Retrieving trials for gundogs: stakes, retrieves, scoring and entry

Key facts

Rules edition

Effective January 2025; February amendments effective April 2025

Main trial stakes

Novice, Restricted and All Age

Entry check

Registration route, age, prior wins and the nominated stake

Separate activity

Retrieving Ability Tests for Gundogs (RATG)

Results record

Event, stake, dog, judge, completion, placing and title evidence

What does a retrieving trial test?

Dogs Australia describes retrieving as work across land and water. DOGS NSW’s introduction explains the country-property setting, the control area, marking falls, using scent to find concealed game, swimming and delivering gently to hand. These parts belong together: the task includes waiting and returning under control as well as finding the retrieve.

When watching, identify where the team starts, what the dog can see and how the retrieve ends. The line from send to return can be affected by terrain and water. Keep the full sequence in your notes rather than judging the work solely from the speed of the outward run or a short edited clip.

Marked and blind retrieves

For a marked retrieve, pay attention to the fall the dog observes and its subsequent search. For blind work, note what the handler knows and how the dog is directed towards the target. A bird hidden by vegetation after a visible fall is not automatically evidence that the exercise was a formal blind retrieve.

Ask the steward to identify the advertised exercise and where spectators may stand. Do not approach the working line or move equipment to improve a view. For a training discussion, preserve the start, search, recovery and return, then ask the instructor which part of the sequence needs attention.

Stakes and eligibility under the current rules

Novice uses single marks, without walk-ups, and excludes dogs with five Novice wins or specified higher achievements. Restricted includes blind work and has its own win restrictions. All Age entry requires a Novice win or a top-three Restricted placing. These conditions are separate from merely recognising the stake’s name.

The rulebook sets a six-month minimum and specific registration routes, including conditions for Associate gundogs. Before entering, send the club the dog’s registration and previous results if eligibility is uncertain. Record the relevant wins and placings rather than relying on a description such as beginner dog or experienced handler.

Distances and scoring need the current edition

The current rules distinguish maximum marked retrieves of 130 metres from blinds of 150 metres; Beginners and Novice retrieves have a 100-metre maximum. The judging sheet allocates 10 points to steadiness/obedience/heel, 10 to style/action and 45 to retrieving, with deductions. A maximum distance is a rule limit, not a target to practise immediately with every dog.

Use the actual run briefing and judging record to understand its work. Record any component figures that are published and keep them with the stake and judge. Do not substitute RATG percentage-pass requirements or a different sport’s qualifying threshold when interpreting a retrieving-trial score.

Tests, satisfactory completions, wins and titles

RATG is a separate test pathway with its own rules. Within retrieving trials, QND/QRD satisfactory-completion awards, NRD/RRD progression awards and championship points are different records. Use the relevant title conditions and member-body confirmation rather than turning a placing or a completed run into an assumed title.

Keep four fields separate in a dog’s history: what event was entered, what the dog completed, where it placed and what award was formally confirmed. Retain the original result or certificate and the dog’s registered identity. If the evidence establishes only a stake placing, publish that precise achievement.

Prepare for a first visit or nomination

Start with a club or training group and ask which preparation suits the dog and handler. Discuss steadiness, delivery, water experience and the advertised exercises before choosing an entry. Confirm membership, registration, venue, closing date, equipment and arrangements for handling at the firing point with the organiser.

For spectators, ask where to park and watch and whether a non-competing dog may attend. Follow steward instructions around the working and equipment areas. A sporting entry does not establish hunting access or permissions elsewhere; keep any planned hunting trip separate from the competition record and its conditions.

Find the correct rules and useful next steps

The Dogs Australia rules index identifies the 2025 retrieving-trial edition and February amendments effective from 1 April 2025. Some introductory pages retain older distance and championship descriptions. Use those pages for orientation, then verify technical entry and award details against the current rulebook.

The sport introduction links towards state bodies and clubs. Use the retrieving-foundations guide for training questions, the retrieving-ability-test guide for that separate pathway and the field-trial guide to compare disciplines. For media, The Hunting Dog Podcast provides publisher-described bird-dog conversations; it is a route into discussion rather than the authority for a trial entry.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

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