One handler, one dog?

Professionals may well raise trialling standards, but David Tomlinson asks if it is fairer for handlers to be restricted to one dog per person

- David Tomlinson

AMATEURS PLAYING with professionals in sport has always created problems, as you will discover if you delve into the histories of any of our major sporting bodies. In field trials, amateur handlers have always competed against professionals, even from the earliest days when wealthy owners employed their gamekeeper or kennelman to handle their dog (or dogs) for them.

There’s a strong argument that professionals raise the standards to which the amateurs must aspire to if they are to succeed. However, if you look at the recent winners of all the major championships — retrievers, AV spaniels, cockers — you will see that people who make their living by training and handling dogs win most often. This is hardly surprising, as they are able to dedicate far more time to their dogs than most amateurs can afford to do. They are often financed by owners who not only pay them to qualify their dogs, but also cover all their expenses.

Growing professionalism