The Open is starting with a double. The dog comes to the line and sees a black and white kite with two gunners way out in the field on a mound. They watch that single thrown left to right onto the flat. Then three gunners appear coming up from behind a mound short and to the right and shoot a flyer right to left down onto the flat in a corner formed by two roads. The line is on top of the road leading toward the flyer with a row of thick tumbleweeds right in front of the line on the way to the long bird. Some dogs are taking the cover. Others are going around the end and having to readjust their line. There is a shallow channel-like piece of water on the flat after the cover. Then the dogs must negotiate a dike, a road, and two channels of water on the way to the bird. The crosswind was blowing left to right for the early dogs but is expected to shift the other way later in the day. Many of the dogs are squaring the road and the two channels which throws them right (currently downwind) and they have to readjust or they end up way to the right and downwind where they are winding the bird. However, if the wind shifts, those dogs will be upwind and unable to wind the bird. A few dogs are not making it all the way out to the long bird and are having to be handled or picked up.
The judges asked the handlers to help them move the large field through the test efficiently by having the dog off leash in the holding blind before being called and moving offline to take the bird from the dog while the next dog is moving to the line. They started on time and it's taking about 4 minutes a dog.
The judges asked the handlers to help them move the large field through the test efficiently by having the dog off leash in the holding blind before being called and moving offline to take the bird from the dog while the next dog is moving to the line. They started on time and it's taking about 4 minutes a dog.