Field Trial Terminology


Acknowledge the Bird	Your SM shows respect for rising game by not chasing.
Adaptability	The ability of your dog to adjust his speed and range to varying cover and terrain.
Attitude	The posture , pose, or stand of a dog on point or backing.
Backing	Your SM acknowledges another dog's point by remaining motionless behind him.
Beat Out	To walk a piece of ground to find game.
Bevy	A hatch of game birds.
Birdiness	The alertness to, awareness of, and response to scent or sight of birds; and the desire to locate and hunt.
Blinking the Point	A dog which can point, refuses to do so and moves away or circumvents the game, even though it knows game is nearby.
Boldness	Aggressiveness and confidence in a dog's hunting behavior.
Bolter	A wild, disobedient, unmanageable dog who runs a random and aimless pattern.
Boring	The dog moves directly forward into the wind.
Bracemates	Dogs paired in the field.
Breakaway	The moment of releasing your dog for the cast.
Breaking Shot	The dog leaps forward after fleeing game bird after a shot is fired, not awaiting command to do so.
Bump	Accidental or purposeful, premature flushing of game.
Cast	To cast the dog is to start the dog hunting, usually to one side of the handler. Also: Sweep of local area by the dog in search of game.
Cast Backward	After the cast the dog turns away from the oncoming wind.
Cast Forward	After the cast the dog turns forward into the oncoming wind.
Catwalking	Your dog advances forward slowly in a pointing attitude.
Chapping the Point	The dog on point appears to be munching something and is slavering.
Chasing	Running after birds after flush and before shot.
Class	Style and performance.
Covert	Shelter, cover, or place of refuge for game.
Covey	A hatch or brood of game birds.
Down Position	Your dog lies flat but alert, with its belly and four legs close to the ground.
Drawing	Your dog moves forward slowly in a pointing attitude, prior to remaining motionless, on point.
Dropper	A cross between a pointer and setter.
Drop to Command	Your dog lies down when you command him to.
Drop to Shot	Your dog drops to ground when the gun is fired.
Drop to Wing	Dog drops to ground when the game is flushed.
Drop to Wing or Shot	Your dog lies down whenever game flies up or a shot is fired.
False Point	The dog assumes a pointing stance when there is no scent of game before him. Also: An unproductive point.
Feathering	The dog reduces its speed, and in a semi-crouching attitude takes short excited casts often with much tail wagging, as if expecting to find game nearby.
Finished	Completely trained.
Fire	Spirit, dash, and enthusiasm.
Flag	The long hair on an SM's tail. Also a movement of the tail denoting that the game being pointed is not the game being sought out. Also (with only slight movement of tail) an unsure point. Also to become tired or droop.
Flush	To cause game birds to fly. Game birds taking to the air.
Flushing Wild	A flush without disturbance by the hunter or his dog.
Gait	A dog's rate of travel or pace.
Game	Game birds.
Giving Tongue	Yelping or barking while quartering.
Ground Coverage	The area searched out by the dog in a given span of time.
Ground Treatment	The way your dog covers the ground allotted to him in an efficient manner.
Handle	The way your SM behaves in the field when hunting.
Handling	Directing and controlling the dog.
Hard-Mouthed	Roughed-mouthed dog. A dog that chews, bites or crushes game when retrieving.
Hassle	Rapid panting of a dog from heat, exertion or excitement.
Haunt	A place where animals visit frequently, usually to feed.
Heat	The period of time of a dog's run in the field.
Heed Command	Your SM obeys your command.
Heel	Positioning of the dog adjacent to the hunter's side or heels. Also: The command to the dog to assume the foregoing position.
Holding Game	The act of game birds remaining motionless in cover.
Honor on Point	Your dog backs the point of a dog already on point.
Hunt Dead	Command to the dog or the act of searching by the dog for downed game.
Jump In	Your SM releases his point, and moves forward to flush the bird.
Leaving the Point	A dog on point, distracted by some other interest, moves away from the game.
Lining	Your dog, with nose to the ground, follows a foot scent, usually in a straight line.
Losing the Point	The dog cannot maintain its point because of a change in scenting conditions.
Make Ground Good	Utilize the terrain in the best way, according to terrain features, wind conditions, etc.
Making Out the Covey	The dog, after roading in to raise birds, ensures none of the covey remains in hiding.
Manners	Your dog's general behavior and conduct in the field.
Mark	By his behavior on point, your dog indicates the location of the game.
Meat Dog	A hunting dog who performs well and does the job effectively without outstanding style.
Mechanical Dog	A dependent, methodical, well-trained dog whose initiative and independent spirit have been subdued by too intensive obedience training.
Merry	Energetic and enthusiastic action of the dog in the field.
Non-productive Point	A dog gives every indication of the presence of game but no birds are found when the search is made.
Overrun	To pass game without noting its presence.
Pace	Rate of movement.
Pegged	The handler, usually, is penalized.
Point	On point, your dog is motionless, indicating the presence of nearby game.
Pottering	The dog works ineffectually with neither zest nor pace.
Pulling	Tending to cast too widely despite the handler's commands.
Quartering	The dog passes to and fro across the path of the handler, hunting back and forth at right angles to the direction of travel, evenly on both sides by scenting the wind.
Raise Game	When game is flushed by the dog jumping in.
Raking	Hunting with the nose too close to the ground.
Range	The dog moving alternately left and right cast in relation to you. Also: The average maximum distance the dog hunts from the handler.
Roading	To walk the dog forward, under command, from a pointing position towards the game.
Roading In	When your dog advances cautiously after having located game.
Self-Hunting	A dog that hunts without alliance with his handler. A dog that avidly hunts by himself and for his own satisfaction.
Shot-Breaker	A dog that moves from his point when a shot is fired at the game.
Side Cast	Your SM is ranging to either side of you, alternately.
Staunch	Steady and unwavering on point. Refers to a dog that holds on point well and for considerable length of time if necessary.
Steadiness to Fur	Not chasing furry animals (hares, rabbits).
Steadiness to Shot	Not chasing when shot is fired.
Steady	Ordinarily used in reference to a dog's retention of his position after flush of the game or after flush and shot. Also: A constant and dependable level of performance.
Stealing the Point	The dog fails to back, but advances to point in front of a dog already on point.
Sticky on Point	The dog refuses to road in when commanded to do so, or is extremely hesitant to move forward.
Stride	The length of the dog's reach from forelegs to back legs when running.
Style	A dog's general appearance when searching for game or on point.
Sulking Riser	The dog refuses, or is extremely hesitant to move forward to raise game.
Tender Age	A young dog.
Tugging	When retrieving fallen game, the dog chews or bites hard into the game.
Turning In	Though quartering normally to and fro, the dog turns away from the upcoming wind at the end of each natural side cast, thus losing scent momentarily and starting his return cast on the part of the ground over which he has already hunted.
Upwind	Wind blowing from a slightly forward angle in relation to the dog's direction of motion.
Walk to Heel	Your dog moves quietly on your left side.
Winding Game	Your SM is picking up scent.