 & 7 years old) on the sled this winter and running on the treadmill to keep in shape. He loves it, she laughs, when he hears me turn it on, he comes running. He uses it more than my husband! And now that he's won the National Retriever Championship, what could be more exciting? Squirrels. When asked about Pattons other favorite activities, Deb makes it amusingly clear that her champion Labrador is blissfully unaware of his celebrity status. He stays busy hunting squirrels at the window and cleaning up the cereal that the kids drop on the floor. He has no idea how valuable he is now!  Perhaps they should stand at attention and salute him when he enters the room.

Tail End:

How do dogs qualify for the National Retriever Championship? Visit the AKC website for the answer and for many more details on field trialing.

 

For more on Mike Lardy, visit his Total Retriever website.

For day by day reports from the National, visit Working Retriever Central.

And for more on field trial terminology, check out the All Labs Field Glossary.

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